DISSCUSSION
The attitude towards stigma abput mental health in first year medical
students’ in Maribor University, Slovenia has reduced folllowing
participation in the Life Transitions program.
Our findings parallel the results demonstrated by Wei et al., in the
original Canadian Transitions program, who also yielded similar positive
outcomes on stigma (9, 10). A systematic review and meta-analysis of
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) studies also observed minor reductions in
stigma. However, a systematic review of studies focusing on mental
health educational initiatives indicated no significant reductions in
stigma among healthcare students (11). This trend was similarly observed
in the Finnish study, which also had smaller number of participants in
the follow up study, but there was no reduction in stigma regarding
mental health (13). These discrepancies may be attributed to cultural
differences, as individuals in Finland tend to hold more positive
attitudes toward mental health in general (12). This hypothesys can also
be supported with the comparison of our Slovenian data with the Finnish.
Their baseline mean (54.20) was already lower than our baseline mean
(71.39), which suggests that stigma about mental health is in general
lower in Finnish students, compared to Slovenian.
In conclusion education about mental health and increasing mental health
literacy is one of the factors in reducing stigma, but addressing stigma
effectively requires a multifaceted approach involving collaboration
between government, healthcare providers, and community organizations to
promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of mental health
conditions (3).