Different types of depression literacy and their impacts on reducing personal stigma towards late-life depression in older adults: Results from a pre-and-post intervention study

Abstract

Personal stigma towards late-life depression, a barrier to help-seeking for older adults, may be reduced by improved depression literacy. This study adopted a pre-and-post-test design to investigate the relationships between types of depression literacy and stigma reduction. We recruited 976 older adults aged greater than or equal to fifty for a mental wellness education programme. The results of paired t-tests showed that the education programme improved participants' depression literacy and reduced personal stigma. Their knowledge about symptoms (t = 9.10, P