Background: Low levels of mental health literacy about depression in the community impact negatively on attitudes towards people with the disorder and their help-seeking.
Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a problem-solving, Story-bridge mental health literacy programme, in improving community leaders' knowledge about helpful interventions for, and recognition of, depression.
Methods: A cluster randomised controlled trial involving 140 assembly members, intervention (n = 70) and control (n = 70) groups. The intervention group received a three-hour mental health literacy programme. The control group received a plain language basic brochure about mental health issues. Data were collected at baseline and 12-week follow-up.
Results: The intervention group demonstrated greater improvement in knowledge about helpful interventions for, and recognition of, depression compared to the control group at follow-up; however, the differences in both measures were small and not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The programme has the potential to improve participants' knowledge about helpful interventions for, and recognition of, depression. Positive outcomes have public mental health implications as they might enhance early help-seeking and contribute to better outcomes for individuals with mental health problems.
Trial registration: ACTRN12617000033347. Date of registration - 9 January 2017.
Keywords: Cluster randomised trial; Story-bridge; depression; knowledge; mental health literacy; recognition.