Improving Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Among the Hmong.

This article focuses on the implementation of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), an evidence-based intervention designed to improve mental health literacy and reduce stigma, among Hmong adult church leaders in the Metro Detroit area. Using a pretest-posttest design guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model, the project trained 41 participants from two Hmong Christian Missionary Alliance churches between June and August 2023, measuring outcomes with the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and the Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI) Scale. Results showed statistically significant improvements in mental health literacy, confidence in assisting individuals in distress, and reduced stigma immediately after training, with sustained benefits reported six weeks later. The study highlights challenges such as language barriers and cultural differences, emphasizing the need for culturally tailored MHFA adaptations for the Hmong community and further research to address mental health disparities in this minority population.