Study protocol: Mobilizing Asian men in Canada to reduce stigma of mental illness.

BACKGROUND: The available evidence on interventions addressing the stigma of mental illness is limited because of small samples, lack of diversity in study samples, and exclusion of people living with mental illness. To date, no published studies have evaluated anti-stigma interventions for Asian men in Canada. Aim This paper describes the protocol of a study to evaluate psychological and collective empowerment interventions (ACT, CEE, and ACT+CEE) in addressing self-stigma and social stigma in Asian communities in three urban settings in Canada: Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The study targets Asian men living with or affected by mental illness, and community leaders interested in stigma reduction and advocacy.

METHODS: Guided by a population health promotion framework and an ecological approach to health, the study will use a repeated measure design with mixed methods for data collection. In total, 2160 participants will be enrolled to detect moderate-to-large effect sizes, while accounting for possible attrition. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three interventions or a control group, using a randomization matrix. Established measures will be used to collect outcome data at pretest, post-test, and 3 and 6 months follow-up, along with focus group discussions and monthly activity logs. Mixed linear models will compare participants' stigma, psychological flexibility, valued life domains, mindfulness, and empowerment readiness within and between groups.

DISCUSSION: The project will generate new knowledge on the applicability and effectiveness of evidence-based psychological and collective empowerment interventions (ACT, CEE, and ACT+CEE) in addressing stigma of mental illness and mobilizing community leadership.