Objective  To explore the effects of online mental health promotion intervention consisting of popular science articles and short videos on the level of mental health literacy (MHL), the MHL competency rate, and depression and anxiety levels of local residents.

  Methods  Local residents in Shanghai were recruited for the study and assigned to a control group (n=53) and a study group (n=53) with a random number table. The study group participated in a 12-session mental health promotion intervention program that was carried out over the course of 4 weeks, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The subjects were assessed for their MHL, depression and anxiety by questionnaire surveys at the baseline (T1), after intervention (T2), and three months after intervention (T3).

  Results  At T2, there was significant difference in the rate of MHL competency between the study group (43.40%) and the control group (18.87%) (P=0.006). There was no significant difference between the two groups at T1 (P=0.787) or T3 (P=0.840). The results of repeated measures analysis of variance of the total score of the MHL Questionnaire showed that the interaction effect was statistically significant (F=9.708, P<0.001), the simple effect of grouping was statistically significant at T2 (F=10.935, P=0.001), and the total score of MHL of the study group (134.321±20.123) was significantly higher than that of the control group (123.811±20.224) for the corresponding point of time. The simple effect of time in the study group was statistically significant (F=23.233, P<0.001). The subjects in the study group scored significantly higher at T2 and T3 than they did at T1, or the baseline (P<0.001). There was no significant difference between the T2 and the T3 scores (P=0.847).

  Conclusion  The 12-session online mental health promotion intervention can effectively improve the subjects’ MHL level and the rate of MHL competency immediately after the invention was completed, and the effect endures 3 months after intervention.