Knowledge, attitudes, and practices about severe mental illness and willingness-to-pay for a new integrated care model across 6 European countries: a study protocol

List of Authors

  1. Owen Taylor
    ,  
  2. Sandrine Loubière
    ,  
  3. René Ernst Nielsen
    ,  
  4. Mirko Manchia
    ,  
  5. Ulker Isayeva
    ,  
  6. Andrzej Kiejna
    ,  
  7. Laurent Boyer
    ,  
  8. EU-Mind Consortium
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Abstract

Background

People with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) experience a 15–20-year shorter life expectancy than the general population, with increased premature deaths from somatic illnesses, and twice to more than four times the general population’s all-cause mortality risk. Integrated care could potentially improve these outcomes, but implementing it requires financial investment, and we know little about community support for integrated care for people with severe mental illness. This study aims to assess the Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of the general population in six European countries towards SMI and integrated care. The study will also assess their preferences and Willingness to Pay (WTP) for a proposed new integrated care model for people with SMI and comorbid physical ailments.

Methods

The study will comprise an online survey with individuals aged 18+ from 6 countries, representative in terms of age, self-reported gender and education level at minima (1500 individuals by country). A Discrete Choice Experiment valuation method will be used to estimate the value and configuration respondents see in an innovative care model. KAP indicators will be created. Descriptive analyses and comparison between countries will be conducted on these indicators and WTP values.

Conclusions

This study will provide novel cross-national evidence on public KAP regarding severe mental illness and citizens’ preferences and WTP for integrated mental and physical healthcare. By identifying which components of integrated care are most highly valued, how preferences differ across countries and population groups, and whether knowledge and attitudes are associated with societal support, the findings may inform the implementation of acceptable and sustainable integrated care models. Incorporating this broader societal perspective may help ensure that future models are responsive not only to the needs of people with severe mental illness, but also to the values and expectations of the populations that collectively finance and support healthcare systems.

Plain Language Summary

In this study protocol we are announcing our upcoming research to the scientific community and the general public. The research will be an online survey of Europeans aged 18+ in six countries: Denmark, Italy, Finland, France, Poland and Sweden. A market research company will conduct the survey, contacting eligible people via email and requesting them to fill in the survey in exchange for a small incentive. Respondents to the survey will be selected to be nationally representative for self-reported gender, age and education. This means that if 55% of a population are women, the company will seek to provide 55% of responses from respondents identifying as women, and similarly for age and education. The survey will ask questions to test respondents’ knowledge, attitudes and baviour, relating to severe mental illness. The survey will also investigate respondents’ opinions about and value of various integrated care models – integrated care being more coordinated care between different healthcare sectors, in this instance between physical and mental health care. The reasons for the study are based in the fact that people with severe mental illness suffer shorter life expectancy than the general population, and one of the reasons for this is inadequate phyiscal care.

Corresponding author
Owen Taylor
Grant information

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No [101095654] (EUropean Mental and physical health INitiative for people with severe mental Disorders, [EU-MIND]).

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Copyright
© 2026 Owen Taylor (Corresponding Author, Co-Author); Sandrine Loubière (Co-Author); René Ernst Nielsen (Co-Author); Mirko Manchia (Co-Author); Ulker Isayeva (Co-Author); Andrzej Kiejna (Co-Author); Laurent Boyer (Co-Author); EU-Mind Consortium (Co-Author) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Authors & roles

Owen Taylor

CEReSS Health Services Research and Quality of Life Center, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, 13008, France

Department of Public Health, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Roles
Corresponding Author, Co-Author, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

Sandrine Loubière

CEReSS Health Services Research and Quality of Life Center, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, 13008, France

Department of Public Health, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Roles
Co-Author, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

René Ernst Nielsen

Department of Psychiatry, Aalborg University Hospital, Aarlborg, Denmark

Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarlborg University, Aarlborg, Denmark

Roles
Co-Author, Funding Acquisition, Writing – Review & Editing

Mirko Manchia

Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

Unit of Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Medical Specialties, University Hospital Agency of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

Dalhousie University Department of Pharmacology, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Roles
Co-Author, Funding Acquisition, Writing – Review & Editing

Ulker Isayeva

Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

Roles
Co-Author, Writing – Review & Editing

Andrzej Kiejna

Institute of Social Studies, DSW Ideis University, Wroclaw, Poland

Roles
Co-Author, Funding Acquisition, Writing – Review & Editing

Laurent Boyer

CEReSS Health Services Research and Quality of Life Center, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, 13008, France

Department of Public Health, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Roles
Co-Author, Funding Acquisition, Project Administration, Supervision

EU-Mind Consortium

Roles
Co-Author

Awaiting peer review

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