How much do adverse childhood experiences contribute to adolescent anxiety and depression symptoms? Evidence from the longitudinal study of Australian children

This study aims to: (i) examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescents; and (ii) estimate the burden of anxiety and depressive symptoms attributable to ACEs.Data were analyzed from 3089 children followed between Waves 1 (age 4-5 years) and 7 (16-17 years) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations between ACEs and child-reported elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms at age 16-17. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using the Children's Anxiety Scale and Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, respectively. The punaf command available in STATA 14 was used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF).Before the age of 18 years, 68.8% of the children had experienced two or more ACEs. In the analysis adjusted for confounding factors, including co-occurring ACEs, both history and current exposure to bullying victimisation and parental psychological distress were associated with a statistically significant increased likelihood of elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms at age 16-17. Overall, 47% of anxiety symptoms (95% CI for PAF: 35-56) and 21% of depressive symptoms (95% CI: 12-29) were attributable to a history of bullying victimisation. Similarly, 17% (95% CI: 11-25%) of anxiety and 15% (95% CI: 4-25%) of depressive symptoms at age 16-17 years were attributable to parental psychological distress experienced between the ages of 4-15 years.The findings demonstrate that intervention to reduce ACEs, especially parental psychological distress and bullying victimisation, may reduce the substantial burden of mental disorders in the population.

Adolescent peer support for mental health problems: evaluation of the validity and reliability of the Mental Health Support Scale for Adolescents

BACKGROUND

The Mental Health Support Scale for Adolescents (MHSSA) is a criterion-referenced measure of adolescents' supportive intentions towards peers with mental health problems, which was developed for use in evaluations of adolescent mental health interventions, such as the teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) program. The present study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the MHSSA.

METHODS

A sample of 3092 school students (Mean ± SD: 15.9 ± 0.4 years old) and 65 tMHFA Instructors (the adult group with known expertise in tMHFA) completed the 12 items of the MHSSA. A sub-sample of 1201 students repeated the scale after a 3-4-week interval. Item concordance rates with the tMHFA Action Plan across helpful and harmful intentions scales were calculated. Scale reliabilities were assessed using agreement coefficients from a single test administration and test-retest reliability measured by intraclass correlation coefficients. The mean differences of MHSSA scores of students and Instructors were compared using independent samples t-tests, while convergent validity was tested via correlations of the scale with validated measures of confidence in providing help, social distance and personal stigma.

RESULTS

The average score of Instructors was significantly higher than that of students. The scale was positively associated with confidence in providing help, whilst negatively associated with social distance and dimensions of personal stigma. All scales of MHSSA had high agreement coefficients (all > 0.80) and fair to good test-retest reliability over 3-4 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

The MHSSA shows evidence of validity and reliability for use among adolescents for evaluating the quality of intentions to help peers with mental health problems.

Evaluation of the Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Mental Health First Aid Course: Effects on Knowledge, Stigmatising Attitudes, Confidence and Helping Behaviour

BACKGROUND

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common mental health problem, with a 19% lifetime prevalence in Australian adolescents and 12% in adults. Though rates of professional help-seeking for NSSI are low, disclosure to family and friends is more common, providing opportunities for them to encourage professional support. Mental Health First Aid® Australia's Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury course provides evidence-based training for the general public to support a person engaging in NSSI.

METHODS

This uncontrolled trial evaluated the effects of the Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury course on participants' knowledge, confidence, stigmatising attitudes, and intended and actual helping behaviours. Surveys were administered pre- and post-course, and at a six-month follow-up. A linear mixed-model analysis determined mean change over time, and effect sizes were estimated using Cohen's d. Course satisfaction was assessed using descriptive statistics and summative content analysis of qualitative data.

RESULTS

The pre-course survey was completed by 147 Australian participants (77.5% female, mean age 45.8 years), 137 (93.2%) at post-course and 72 (49%) at follow-up. Knowledge, confidence, quality of intended helping behaviours, and quality of actual helping behaviours increased significantly at both time points. Social distance decreased significantly at all time points and stigma decreased significantly at post-course. The course was perceived to be highly acceptable by participants.

CONCLUSIONS

There is initial evidence that the Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury course is effective and acceptable for members of the public who may support a person engaging in NSSI.

Cluster randomised controlled trial of a problem-solving, Story-bridge mental health literacy programme for improving Ghanaian community leaders' knowledge of depression

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.

Intentions and confidence as predictors of mental health first aid: Findings from a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Mental health first aid (MHFA) training can improve confidence and intention to help a person with a mental health problem, but there is limited research exploring whether this results in better support provided. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between a person's confidence and intention to help with the quality of support provided.

METHODS

Australian public servants who had received MHFA training or Physical First Aid training (n = 152) completed questionnaires exploring attitudes and skills for assisting someone at work with a mental health problem. Data on confidence and intention to help was used to predict quality of support provided at 1 and 2-year follow-up. Data were analysed using linear and logistic regression.

RESULTS

Intention to help predicted the quality of support for assisting someone at work at follow-up (rs=0.15-0.20, p < .0.05), while confidence in providing help only predicted quality of support 1-year later (rs = 0.42, p = .032). These relationships were significantly attenuated after controlling for personal stigma, desire for social distance, gender, age, language spoken at home, level of education and whether participant managed staff. Furthermore, there were some large associations between intentions to perform specific first aid actions and carrying out the same action at follow-up such as for encouraging professional help at 2-year follow-up (OR=8.20, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Findings indicate that intended actions to support a person with a mental health problem can predict the quality of support provided up to 2 years later. Future research should clarify whether this support benefits the mental health of recipients.

Development of the Mental Health Support Scale: A New Measure of Mental Health First Aid Behaviors

Mental health first aid (MHFA) courses teach community members the knowledge and skills needed to recognize and respond to mental health problems until professional help is received or the crisis resolves. This study aimed to develop a reliable and valid measure of MHFA behaviors. A pool of actions that were recommended and not recommended were selected from MHFA guidelines and developed into two scales measuring either intended or provided support. Items were tested with a sample of 697 adults. Item response theory guided the selection of final items. The Mental Health Support Scale (MHSS) Intended version has 23 items across two subscales and the MHSS-Provided has 12 items across two subscales. These scales demonstrated convergent validity, discrimination between respondents with and without MHFA expertise, and acceptable measurement precision across a range of skill levels. Overall, findings suggest that the MHSS is a valid and useful measure of MHFA behaviors.

teen Mental Health First Aid: 12-month outcomes from a cluster crossover randomized controlled trial evaluation of a universal program to help adolescents better support peers with a mental health problem

Background

teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is a universal mental health literacy, stigma reduction, help-seeking, and suicide prevention program designed for adolescents in Years 10–12 of secondary school (16–18 years). tMHFA is delivered by trained instructors, in a regular classroom setting, to increase the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that adolescents’ require to better support peers with mental health problems or mental health crises.

Methods

To explore the efficacy of tMHFA, a cluster crossover randomised controlled trial was conducted with Year 10 students in four schools in Victoria, Australia, using physical first aid training as the control intervention. Of the 1942 eligible students, 1,624 completed baseline and 894 completed follow-up surveys. Online surveys, administered one week before training and again 12-months later, included vignettes depicting peers John (depression and suicide risk) and Jeanie (social anxiety/phobia), measures of mental health first aid (quality of first aid intentions, confidence, first aid behaviours provided, and first aid behaviours received), mental health literacy (beliefs about adult help, help-seeking intentions), and stigma (social distance, weak-not-sick, dangerous/unpredictable, and would not tell anyone).

Results

The primary outcome—quality of first aid intentions towards the John vignette—showed statistically significant group x time interactions, with tMHFA students reporting more helpful and less unhelpful first aid intentions, than PFA students did over time. Confidence in providing first aid also showed significant interactions. First aid behaviours—both those provided to a peer with a mental health problem and those received from a peer—showed null results. Ratings of both beliefs about adult help and help-seeking intentions were found to be significantly improved among tMHFA students at follow-up. A group x time interaction was found on one stigma scale (would not tell anyone).

Conclusions

This trial showed that, one year after training, tMHFA improves first aid intentions towards peers with depression and suicide risk, confidence in helping peers with mental health problems, willingness to tell someone and seek help from an adult or health professional if experiencing a mental health problem.

Trial registration

This research was registered with Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12614000061639.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13554-6.

A Delphi study to identify intervention priorities to prevent the occurrence and reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences

OBJECTIVE

There is a lack of a systematic, coordinated approach to reducing the occurrence and impact of adverse childhood experiences. Hence, identifying feasible intervention priorities in this field will help inform policy and reformation of ongoing service delivery. The objective of this study was to identify expert consensus-driven priority interventions for reducing the occurrence and impact of adverse childhood experiences in children under 8 years of age in the Australian context.

METHODS

A three-round online Delphi survey was conducted to establish consensus on 34 interventions for adverse childhood experiences identified through a literature search. Six were general categories of interventions, 6 were broad intervention programmes and 22 were specific interventions. Participants were 17 health practitioners, 15 researchers, 9 policy experts, 7 educators and 3 consumer advocates with expertise in adverse childhood experiences or child mental health. Consensus was defined as an intervention being rated as 'very high priority' or 'high priority' according to its importance and feasibility by ⩾75% of all experts.

RESULTS

Seven of the 34 interventions were endorsed as priority interventions for adverse childhood experiences. These included four general categories of intervention: community-wide interventions, parenting programmes, home-visiting programmes and psychological interventions. Two broad intervention programmes were also endorsed: school-based anti-bullying interventions and psychological therapies for children exposed to trauma. Positive Parenting Program was the only specific intervention that achieved consensus.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to identify stakeholder perspectives on intervention priorities to prevent the occurrence and impact of adverse childhood experiences. Prioritisation of effective, feasible and implementable intervention programmes is an important step towards better integration and coordination of ongoing service delivery to effectively prevent and respond to adverse childhood experiences.

Redevelopment of mental health first aid guidelines for supporting someone experiencing a panic attack: a Delphi study

Background

Panic attacks and panic disorder can have a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of those who experience them. People with recurrent panic attacks have increased odds of developing a mental disorder and of worsening the course of existing mental disorders. Early intervention efforts at the time that a panic attack occurs might reduce or prevent some of these associated negative outcomes. Expert consensus guidelines for high income Western countries on how to provide mental health first aid for panic attacks were published in 2009. The present study aims to redevelop these guidelines to ensure content reflects current evidence and best practice.

Methods

The Delphi consensus method was used to determine which helping strategies should be included in the redeveloped guidelines. A survey with items on how to assist someone who is having a panic attack was developed using the 2009 guidelines and a systematic search of grey and academic literature. Panellists with lived experience and professional experience rated these items to determine which helping statements should be included in the guidelines.

Results

Thirty panellists completed all three surveys. Panellists rated 158 statements, with 83 statements meeting the criteria for inclusion in the redeveloped guidelines. The endorsed statements covered: what the first aider should know about panic attacks, what they should do if they think someone is having a panic attack, what they should do if they are uncertain whether the person is having a panic attack, what they should say and do if they know the person is having a panic attack and what they should do when the panic attack has ended.

Conclusion

This study has resulted in a more comprehensive set of guidelines than the original version, with the endorsement of 83 helping actions, compared to 27 previously. The redeveloped guidelines provide greater detail on recognising the signs of a panic attack, providing initial assistance, communicating with someone experiencing a panic attack and supporting them to seek appropriate professional help if it is needed. The guidelines will be used in future updates of Mental Health First Aid training courses.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-022-00843-3.

Reasons for not providing initial support to a colleague, friend, or family member experiencing a mental health problem or crisis

AIM

To investigate reasons for not helping a person experiencing a mental health problem, and explore factors associated with not offering help.

METHODS

Data were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in the workplace conducted with 608 Australian adults. Participants were asked if a colleague, friend, or family member had any mental health problem in the last 12 months, whether they had tried to help them, and reasons for not helping. These reasons were content analysed and predictors of not helping were explored with logistic regression.

RESULTS

A minority of participants did not offer help, with reasons for not helping (n = 107) related to the recipient already being helped, characteristics of the recipient such as perceived illness type, the type of relationship between helper and recipient, distance or time barriers, and a lack of skills or knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Some reasons for not helping cannot be modified but others could be used to inform the curricula of MHFA or other gatekeeper training.

Evaluation of the Conversations About Gambling Mental Health First Aid course: effects on knowledge, stigmatising attitudes, confidence and helping behaviour

Background

The effects of problem gambling are wide-ranging, affecting many aspects of health and negatively impacting the person who gambles, their family and friends, and their community. People experiencing problem gambling have low rates of help-seeking and perceive many barriers to treatment, although evidence suggests that encouragement and support from friends and family can increase rates of help-seeking. Mental Health First Aid Australia’s Conversations About Gambling course aims to teach members of the public evidence-based strategies for recognising and responding to signs of problem gambling in a person they know.

Methods

This research evaluated the effects of the Conversations About Gambling course on participants’ knowledge, confidence, stigmatising attitudes, intended helping behaviour and actual helping behaviour towards a person experiencing problem gambling. Participants from Australia completed surveys before the course, immediately after the course and six months later. Changes over time (pre-course to post-course, and pre-course to 6-month follow-up) were assessed with linear mixed models. Descriptive statistics and content analyses of open-ended questions pertaining to participants’ satisfaction with the course were also produced.

Results

Between 2018 and 2020, 166 participants were recruited into this study. At 6-month follow-up 87 participants (52.4%) provided data. Participants’ knowledge about gambling and gambling problems, confidence, desire for social distance and intentions to help a person experiencing problem gambling significantly improved from pre-course to post-course, and from pre-course to 6-month follow-up. The quality of some actions taken to support a person they knew who was experiencing problem gambling also improved from pre-course to 6-month follow-up, in line with the teachings of the course. Participants perceived the course to be highly acceptable.

Conclusions

The results of this initial evaluation of Mental Health First Aid Australia’s Conversations About Gambling course suggest that it is an effective and acceptable educational intervention for those who wish to support a person experiencing problem gambling.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-022-00785-w.

What works for mental health problems in youth? Survey of real-world experiences of treatments and side effects

AIM

Despite youth being the most common age group for onset of mental disorders, there is less knowledge on the benefits and harms of treatments in young people. In addition, efficacy data from randomized controlled trials may not generalize to how treatment works outside of research settings. This study aimed to investigate young people's perceived effectiveness of different treatments for mental health problems, the professionals who delivered these, and the experience of negative effects.

METHODS

We developed a consumer report website where young people who were ever diagnosed with a mental disorder provided ratings on the helpfulness or harmfulness of different types of professionals, mental health treatments (medical, psychological complementary/alternative) and self-help strategies, and whether they had experienced particular negative effects.

RESULTS

Here, 557 young people aged 12-25 years, who were recruited from English-speaking, high-income countries, provided 1258 ratings of treatments. All treatments showed varied perceptions of effectiveness. Medical and psychological treatments were rated moderately helpful on average with low rates of harmfulness. Self-help strategies were rated as being as helpful as professional treatments. Side effects related to the head or mind (e.g., concentration difficulties, inability to feel emotions, depression and irritability) were the most common across all types of medicines. For psychological treatments, treatment being too expensive and feeling worse at the end of a session were the most commonly reported negative effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings may be a useful guide to clinicians, researchers, young people and their families about what is likely to work in real-world settings.

Pilot trial of a media intervention with journalism students on news reporting of mental illness in the context of violence and crime

ISSUE ADDRESSED

News reports linking mental illness to violent crime are among the most stigmatising portrayals. These portrayals can perpetuate stereotypes of dangerousness, negatively influencing public attitudes and having a harmful impact on people with lived experience of mental illness. With the aim of improving the quality of news portrayals and mitigating harm, best-practice guidelines for media reporting on mental illness, violence and crime have been developed. To increase understanding of the guidelines' content, a 1-hour workshop based on the main principles was developed for journalism students.

METHODS

In this study, the workshop was piloted with a pre and 3-week follow-up evaluation with a cohort of journalism students (n = 29).

RESULTS

Three weeks after the workshop, there were significant improvements in attitudes towards severe mental illness, knowledge of best-practice reporting, intentions and confidence to report consistently with the best-practice guidelines and performance on an editing task designed to assess adherence to the guidelines. Belief in dangerousness/unpredictability reduced markedly, demonstrating that the workshop effectively addressed misinformation about people with severe mental illness being a risk to the public.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot trial provides promising initial results and provides a basis for wider implementation and evaluation of media training on this topic.

SO WHAT

Improved understanding of best-practice media guidelines, as generated through this workshop, has potential to reduce stigmatising news reporting on people with mental illness, and consequently reduce public stigma.

Longer-term effectiveness of eLearning and blended delivery of Mental Health First Aid training in the workplace: 2-Year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Evidence relating to long-term outcomes of online education programs is largely lacking and head-to-head comparisons of different delivery formats are very rare. The aims of the study were to test whether eLearning Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) or blended training (eLearning plus face-to-face course delivery), implemented in an Australian public sector workplace, were more effective than a control intervention at 1-year and 2-year follow-up, and whether blended MHFA training was more effective than eLearning alone.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Australian public servants (n = 608 at baseline) were randomly assigned to complete an eLearning MHFA course, a blended MHFA course or Red Cross eLearning Provide First Aid (PFA) (the control) and completed online questionnaires pre- and post-training and one and two years later (n = 289, n = 272, n = 243 at post, 1- and 2-year follow-up respectively). The questionnaires were based on vignettes describing a person with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Primary outcomes were mental health first aid knowledge, desire for social distance and quality of support provided to a person in the workplace. Secondary outcomes were recognition of mental health problems, beliefs about treatment, helping intentions and confidence, personal stigma, quality of support provided to a person outside the workplace, self-reported professional help seeking and psychological distress.

RESULTS

At 1-year follow-up, both eLearning and blended courses produced greater improvements than PFA training in knowledge, confidence and intentions to help a person with depression or PTSD, beliefs about dangerousness and desire for social distance. At 2-year follow-up, some of these improvements were maintained, particularly those relating to knowledge and intentions to help someone with PTSD. When eLearning and blended courses were compared at 1-year follow-up, the blended course led to greater improvements in knowledge and in confidence and intentions to help a person with depression. At 2-year follow-up, improvements in the quality of help provided to a person with a mental health problem outside the workplace were greater in participants in the blended course.

CONCLUSIONS

Both blended and eLearning MHFA courses led to significant longer-term improvements in knowledge, attitudes and intentions to help a person with a mental health problem. Blended MHFA training led to an improvement in the quality of helping behaviours and appears to be more effective than online training alone.Trial registrationACTRN12614000623695 registered on 13/06/2014 (prospectively registered).Trial registry record url: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=366410&isReview=true.

Effects of the Mental Health First Aid for the suicidal person course on beliefs about suicide, stigmatising attitudes, confidence to help, and intended and actual helping actions: an evaluation

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a significant concern in Australia and globally. There is a strong argument for training community gatekeepers in how to recognise and support suicidal people in their social network. One such training course is the Mental Health First Aid for the Suicidal Person course. This course was developed using suicide prevention best practice guidelines based on expert opinion (determined using the Delphi Method).

METHODS

We evaluated the impact of attending the Mental Health First Aid for the Suicidal Person course on suicide literacy and stigma, confidence in and quality of intended and actual helping behaviours towards a person who is suicidal, and course satisfaction. Surveys were administered before and immediately after the course, and at 6-month follow-up. Data were analysed to yield descriptive statistics (percentages, means, standard deviations), with linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models being used to test the statistical significance of changes over occasions of measurement.

RESULTS

We recruited 284 participants from workplaces and general community networks. The mean age was 41 years and 74% were female. 85% of people undertook the course as part of professional development, and almost half (44%) did the course because they had contact with a suicidal person. The majority (59%) of participants had previous mental health and suicide prevention training. The majority of participants held knowledge (suicide literacy) before undertaking the course. The major effect of training was to strengthen this knowledge. There was a significant improvement from pre-course (M = 1.79, SD 0.56) to post-course (M = 1.48, SD 0.82, p < 0.0001), which was maintained at follow-up (M = 1.51, SD 0.49, p < 0.0001). Confidence in gatekeeper skills significantly improved after the course and at follow-up (M = 3.15, SD 0.95 before the course to M = 4.02, SD 0.68 afterward and 3.87, SD 0.77 at follow-up, p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). The quality of intended helping behaviours significantly improved from pre-course (intended actions M = 4.28, SD 0.58) and to post-course (M = 4.70, SD 0.50, p < 0.0001) and were maintained at follow-up (M = 4.64, SD 0.41, p < 0.0001). There was significant improvement in some of the actions taken by participants to help a suicidal person from pre-course to post-course (e.g. asking about suicidal thoughts and plan, contacting emergency services). The course was highly acceptable to participants.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that this course is an acceptable intervention that delivers a broad spectrum of beneficial outcomes to community and workplace gatekeepers.

Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving, Story-Bridge Mental Health Literacy Programme in Improving Ghanaian Community Leaders' Attitudes towards People with Mental Illness: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

In Ghana, people with mental disorders commonly experience negative attitudes and discrimination because of deep-rooted public stigma. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a mental health literacy programme in improving community leaders' attitudes toward people with mental disorders. A cluster randomised controlled trial, comprising an intervention and control group, participated in a 3-hour problem-solving, Story-bridge mental health literacy programme. Data were collected at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The intervention group performed better in most outcome measures at follow-up compared to the control group. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups, in perceived stigma, community mental health ideology (CMHI), and benevolence outcome measures over the two time-points. Overall, the findings suggest that the programme was somewhat effective in improving community leaders' attitudes and who might, subsequently, foster supportive, non-judgemental and empathetic attitudes toward individuals with mental disorders in their communities. There is scope for community psychiatric nurses and other primary health care workers to work with community leaders to increase public awareness of, and favourable attitudes toward, people with mental health problems in the community.

Lessons learnt from the field: a qualitative evaluation of adolescent experiences of a universal mental health education program

teen Mental Health First Aid (teenMHFA) is a school-based mental health program that trains adolescents to support peers who are experiencing mental health problems or crises. The program has been evaluated for adolescents aged 15-18 years as part of a randomized controlled trial, however qualitative feedback from students on their perceptions of the program is yet to be explored. The current study describes the perspectives of students who took part in the trial. Feedback on the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the program was provided by 979 Year 10 students (M = 15.82 years, female = 43.94%, English as a first language = 72.77%) at four government funded public schools in Melbourne, Australia via online surveys. A content and thematic analysis was performed on the data using a six-step process. Students generally found the program relevant and they connected with the visual material, personal stories and interactive activities. Suggestions for improvements included encouraging active student participation in classroom discussion and providing opportunities to practice skills. School-based mental health education can benefit from input from stakeholder perspectives, particularly when designing mental health content for delivery by external trainers.

Review of Australian initiatives to reduce stigma towards people with complex mental illness: what exists and what works?

Background

Australian national mental health policy outlines the need for a nationally coordinated strategy to address stigma and discrimination, particularly towards people with complex mental illness that is poorly understood in the community. To inform implementation of this policy, this review aimed to identify and examine the effectiveness of existing Australian programs or initiatives that aim to reduce stigma and discrimination.

Method

Programs were identified via a search of academic databases and grey literature, and an online survey of key stakeholder organisations. Eligible programs aimed to reduce stigma towards people with complex mental illness, defined as schizophrenia, psychosis, personality disorder, or bipolar disorder; or they focused on nonspecific ‘mental illness’ but were conducted in settings relevant to individuals with the above diagnoses, or they included the above diagnoses in program content. Key relevant data from programs identified from the literature search and survey were extracted and synthesized descriptively.

Results

We identified 61 programs or initiatives currently available in Australia. These included face-to-face programs (n = 29), online resources (n = 19), awareness campaigns (n = 8), and advocacy work (n = 5). The primary target audiences for these initiatives were professionals (health or emergency), people with mental illness, family or carers of people with mental illness, and members of the general population. Most commonly, programs tended to focus on stigma towards people with non-specific mental illness rather than on particular diagnostic labels. Evidence for effectiveness was generally lacking. Face-to-face programs were the most well-evaluated, but only two used a randomised controlled trial design.

Conclusions

This study identified areas of strength and weakness in current Australian practice for the reduction of stigma towards people with complex mental illness. Most programs have significant input from people with lived experience, and programs involving education and contact with a person with mental illness are a particular strength. Nevertheless, best-practice programs are not widely implemented, and we identified few programs targeting stigma for people with mental illness and their families, or for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and LGBTIQ people. These can inform stakeholder consultations on effective options for a national stigma and discrimination reduction strategy.

Long-term effects of Youth Mental Health First Aid training: randomized controlled trial with 3-year follow-up

BACKGROUND

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training teaches community members how to provide initial support to someone with a mental health problem. Key gaps in the evidence base supporting the training are the longevity of effects beyond 6 months, effects on mental health first aid behavior, and the impact of support on the recipient of aid. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Youth MHFA course 3 years after training.

METHODS

384 Australian parents of an adolescent aged 12-15 were randomized to receive either the 14-h Youth MHFA course or the 15-h Australian Red Cross Provide First Aid course. This paper reports outcomes at baseline and 3 years later. Primary outcomes were cases of adolescent mental health problems, and parental support towards their adolescent if they developed a mental health problem, rated by the parent and adolescent. Secondary outcomes included parent knowledge about youth mental health problems, intentions and confidence in supporting a young person, stigmatizing attitudes, and help-seeking for mental health problems. Data were analyzed with mixed-effects models with group by measurement occasion interactions.

RESULTS

3-year follow-up data was obtained from 149 parents and 118 adolescents, who were aged 16.5 years on average. Between baseline and 3-year follow-up, there was a non-significant reduction in adolescent cases of mental health problems relative to the control group (odds ratios (OR) 0.16-0.17), a non-significant improvement in parental support reported by adolescents with a mental health problem (OR 2.80-4.31), and a non-significant improvement in the quality of support that parents reported providing to their adolescents with a mental health problem (d = 0.38). Secondary outcomes that showed significant improvements relative to the control group were parental knowledge about youth mental health problems (d = 0.31) and adolescent perceptions of general social support from their parents (d = 0.35).

CONCLUSIONS

This paper reports on the longest follow-up of Mental Health First Aid training in a controlled trial. Three years after training, participants had maintained their improved knowledge about mental health problems. There were some indications of other positive effects, but the study was underpowered to clearly show benefits to mental health first aid skills and recipients of aid.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ACTRN 12612000390886 , registered retrospectively 5/4/2012, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=347502.

Frequency and quality of first aid offered by older adolescents: a cluster randomised crossover trial of school-based first aid courses

Background

Research indicates that school-based first aid programmes appear to improve students’ knowledge and skills. However, evidence for their effectiveness is limited by a lack of rigorously designed studies. This research used a cluster randomised crossover trial to assess the effects of two different types of first aid training on the frequency and appropriateness of older adolescents’ first aid behaviours towards their peers 12 months after training.

Methods

Schools eligible to participate were government funded and able to accommodate first aid training and survey time for two consecutive Year 10 student cohorts. Four Australian public schools were matched in two pairs and randomly assigned to receive either physical first aid (PFA) or teen mental health first aid (tMHFA) training for their Year 10 student cohort (mean age 16 years). In the second year, the new Year 10 cohort received the other intervention. Four cohorts were randomised to receive PFA and four were randomised to receive tMHFA. Online surveys were administered at baseline and 12 months after training, measuring whether students had encountered a peer needing PFA, whether they had provided PFA, what actions they performed and, if applicable, why they had been unable to help the person. Only research staff analysing the data could be blinded to measurement occasion, school identity and condition.

Results

Four cohorts received PFA and four received tMHFA. The results indicated that there were no differences between groups regarding the frequency of appropriate first aid actions performed 12 months after training. The most common types of PFA provided to a peer were sending for help and wound care. Students most commonly mentioned someone else attending to their peer or lacking skills or experience as reasons for not performing PFA actions.

Conclusions

More research that examines first aid behaviours using rigorous, longitudinal study designs is needed to establish the effectiveness of school-based first aid training for older adolescents.

teen Mental Health First Aid as a school-based intervention for improving peer support of adolescents at risk of suicide: Outcomes from a cluster randomised crossover trial

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to assess evidence for a novel, universal mental health literacy programme in the school setting (teen Mental Health First Aid) as an intervention to improve peer support towards adolescents at risk of suicide and to examine whether participation in a school-based programme dealing with suicide was distressing to participants.

METHOD

In a cluster randomised crossover trial, Australian high school students aged 15-17 years (N = 1605, 44.74% female, M_age = 15.87) received either teen Mental Health First Aid or a matched control physical first aid course. Data were collected before, immediately after and 12 months after training through online surveys assessing correct recognition of suicidality and intentions to help a fictional peer (John) who was depicted as experiencing depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts in a vignette. Students were also asked whether any information in the training or surveys was found distressing and completed a validated measure of psychological distress (the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale).

RESULTS

Students receiving teen Mental Health First Aid training were much more likely to report an increase from pre- to post-training in recognition of suicidality (OR = 1.97, 95% CI = [1.14, 3.39], p = 0.02) and appropriate first aid intentions towards a peer at risk of suicide than students receiving physical first aid (OR = 35.40, 95% CI = [19.86, 63.14], p < 0.001). Twelve months after training, most effects were still significant. Although a greater proportion of teen Mental Health First Aid participants self-reported feeling briefly distressed after the training, there was no evidence of greater distress at 12 months on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale.

CONCLUSION

teen Mental Health First Aid is effective in increasing recognition of and intentions to assist a suicidal peer. Although the open discussion of mental health first aid for a suicidal peer was distressing for some students, results suggest this was transient and not associated with harm. Future studies are required to ascertain whether these increases are indeed associated with better provision of support and prevention of youth suicide.

Teen Mental Health First Aid for years 7-9: a description of the program and an initial evaluation

BACKGROUND

A teen Mental Health First Aid training course for high school students in years 10-12 (tMHFA 10-12) has previously been evaluated in uncontrolled and randomized controlled trials and found to improve Mental Health First Aid intentions, mental health literacy and to reduce stigma. This 3 × 75-min course has more recently been adapted for younger students in years 7-9 (tMHFA 7-9). The present study reports an initial uncontrolled trial of this new training course which aimed to assess feasibility and acceptability of the course and test effects on knowledge, attitudes and behaviour.

METHODS

An uncontrolled trial was carried out in five schools with measures taken at pre-test, post-test and 3-month follow-up. The outcomes measured were: quality of first aid intentions to help peers, confidence in helping, stigmatising attitudes, recognition of anxiety disorder, number of adults thought to be helpful, help-seeking intentions, quality of support provided to a peer, quality of support received, and psychological distress. Questions were also asked about satisfaction with the course.

RESULTS

There were 475 students (mean age 13.86 years) who provided data at baseline, with 76% of these providing data at post-test and 75% at follow-up. Sustained changes at follow-up were found for: number of adults thought to be helpful, some components of stigma, recognition of anxiety disorder, and quality of support provided to a peer. However, there was an unexpected decline in willingness to tell others about a mental health problem. Most students found the information presented to be new, easy to understand, and useful.

CONCLUSIONS

The tMHFA 7-9 training course produced some positive changes that were sustained over 3 months. However, the changes were not as strong as previously found for older high school students, suggesting the need for further refinement of the course.