Background
The case for training adolescents
Adolescents have poor mental health literacy
Adolescents have stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental illness
Improving Mental Health First Aid behaviours to facilitate social support and help seeking
teen Mental Health First Aid
Methods
Participants
Intervention
Session 1: 75 min | Session 2: 75 min | Session 3: 75 min |
---|---|---|
Topics presented: What is mental health? What are mental health problems? Types of mental health problems Impact on young people Stigma Appropriate help | Topics presented: Helping a friend in a mental health crisis What is mental health first aid? What is a mental health crisis? Using the teen MHFA action plan to help a friend in crisis Recovery position | Topics presented: Helping a friend who is developing a mental health problem Importance of acting early Using the teen MHFA action plan to help a friend developing a mental health problem Helpful links and resources |
Videos:
Talking about it
1 (4:50 s)
Getting help (5:32) | Video:
Mates (13:55) | Videos:
Talking about it
2 (4:14)
Talking about it
3 (6:02) |
Activities: Group discussion of how mental health problems impact on young people Identifying supportive adults Relaxation | Activities Group discussion of confidentiality vs safety Role play recovery position | Activities: Group discussion of Luke and Ali’s stories Role play using the action plan |
Procedure
Measures
Mental health literacy
Stigmatising attitudes
Mental Health First Aid intentions and behaviours
Mental health and help-seeking status
Participant satisfaction
Data analysis
Statistical analysis
Content analysis of open-ended responses
Ethics, consent and permissions
Results
Student demographics
Participant flow
School | Baseline student n
| Post-test student n (%) of baseline | Follow-up student n (%) of baseline |
---|---|---|---|
1. Metro independent | 240 | 155 (65) | 103 (43) |
2. Regional Catholic | 105 | 87 (83) | 78 (74) |
3. Metro government | 106 | 55 (52) | 45 (42) |
4. Regional government | 69 | 48 (70) | 27 (39) |
Total | 520 | 345 (66) | 253 (49) |
Mental health literacy
John vignette | Jeanie vignette | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
OR (95 % CI)/B (SE) | OR (95 % CI)/B (SE) | |||
Recognition of problem in vignette
a
|
% yes
|
% yes
| ||
Baseline | 85.4 | 52.5 | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 83.4 | 0.75 (0.47–1.22) | 67.5 | 3.99 (2.33–6.82)*** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 87.2 | 0.99 (0.53–1.83) | 65.3 | 3.11 (1.78–5.43)*** |
Confidence in helping
|
% ≥ quite a bit
|
% ≥ quite a bit
| ||
Baseline | 33.7 | 41.5 | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 56.6 | 4.41 (2.95–6.62)*** | 58.9 | 3.70 (2.46–5.56)*** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 51.2 | 3.09 (2.02–4.74)*** | 50.6 | 1.76 (1.07–2.88)* |
Number of adult sources (excluding family) selected as helpful
b
| ||||
M (SD)
|
M (SD)
| |||
Baseline | 3.32 (1.60) | 2.75 (1.75) | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 4.05 (1.58) | 0.70 (0.08)*** | 3.64 (1.81) | 0.85 (0.10)*** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 3.83 (1.66) | 0.48 (0.11)*** | 3.62 (1.96) | 0.84 (0.11)*** |
Stigma: weak-not-sick
|
M (SD)
|
M (SD)
| ||
Baseline | 1.74 (0.66) | 1.92 (0.76) | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 1.61 (0.67) | −0.12 (0.03)*** | 1.73 (0.78) | −0.19 (0.04)*** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 1.66 (0.70) | −0.08 (0.04) | 1.73 (0.81) | −0.17 (0.04)*** |
Stigma: Dangerous and unpredictable
|
M (SD)
|
M (SD)
| ||
Baseline | 2.84 (0.70) | 1.77 (0.66) | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 2.51 (0.87) | −0.34 (0.05)*** | 1.75 (0.74) | −0.03 (0.04) |
Follow-up vs baseline | 2.43 (0.84) | −0.44 (0.05)*** | 1.79 (0.82) | 0.03 (0.06) |
Stigma: would not tell anyone
|
% ≥ disagree
|
% ≥ disagree
| ||
Baseline | 46.9 | 56.7 | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 61.2 | 2.49 (1.73–3.59)*** | 65.2 | 1.72 (1.20–2.49)** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 54.6 | 1.51 (1.02–2.24)* | 59.8 | 1.17 (0.80–1.73) |
Stigma: social distance
|
M (SD)
|
M (SD)
| ||
Baseline | 9.85 (2.99) | 8.37 (3.01) | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 9.19 (3.12) | −0.64 (0.14)*** | 8.27 (3.19) | −0.08 (0.16) |
Follow-up vs baseline | 9.11 (3.23) | −0.64 (0.17)*** | 7.89 (3.12) | −0.35 (0.17)* |
Help-seeking intentions: talk tell ask
|
% with this response
|
% with this response
| ||
Baseline | 14.12 | 9.72 | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 20.54 | 1.71 (1.13–2.59)* | 19.94 | 2.45 (1.59–3.78)*** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 22.54 | 2.24 (1.46–3.44)*** | 18.72 | 2.27 (1.35–3.82)** |
Help-seeking intentions: seek help
|
% with this response
|
% with this response
| ||
Baseline | 77.06 | 74.01 | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 86.31 | 2.16 (1.33–3.52)** | 81.87 | 1.79 (1.16–2.74)** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 84.84 | 1.90 (1.10–3.26)* | 83.40 | 1.86 (1.07–3.22)* |
Help-seeking intentions: Non help
|
% with this response
|
% with this response
| ||
Baseline | 25.29 | 24.01 | ||
Post-test vs baseline | 13.99 | 0.34 (0.20–0.60)*** | 16.01 | 0.48 (0.30–0.77)** |
Follow-up vs baseline | 13.11 | 0.29 (0.14–0.60)** | 11.91 | 0.34 (0.17–0.68)** |
John vignette | Jeanie vignette | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
% helpful
| OR (95 % CI) |
% helpful
| OR (95 % CI) | |
Close friend
| ||||
Baseline | 93.5 | 91.1 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 93.2 | 0.73 (0.38–1.40) | 95.2 | 1.44 (0.74–2.78) |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 91.6 | 0.57 (0.27–1.21) | 91.8 | 0.72 (0.35–1.49) |
Counsellor
| ||||
Baseline | 83.3 | 62.1 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 89.9 | 1.89 (1.14–3.14)* | 79.6 | 3.90 (2.40–6.32)*** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 85.9 | 1.04 (0.62–1.75) | 76.7 | 2.80 (1.62–4.83)*** |
Family member
| ||||
Baseline | 71.6 | 69.0 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 82.5 | 2.28 (1.45–3.60)*** | 82.0 | 2.64 (1.71–4.07)*** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 82.3 | 2.26 (1.43–3.55)** | 81.6 | 2.26 (1.36–3.75)** |
GP (Family doctor)
| ||||
Baseline | 47.4 | 32.8 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 64.2 | 2.83 (1.80–4.43)*** | 53.8 | 4.41 (2.88–6.78)*** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 57.3 | 2.12 (1.33–3.37)** | 52.7 | 3.22 (1.96–5.31)*** |
Minister/Priest
| ||||
Baseline | 17.8 | 12.1 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 24.3 | 1.98 (1.26–3.12)** | 22.7 | 3.83 (2.28–6.45)*** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 24.6 | 2.37 (1.36–4.13)** | 26.5 | 6.30 (3.41–11.63)*** |
Parent
| ||||
Baseline | 69.6 | 71.5 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 79.3 | 1.70 (1.11–2.62)* | 76.3 | 1.32 (0.88–1.98) |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 73.5 | 1.24 (0.74–2.08) | 75.1 | 1.09 (0.66–1.82) |
Psychologist
| ||||
Baseline | 81.4 | 68.4 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 85.5 | 1.40 (0.86–2.26) | 77.2 | 2.06 (1.30–3.27)** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 87.5 | 1.78 (0.96–3.29) | 78.8 | 2.39 (1.40–4.08)** |
School welfare coordinator/counsellor
| ||||
Baseline | 63.5 | 58.6 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 83.7 | 5.54 (3.35–9.16)*** | 75.7 | 3.03 (1.98–4.62)*** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 77.1 | 2.44 (1.42–4.22)** | 72.2 | 2.33 (1.51–3.58)*** |
Teacher
| ||||
Baseline | 38.7 | 41.3 | ||
Post-test vs Baseline | 57.1 | 3.55 (2.34–5.40)*** | 54.4 | 2.12 (1.44–3.10)*** |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 49.8 | 2.06 (1.27–3.35)** | 55.1 | 2.07 (1.32–3.24)** |
Stigmatising attitudes
Mental Health First Aid intentions and behaviours
% Yes | % No | |
---|---|---|
Contact in last 3 months with a person experiencing a mental health problem or crisis
| ||
Baseline (n = 512) | 54.3 | 45.7 |
Follow-up (n = 240) | 35.8 | 64.2 |
Help given
| ||
Baseline (n = 313) | 87.9 | 12.1 |
Follow-up (n = 90) | 91.8 | 8.2 |
Response | N (%) |
---|---|
When assisting the person, did you use the information provided in the program? | |
Yes | 28 (35.4) |
Not sure | 35 (44.3) |
No | 16 (20.3) |
Do you think what you did helped the person? | |
Yes, very helpful | 15 (19.0) |
Yes, helpful | 39 (49.4) |
Neither helpful nor unhelpful | 24 (30.4) |
No, very unhelpful | 1 (1.3) |
Do you think the information in the program contributed to how helpful you were in assisting the person? | |
Yes, definitely | 14 (17.7) |
Yes, probably | 31 (39.2) |
Not sure | 20 (25.3) |
Probably not | 11 (13.9) |
Definitely not | 3 (3.8) |
When assisting the person, did you do anything differently from what you would have done before attending the program? | |
Yes | 12 (15.2) |
Not sure | 40 (50.6) |
No | 27 (34.2) |
Did you suggest to the person you were helping that they should talk to an adult about their problem? | |
Yes | 36 (45.6) |
Not sure | 7 (8.9) |
No | 4 (5.1) |
N/A they were already being helped by an adult | 32 (40.5) |
As a result of your suggestion, did the person you were helping talk to an adult? | |
Yes | 22 (27.9) |
Not sure | 19 (24.1) |
No | 6 (7.6) |
N/A they were already being helped by an adult | 32 (40.5) |
Response | n (%) |
---|---|
In the future, if you were to come across someone who you believed was experiencing a mental health problem or crisis, how well prepared would you feel to deal with the situation? (n = 161) | |
Well prepared | 113 (70.2) |
Neither prepared nor unprepared | 11 (6.8) |
Not well prepared | 10 (6.2) |
Unsure | 2 (1.2) |
Invalid | 25 (15.5) |
How has the “teen Mental Health First Aid” program changed how you relate to or feel about people who experience mental health problems? (n = 159) | |
Better understanding of mental health problems | 62 (39.0) |
Gave me skills to use | 29 (18.2) |
Gave me more confidence in helping | 10 (6.3) |
Helped me relate to people with mental illness | 17 (10.7) |
Reinforced what I already know | 17 (10.7) |
No change | 26 (16.4) |
Invalid | 16 (10.1) |
Unsure | 1 (0.6) |
Student mental health and help-seeking status
Measure | M (SD) | B (SE) |
---|---|---|
K6
| ||
Baseline | 13.60 (5.03) | |
Follow-up vs Baseline | 11.92 (4.71) | −1.50 (0.28)*** |
Self-report
| Baseline n (%) | Follow-up n (%) |
Yes | 108 (21) | 48 (19) |
Not sure | 87 (16) | 35 (14) |
No | 318 (63) | 169 (67) |