Mental health first aid training for high school teachers: a cluster randomized trial.
BACKGROUND
Mental disorders often have their first onset during adolescence. For this reason, high school teachers are in a good position to provide initial assistance to students who are developing mental health problems. To improve the skills of teachers in this area, a Mental Health First Aid training course was modified to be suitable for high school teachers and evaluated in a cluster randomized trial.


METHODS
The trial was carried out with teachers in South Australian high schools. Teachers at 7 schools received training and those at another 7 were wait-listed for future training. The effects of the training on teachers were evaluated using questionnaires pre- and post-training and at 6 months follow-up. The questionnaires assessed mental health knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes, confidence in providing help to others, help actually provided, school policy and procedures, and teacher mental health. The indirect effects on students were evaluated using questionnaires at pre-training and at follow-up which assessed any mental health help and information received from school staff, and also the mental health of the student.


RESULTS
The training increased teachers' knowledge, changed beliefs about treatment to be more like those of mental health professionals, reduced some aspects of stigma, and increased confidence in providing help to students and colleagues. There was an indirect effect on students, who reported receiving more mental health information from school staff. Most of the changes found were sustained 6 months after training. However, no effects were found on teachers' individual support towards students with mental health problems or on student mental health.


CONCLUSIONS
Mental Health First Aid training has positive effects on teachers' mental health knowledge, attitudes, confidence and some aspects of their behaviour.


BACKGROUND
ACTRN12608000561381.
Jorm
Anthony F
AF
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. ajorm@unimelb.edu.au
Kitchener
Betty A
BA
Sawyer
Michael G
MG
Scales
Helen
H
Cvetkovski
Stefan
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001315:Australia; D003479:Curriculum; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid / Q000379:methods*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D013240:Stereotyping; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*