title: Mental health first aid training for the Bhutanese refugee community in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for Bhutanese refugee community leaders in the U.S. We hypothesized that training refugee leaders would improve knowledge of mental health problems and treatment process and decrease negative attitudes towards people with mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty community leaders participated in MHFA training, of whom 58 had sufficient English proficiency to complete pre- and post-tests. The questionnaires assessed each participant's ability to recognize signs of depression, knowledge about professional help and treatment, and attitudes towards people with mental illness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between the pre- and post-test, participants showed significant improvement in the recognition of symptoms of depression and expressed beliefs about treatment that became more concordant with those of mental health professionals. However, there was no reduction in negative attitudes towards people with mental illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MHFA training course is a promising program for Bhutanese refugee communities in the U.S. However, some adaptations may be necessary to ensure that MHFA training is optimized for this community.
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Disease Control, 500 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 USA.
authors.forename: Parangkush
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Subedi
authors.affiliation: Tulane University, 6823 St, Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118 USA.
authors.forename: Changwei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurung
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Disease Control, 500 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 USA.
authors.forename: Destani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bizune
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Disease Control, 500 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 USA.
authors.forename: M Christina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dogbey
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Disease Control, 500 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 USA.
authors.forename: Caroline C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, PolicyLab, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 36th and Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yun
keywords: Bhutanese refugees; Mental health; Resettlement; Suicide; Vignette