Evaluation of Mental Health First Aid USA Using the Mental Health Beliefs and Literacy Scale

• Published in: American journal of health promotion Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 237 - 247
• Main Authors: Banh, My K., Chaikind, Jeremy, Robertson, Hillary A., Troxel, Mary, Achille, Justine, Egan, Caroline, Anthony, Bruno J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.02.2019; American Journal of Health Promotion
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Behavior change; Behavior modification; Educational programs; Female; First aid; First Aid - methods; General public; Health behavior; Health beliefs; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Literacy; Health promotion; Health Promotion - methods; Health technology assessment; Humans; Literacy; Male; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Mental health care; Mental health services; Middle Aged; Polls & surveys; Psychometrics; Self-efficacy; Socioeconomic Factors; Substance abuse; Trainees; Training; United States; Young Adult; United States; United States > US; evaluation; stigma; attitudes and beliefs; mental health literacy; self-efficacy; unified theory of behavior change; mental health first aid; intention
• ISSN: 0890-1171; 2168-6602
• DOI: 10.1177/0890117118784234

Purpose: This study assessed the impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in the United States with a theoretically based and psychometrically sound measure, the Mental Health Beliefs and Literacy Scale (MBLS). Design: Online MBLS surveys were administered pre-MHFA training, 3-weeks post-training, and 6-months posttraining. Setting: Mental Health First Aid trainings carried out across the United States. Participants: Six hundred sixty-two trainees were contacted, and 273 (41%) completed the presurvey. Of those, 63% filled out the postsurvey and 35% completed the 6-month survey. Seventy-six individuals completed all 3 surveys. Intervention: Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour education program to help the general public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse; to date, almost 1 million people have been trained. Measure: The MLBS, based on the Unified Theory of Behavior Change framework, consists of attitudinal, social-, and skill-based constructs affecting the intention to perform and achievement of MHFA actions and reports of their actual completion. Analysis: Change across time points was assessed using multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Significant short- and longer term changes were found in internally consistent constructs tapping positive beliefs about MHFA actions, the confidence and intention to perform them as well as mental health literacy. Conclusion: The MBLS documented strong positive effects of MHFA training that were greater in individuals without prior mental health training, the intended targets of MHFA efforts.