Training Church Leaders in Mental Health First Aid
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to train Church Leaders and other community members in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), which is an evidence-based public mental health education program. MHFA has been found to improve people's recognition of emotional and mental health challenges and to increase people's confidence in providing help to others. Information about MHFA can be accessed at http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.
MHFA consists an 8-hour training program in which participants will be provided a manual, learn the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems, and learn a 5-step action plan to help someone in an emotional crisis.
Participants ware recruited from faith-based organizations (i.e., churches), health care organizations (i.e., hospitals), and other community based organizations. There will be no treatment directly provided as part of this study.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
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Study Design
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change from Baseline Confidence in Providing Help at 3 months [3 months]
After reading a clinical vignette that describes a person with either Schizophrenia or Major Depression, participants are asked "How confident do you feel in helping this person?" Possible responses are on a 5-point Likert scale with 1 = Not at all confident and 5 = Extremely confident
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change from Baseline in Stigma at 3 months [3 months]
Personal and Perceived Stigma Scale. It is a 14-item measure that assesses stigmatizing attitudes. Questions are on a 5-point Likert scale with 1 = Strongly Agree and 5 = Strongly Disagree with scores ranging from 14 to 70. A higher score indicates greater stigma A clinical vignette, describing either a case with Schizophrenia or Major Depression, is presented. Participants are asked questions about social stigma, which assesses what participants' perceptions of people in their community, and personal stigma, which assesses the participants' personal beliefs.
- Change from Baseline in Functional Health Status at 3 months [3 months]
The Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-12) is a validated functional health status assessment that assesses health status over the preceding 4 weeks. Measures include General Health: 5-point Likert scale with 1 = Excellent and 5 = Poor Physical Functioning: 3-point Likert scale with 1 = Yes, Limited a lot and 3 = No, Not Limited at all Role limitations resulting from physical health problems: Possible responses are 'Yes' or 'No' Role limitations resulting from emotional problems: Possible responses are 'Yes' or 'No' Bodily Pain: 5-point Likert scale with 1 = Not at All and 5 = Extremely Vitality (energy and fatigue): Mental Health: 6-point Likert scale with 1 = All of the Time and 6 = None of the Time Social Functioning: 6-point Likert scale with 1 = All of the Time and 6 = None of the Time Total Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating poorer health
Other Outcome Measures
- Semi structured Interviews at 3 months [3 months]
Semi-structured interviews are conducted with participants either over the telephone, in-person at their church or at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The purpose of the interview is to get examples of how participants utilized the skills in Mental Health First Aid training, what action items they completed, and how the training could be improved for use among other communities
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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Fluent in English
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Able to provide signed formed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
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Any circumstances limiting participant's ability to complete the 8-hour training
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Inability to provide informed consent
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York State Psychiatric Institute | New York | New York | United States | 10032 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sidney H Hankerson, MD, MBA, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Study Documents (Full-Text)
More Information
Additional Information:
- Describes the Mental Health First Aid intervention
- Describes the Community Advisory Board created by Dr. Hankerson's NIMH-funded K23 Career Development Award. This Community Advisory Board selected Mental Health First Aid as the study intervention.
Publications
None provided.- 7224