The effect of the mental health first-aid training course offered employees in Denmark: study protocol for a randomized waitlist-controlled superiority trial mixed with a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundStudies show a high and growing prevalence of mental disorders in the population worldwide. 25% of the general population in Europe will during their lifetime experience symptoms related to a mental disorder. The Mental Health First Aid concept (MHFA) was founded in 2000 in Australia by Kitchener and Jorm, in order to provide the population with mental health first aid skills. The aim of the concept is, through an educational intervention (course), to increase confidence in how to help people suffering from mental health problems. Further, secondary aims are to increase the mental health literacy of the public by increasing knowledge, reduce stigma and initiate more supportive actions leading towards professional care. An investigation of the effect of MHFA offered a Danish population is needed.MethodsThe design is a randomized waitlist-controlled superiority trial, in which 500 participants will be allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. The control group will attend the course six months later, hence waiting list design. From fall 2013 to spring 2014 participants will be educated to be “mental health first-aiders” following a manualized, two days MHFA course. All the participants will answer a questionnaire at base-line and at 6 months follow-up. The questionnaire is a back-translation of the questionnaire used in Australian trials. The trial will be complemented by a qualitative study, in which focus groups will be carried out.DiscussionOutcomes measured are sensitive to interpretation, hence a challenge to uniform. This trial will add to the use of a mixed-methods design and exemplify how it can strengthen the analysis and take up the challenge of a sensitive outcome.Trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02334020.

Employers’ views of the impact of mental health problems on the ability to work

“…For people with MHP, situational leadership as well as supportive leadership could therefore be preferable. The development of guidelines and training programmes for handling MHP in the work place is an area under development [53][54][55] which can enhance a situational as well as a supportive leadership. Results so far, have shown significant better confidence in taking contact with and communicate with people with MHP after taking part in a training programme [54].…”

Evaluation of Youth Mental Health First Aid USA: A program to assist young people in psychological distress.

“…Results, although promising, should be considered prelimi-nary. Subsequent research should employ increased methodological rigor; in fact, several (non-U.S.) randomized controlled trials of MHFA are under way (Crawford et al, 2015;Jensen, Morthorst, Vendsborg, Hjorthøj, & Nordentoft, 2015).…”

Confidence and motivation to help those with a mental health problem: experiences from a study of nursing students completing mental health first aid (MHFA) training

“…Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training course, facilitating skills to assist those experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis [10,39]. The course is designed to build mental health literacy, reducing stigma and discrimination towards mental health and providing direction for supportive actions [4,40,41]. Since the program's inception, extensive evaluation has consistently suggested a range of participation benefits.…”