Laura Hart|Robert J. Mason|Claire Kelly|Stefan Cvetkovski|Anthony F. Jorm
‘teen Mental Health First Aid’: a description of the program and an initial evaluation
University of Melbourne|University of Melbourne|University of Melbourne|University of Melbourne
many adolescents poor mental health literacy stigmatising attitudes towards people mental illness lack skills providing optimal mental health first aid peers could improved training facilitate better social support increase appropriate helpseeking among adolescents emerging mental health problems teen mental health first aid teen mhfa new initiative mental health first aid international 3 75 min classroom based training program students aged 1518 years uncontrolled pilot teen mhfa course undertaken examine feasibility providing program australian secondary schools test relevant measures student knowledge attitudes behaviours provide initial evidence program effects across four schools 988 students received teen mhfa program 520 students mean age 16 years completed baseline questionnaire 345 completed posttest 241 completed threemonth followup statistically significant improvements found mental health literacy confidence providing mental health first aid peer helpseeking intentions student mental health stigmatising attitudes significantly reduced teen mhfa appears effective feasible program training high school students mental health first aid techniques research required randomized controlled design elucidate causal role program changes observed