Mental Health First Aid as a tool for improving mental health and well-being

Abstract

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows:Our primary objective is to examine mental health and well-being, mental health service usage, and adverse effects of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training on recipients of the intervention.We have three secondary objectives: 1. To examine the effects of MHFA training on recipients of the trainees' intervention, in terms of their knowledge about mental health and attitudes towards mental health problems. 2. To examine the effects of MHFA training on trainees' knowledge about mental health, attitudes towards mental health problems, number of encounters with people with mental health problems, and their own mental health and well-being.3. To examine the effects on organisations, looking at measures of absenteeism and productivity at work.

A Framework for Protecting and Promoting Employee Mental Health through Supervisor Supportive Behaviors

“…In addition to engaging in proactive, preventative support related to employee health and well-being, training programs specific to mental health have demonstrated the importance of the responsive strategies of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health disorders, recognizing warning signs, and responding to warning signs. Some of this training has been developed for the general public, such as Mental Health First Aid (e.g., Hadlaczky et al, 2014 ), and Question, Persuade, Respond (e.g., QPR; Litteken et al, 2018 ) gatekeeper training, both of which have been associated with increased mental health literacy and reductions in stigma surrounding mental health disorders, although no evidence exists on their ability to reduce mental health risk factors ( Richardson et al, 2023 ). Workplace training designed to specifically target managers’ knowledge and understanding of mental health has also been associated with reductions in stigma, with some research indicating that reductions in stigma are critical to future behavioral change among supervisors and increased help-seeking among employees (see Dimoff et al, 2016a , b ; Milligan-Saville et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Unfortunately, a recent Cochran Report concluded that training programs designed purely to improve mental health knowledge and reduce stigma may be limited in their capability of actually improving mental health outcomes ( Richardson et al, 2023 ). Prior manager training (see Dimoff et al, 2016a , b ; Dimoff & Kelloway, 2019a ) related to mental health in the workplace demonstrates the importance of going beyond mental health literacy (i.e., knowledge about mental health and mental health disorders) to train managers to recognize and respond to warning signs that an employee is experiencing deteriorating mental health.…”

“…For instance, if an employee discloses to their supervisor that part of the reason they may be feeling overwhelmed with work is because they have recently been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, their supervisor could respond in a non-stigmatizing way by thanking the employee for sharing that information, reminding the employee of workplace resources related to mental health and general well-being, and asking the employee what they (the supervisor) might be able to do to provide support. Unfortunately, a recent Cochran Report concluded that training programs designed purely to improve mental health knowledge and reduce stigma may be limited in their capability of actually improving mental health outcomes (Richardson et al, 2023). Prior manager training (see Dimoff et al, 2016a, b;Dimoff & Kelloway, 2019a) related to mental health in the workplace demonstrates the importance of going beyond mental health literacy (i.e., knowledge about mental health and mental health disorders) to train managers to recognize and respond to warning signs that an employee is experiencing deteriorating mental health.…”

The relationship between line manager training in mental health and organisational outcomes

“…MHFA training aims to upskill nominated employees from across the organisation to provide support for a work colleague who is developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of a mental health problem, or is in a mental health crisis. While increasingly popular in practice, recent evidence highlights a lack of high-quality evaluative data investigating its impact on employees or the organisation [ 17 ]. MHFA training is focused on remedial care and support, in contrast to prevention focused efforts to improve employees’ working conditions and management practices through the development and upskilling of LMs.…”