WorkplaceAid - A trial on improving mental health and physical first aid skills in the workplace

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: mental health first aid knowledge; stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental health problems; confidence in supporting someone who has a mental health problem; actual supportive behaviours toward someone who has a mental health problem; personal help-seeking for a mental health problem; participants' own mental health; first aid knowledge; actual supportive behaviours toward someone who has a physical health problem; confidence in supporting someone who has a physical health problem; Mental Health - Depression

• Registration Number: ACTRN12614000623695
• Lead Sponsor: The University of Melbourne

Brief Summary

The aim of the WorkplaceAid study was to compare the effects of eLearning or blended (eLearning plus face-to-face course delivery) Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses on public servants' knowledge, stigmatising attitudes, confidence in providing support and intentions to provide support to a person with depression or PTSD. 608 Australian public servants from Victoria and the ACT were randomly assigned to complete one of those courses. The following results are based on a comparison between data collected prior to training (at baseline) and again at post-training. Training in either the eLearning MHFA or blended MHFA stream resulted in greater improvements in mental health first aid knowledge; beliefs about appropriate treatment; intention to help a person with depression or PTSD; confidence in providing such help and the quality of help provided, as well as lower perceptions of dangerousness/unpredictability of people with depression or PTSD, compared to training in Provide First Aid. Training in the eLearning MHFA stream showed a reduction in the amount of social distance desired from a person with depression or PTSD, compared to training in Provide First Aid. The blended eLearning MHFA course was only minimally more effective than the eLearning MHFA course in improving knowledge and reducing stigmatising attitudes. Users were more likely to highly rate the blended MHFA course in terms of usefulness, amount learned and intentions to recommend the course to others.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2014-06-13
• Study Completion: 2019-04-05
• Last Update Posted: 13 January 2020

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 608

Inclusion Criteria

Australian public service employees in Victoria and ACT.

Exclusion Criteria

Any Australian public servants from Victoria or the ACT who have undertaken a Mental Health First Aid course or a Provide First Aid course in the previous three years.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified