The Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid Intervention Among Undergraduate Students in Switzerland

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Preventative Medicine
• Interventions: Other: Mental Health First Aid (educational training program)

• Registration Number: NCT06035770
• Lead Sponsor: Institut et Haute Ecole de la Santé la Source

Brief Summary

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an educational training program which has been proven effective at increasing knowledge, improving attitudes and reducing the stigma of mental illness among individuals/the general population. Although MHFA has proven effective world-wide, no study has examined the effectiveness of MHFA in Switzerland and very few studies have examined the long-term effects of MHFA and how they might be influenced by cultural differences. This study is a randomized control trial (RCT) that examines the effectiveness of a 12-hour MHFA training program that aims to improve undergraduate students' knowledge of, behaviours towards mental illness and to reduce stigmatization towards mental illness. All participants were 2nd-year students and they were randomly assigned either to an intervention group that would receive the MHFA training course or to a control group without any intervention during the study period. However, the control group had the option to receive the MHFA course after the 12 months of study follow-up was completed. Both groups were assessed at three time points: T0: Baseline survey from mid-September to October 2019, completed by both groups.

Intervention: MHFA training program from October 2019-December 2019. T1: Post-intervention with first follow-up survey three months after the MHFA training intervention completed by both groups (from March to May 2020). T2: Follow-up 12 months after the MHFA/ensa training intervention in December 2020 and completed by both groups.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2019-09-20
• Primary Completion: 2020-03-01
• Study Completion: 2020-12-31
• Study First Submitted: 2023-06-23
• Status Verified: 2023-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-09-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-09-06
• Study First Posted: 2023-09-13
• Last Update Posted: 2023-09-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 107

Inclusion Criteria

• 2nd year undergraduate students from universities of applied science in Lausanne and Yverdon-les-Bains.
• ≥18 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

• Working and part-time students.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Mental Health First Aid training program	Mental Health First Aid (educational training program)	The intervention is a 12-hour face-to-face training course given in small groups. It was delivered as four 3-hour sessions over 4 consecutive weeks.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Level of attitudes pertaining to mental illness (changes were assessed at 3 and 12 months)	3 months; 12 months	to measure changes of participants' level of stigmatization and social distance toward mental illness. Changes of before and after the intervention are also assessed.
behaviors toward mental illness (changes are assessed at 3 and 12 months))	3 months; 12 months	to measure participants' confidence and intention to provide help and the changes before and after the MHFA are also assessed.
Level of knowledge-(changes were assessed at 3 and 12 months)	3 months; 12 months	to measure participants' ability to identify a mental health problem and answer questions based on the content of the MHFA course. Changes of knowledge level before and after the MHFA intervention are also assessed.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
mental health-quality of life (changes were assessed assessed at 3 and 12 months)	3 months; 12 months	Quality of life using Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) and change of quality of life were assessed.
mental health-depression (changes were assessed at 3 and 12 months)	3 months; 12 months	Depression symptoms ( using Patient Health Questionnaire (Brief PHQ-9) and change of depression symptoms were assessed.
change of mental health-anxiety	3 months; 12 months	Anxiety symptom (using Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7) and changes of anxiety symptoms were assessed.
change of mental health-ADHD symptoms	3 months; 12 months	ADHD symptoms were assessed using 'ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS)' Screener and the change of ADHD symptoms was also assessed.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

La Source, School of Nursing Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland.; 🇨🇭 Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland