Impact Study of Workplace Mental Health Education on Early Intervention for Healthcare Workers With Mental Health Issues

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Mental Health Impairment
• Interventions: Behavioral: Beyond Silence; Behavioral: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

• Registration Number: NCT02158871
• Lead Sponsor: McMaster University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the impact of a new workplace-based mental health peer education program with standardized mental health literacy training on early intervention and support for healthcare employees with mental health issues. Participants are healthcare workers who volunteer to participate in one of the two twelve-hour group education programs. It is hypothesized that the customized "Beyond Silence" peer education program led by trained staff members with personal experience of mental ill-health will be more effective in reducing the stigma associated with help-seeking and help-outreach regarding mental ill-health in the workplace. The comparison group is a standardized mental health literacy training program that has been widely implemented in both Canada and around the world. Change in help-seeking/help-outreach behavior, mental health knowledge and beliefs of participants will be assessed at three-month intervals; before, after and three months following the educational intervention.

Detailed Description

The target sample of 200 employee participants will be recruited from two healthcare organizations. The Beyond Silence program is based on principles of contact-based education, and will include six 1.5-2 hour in-person sessions conducted every other week, interspersed with five online resource sessions. The Mental Health First Aid training is a standardized, 12-hour evidence-based mental health literacy training program that has been implemented in a range of national and international settings. This program is typically offered over two full days.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2014-05
• Study First Submitted: 2014-05-29
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-06-06
• Study First Posted: 2014-06-09
• Status Verified: 2016-03
• Primary Completion: 2016-03
• Study Completion: 2016-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-03-15
• Last Update Posted: 2016-03-17

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 216

Inclusion Criteria

• Employee (full-time, part-time or contract) in the participating healthcare organization
• Willing and able to participate in 12 hours of training outside of paid work hours
• Able to understand and speak English

Read More

Exclusion Criteria

• Prior training in either of the two educational approaches

Read More

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Contact-based mental health education	Beyond Silence	The "Beyond Silence' program is 12 hours in length: six 1.5-2 hour in-person group sessions every other week, plus five online sessions between each of the in-person sessions.
Mental health literacy training	Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)	"Mental Health First Aid" training consists of twelve hours of standardized, module-based mental health literacy training offered in a group format. It will be offered as 2 full-day training sessions (or four half-day sessions).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in help-seeking behavior	Baseline, post-intervention, 3 month follow-up	Participants will be asked to report whether they accessed any services from a list of 10 health, workplace and community service options. Questions regarding service utilization are adapted from the 2012/2012 Canadian Community Health survey, in order to provide a population reference, plus several work-related services (eg. EAP, union) are added as an option. Participants may endorse more than one of the behaviors, and a summative score of the number of behaviors will be used to measure change in help-seeking.
Change from baseline in help-outreach behavior	Baseline, post-intervention, 3 month follow-up	Self-report of personal contact with a co-worker about mental health problems (yes/no), and any contact over the past 6 months (yes/no). If contact did occur, participants will be asked whether they provided help to the co-worker, and if so, to identify the type of help from a list of 10 possible options. The list of "outreach" behaviors was based on Mental Health First Aid program evaluation (e.g. 'spent time listening to problem', 'recommend professional help'), with an adaptation to include a several work-specific options (e.g., 'recommend EAP', 'offered assistance with job duties'). Participants are invited to check all behaviors that apply (with an open-ended option), and scoring is based on one point per action, with a summative score used to track change. In addition to the behavior list, participants will be asked to rate their confidence in providing help on a 7 point Likert scale.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in degree of stigma towards co-workers with a mental illness	Baseline, post-intervention, 3 month follow-up	The Mental Health Commission of Canada Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers will be used; a 20-item questionnaire designed to evaluate the attitudes of healthcare providers towards people with mental illness. The tool has good internal consistency (α=.82), and satisfactory test-retest reliability (ICC=.66), with limited impact of social desirability.
Change from baseline in attitudes toward professional help-seeking for mental health issues	Baseline, post-intervention, 3 month follow-up	The Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-short form (ATSPPHS), a 10 question survey using a four point Likert-type scale response will be used to track beliefs and intent to seek professional help. It is a widely used scale with good internal consistency (α=.78), and criterion validity supported by links between scale scores and mental healthcare use.
Change from baseline in mental health literacy	Baseline, post-intervention, 3 month follow-up	Four vignettes of employees with workplace mental health issues will be used to assess awareness of issues and when/how to respond to these issues in the workplace. The vignettes are adapted for a healthcare workplace based on a review of vignettes reported in the literature, as well as analysis of key issues reported in the pilot phase of the study. Vignettes will incorporate differences in gender, nature and severity of illness, and a 7 point Likert scale from novice to expert will be used to track key dimensions of literacy, including perceived knowledge about the condition, what to say/do and what resources to access.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Hamilton Health Sciences; 🇨🇦 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

St. Joseph's Healthcare; 🇨🇦 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada