Youth mental health first aid training with diverse educators.

Abstract

Schools are the most likely place for students to receive formal or informal mental health services and support. Classroom educators often provide informal mental health support to students and referrals to school-based services. Despite their key role, educators often feel underprepared in recognizing concerning symptoms in youth and supporting student mental health. This mixed-methods study explored the effectiveness of in-person Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training on a diverse sample of 106 educators (Mage = 22, SD = 1.9 years, 96% ethnic minorities): City Year AmeriCorps members who work in diverse low-income schools in Florida. We culturally adapted the program to better meet the needs of the participants and the students they serve as over 95% of the students they served were people of color. Quantitative survey data were collected at three time points (pre, post, and 3 months after the training) to examine whether YMHFA training better equipped classroom educators to support students' mental health. Overall, training was associated with improvements in mental health literacy, knowledge of school-based mental health providers, confidence, and intentions to engage in mental health first aid (MHFA) behaviors. Notably, educators reported greater engagement in mental health first aid behaviors at the 3-month follow-up than before training. No improvement in mental health stigma was observed. Some improvements (i.e., mental health literacy, intentions to help) were not sustained at the follow-up. Qualitative data generally supported quantitative findings and suggested that the YMHFA program with cultural consideration is suitable for this diverse sample of classroom educators. Educators' suggestions to improve the training to support culturally and linguistically diverse students' mental health are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).