Implementation and formative evaluation of a youth mental health first aid (YMHFA) training program for teachers in Brockton, Massachusetts

Abstract

Purpose

Adolescents and children have experienced challenges that have increasingly and negatively impacted their mental health. School personnel are uniquely positioned to recognize and support students experiencing such challenges; however, their knowledge and training are often inadequate.

Methods

To investigate knowledge and training gaps for teachers in areas of youth mental health, a 45-item survey assessing encounters, knowledge, and confidence in supporting mental health problems was administered to 441 school personnel. Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training was offered twice monthly from 10/2022 – 6/2023, and 147 of the 441 individuals were trained and reassessed. General linear and ordinal regressions modeled pre-training levels and post-training changes by job category and school grade.

Results

Fifty-six percent of respondents reported checking with students about their personal lives “frequently” or “all the time”. Seventy-nine percent, 58 % and 33 % encountered students with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks respectively, either “frequently” or “all the time”. Forty-six percent encountered a student contemplating suicide or having a psychotic episode at least “sometimes,” and 15 % reported that a drug overdose was not a rare event. Job and grade affected frequency (p < 0.0001), with counselors/specialists having more frequent interactions with students than teachers and administrators. Training significantly improved school personnel’s knowledge and confidence in handling youth mental health crises (p < 0.0001).

Discussion

School personnel frequently encounter students with mental health issues. YMHFA training for teachers and staff could be offered to increase mental health knowledge, and confidence in identifying and responding to student mental health crises.