Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact of Mental Health First Aid Training on Student Pharmacist Perceptions

Objective

To assess the longitudinal impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training on student pharmacists’ perceptions of stigma, comfort, confidence, and willingness to intervene with someone experiencing a mental health issue over time.

Methods

Students in a PharmD program completed MHFA training as a curricular requirement and were surveyed to gather perceptions 6 months after the training. Survey data were analyzed in combination with 2 separate surveys conducted immediately before and after the training during a previous project. Surveys included multiple validated tools for evaluating students’ perceptions of mental health stigma as well as comfort, confidence, and willingness to intervene with someone experiencing mental health challenges. A 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and t tests with the Bonferroni correction were used to analyze results.

Results

MHFA training was completed by 235 students, and the 6-month post-training survey was completed by 147. A significant change in scores was observed in students’ ability to identify mental health concerns, recognize suicide warning signs, and provide resources for mental health and suicide prevention counseling. A significant improvement in stigma was limited over time; willingness to work with a colleague who disclosed a mental illness and to tell friends about their own mental illness improved immediately after training but not at 6 months post-training.

Conclusion

MHFA had mixed longitudinal results in decreasing stigma, but did impact both professional and personal views on mental health. MHFA training was most impactful in increasing student confidence in assisting individuals experiencing mental health concerns and in suicide prevention.