scholarly journals Providing culturally appropriate mental health first aid to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander adolescent: development of expert consensus guidelines

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn J Chalmers ◽  
Kathy S Bond ◽  
Anthony F Jorm ◽  
Claire M Kelly ◽  
Betty A Kitchener ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Expert Consensus ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Consensus Guidelines ◽  
Torres Strait

scholarly journals Talking about suicide: An uncontrolled trial of the effects of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health first aid program on knowledge, attitudes and intended and actual assisting actions

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244091
Author(s):  
Gregory Armstrong ◽  
Georgina Sutherland ◽  
Eliza Pross ◽  
Andrew Mackinnon ◽  
Nicola Reavley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Training Course ◽  
Uncontrolled Trial ◽  
Suicidal Person ◽  
Torres Strait

Objective Suicide is a leading cause of death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Friends, family and frontline workers (for example, teachers, youth workers) are often best positioned to provide initial assistance if someone is at risk of suicide. We developed culturally appropriate expert consensus guidelines on how to provide mental health first aid to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviour and used this as the basis for a 5-hour suicide gatekeeper training course called Talking About Suicide. This paper describes the outcomes for participants in an uncontrolled trial of this training course. Methods We undertook an uncontrolled trial of the Talking About Suicide course, delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid instructors to 192 adult (i.e. 18 years of age or older) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (n = 110) and non-Indigenous (n = 82) participants. Questionnaires capturing self-report outcomes were self-administered immediately before (n = 192) and after attending the training course (n = 188), and at four-months follow-up (n = 98). Outcome measures were beliefs about suicide, stigmatising attitudes, confidence in ability to assist, and intended and actual actions to assist a suicidal person. Results Despite a high level of suicide literacy among participants at pre-course measurement, improvements at post-course were observed in beliefs about suicide, stigmatising attitudes, confidence in ability to assist and intended assisting actions. While attrition at follow-up decreased statistical power, some improvements in beliefs about suicide, stigmatising attitudes and intended assisting actions remained statistically significant at follow-up. Importantly, actual assisting actions taken showed dramatic improvements between pre-course and follow-up. Participants reported feeling more confident to assist a suicidal person after the course and this was maintained at follow-up. The course was judged to be culturally appropriate by those participants who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders. Implications The results of this uncontrolled trial were encouraging, suggesting that the Talking About Suicide course was able to improve participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and intended assisting actions as well as actual actions taken.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Day ◽  
Sharon Casey ◽  
Mercy Baird ◽  
Lynore Geia ◽  
Rosemary Wanganeen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Torres Strait

scholarly journals Development of Chinese mental health first aid guidelines for psychosis: a Delphi expert consensus study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjing Li ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Shurong Lu ◽  
Yanling He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
English Language ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
First Aid ◽  
High Income ◽  
Expert Consensus ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
The Public

Abstract Background Family and friends of a person developing a mental illness or in a mental health crisis can help the person until treatment is received or the crisis resolves. Guidelines for providing this ‘mental health first aid’ have been developed and disseminated in high-income countries. However, they may not be appropriate for use in China due to cultural and health care system differences. The aim of this study was to use the Delphi expert consensus method to develop culturally appropriate guidelines for a member of the public providing mental health first aid to someone with psychosis in mainland China. Methods A Chinese-language survey, comprising statements about how to provide mental health first aid to a person with psychosis, was developed. This was based on the endorsed items from the first round of the English-language questionnaire for high-income countries. These statements were rated by two expert panels from mainland China – a mental health professional panel (N = 31) and a lived experience panel (N = 41) – on how important they believed each statement was for a member of the public providing first aid to a person with psychosis in China. There were three Delphi rounds, with experts able to suggest additional items in Round 1. Items had to have at least 80% endorsement from both panels for inclusion. Results Out of 208 statements, 207 were endorsed for inclusion in the Chinese-language guidelines. Eight new statements were also included. Compared to the English-language guidelines, the importance of family involvement was emphasized in the development of the Chinese-language guidelines. Conclusions While many of the actions in the English-language guidelines were endorsed by Chinese participants, a number of additional items point to the importance of developing culturally appropriate mental health first aid guidelines. These guidelines will form the basis for the development of Chinese Mental Health First Aid course aiming at training members of the public on how to provide first aid to someone with a mental health problem.

scholarly journals Development of Chinese mental health first aid guidelines for assisting a person affected by a traumatic event: a Delphi expert consensus study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wang ◽  
Wenjing Li ◽  
Shurong Lu ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm ◽  
Brian Oldenburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
English Language ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Expert Consensus ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Chinese Translation ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
English Speaking

Abstract Background People who experience traumatic events have an increased risk of developing a range of mental disorders. Appropriate early support from people in a person’s social network may help to prevent the onset of a mental disorder or minimize its severity. Mental health first aid guidelines for assisting people who have experienced traumatic events have been developed for high-income English-speaking countries. However, they may not be appropriate for use in China due to cultural and health care system differences. The aim of this study was to develop culturally appropriate guidelines for people providing mental health first aid to people affected by traumatic events in China. Methods A Delphi expert consensus study was conducted with two panels of experts in mainland China. Experts recruited to the panels included 32 professionals with expertise in the treatment of people affected by traumatic events and 31 people with lived experience of trauma or their carers. Panel members were sent a Chinese translation of the questionnaire used for developing English-language mental health first aid guidelines. This contained 168 items describing how to help people experiencing a potentially traumatic event. Panelists were asked to rate the importance of each statement for inclusion in the Chinese guidelines. They were also encouraged to suggest any additional statements that were not included in the original questionnaire. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the adapted guidelines if they were endorsed by at least 80% of each panel as very important or important. Results Consensus was achieved after three survey rounds on 134 statements for inclusion in the adapted guidelines for China, with 127 adopted from the guidelines for English-speaking countries and 7 new items from the comments of panelists. Conclusions While many of the statements are similar to the guidelines for English-speaking countries, the panelists adapted the guidelines to China’s context, including more detailed actions on how to discuss trauma and to help the person. These guidelines will be used to form the basis of a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course for China, aimed at educating the public in providing support and advice to a person who is experiencing a potentially traumatic event. Further research is needed to investigate the use of the guidelines by the Chinese public and the implementation of MHFA training in appropriate settings in China.

scholarly journals Cultural adaptation of mental health first aid guidelines for depression for Sri Lanka: a Delphi expert consensus study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhawee Fernando ◽  
Amila Chandrasiri ◽  
Madhubhashinee Dayabandara ◽  
Nicola J. Reavley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Expert Consensus ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
First Aid Training

Abstract Background Family and friends can play a key role in supporting a person with depression to seek professional help. However, they may lack the knowledge to do so. English-language guidelines for high-income countries have been developed to assist with this. The aim of this study was to adapt the English mental health first aid guidelines for helping a person with depression to the Sri Lankan context. Methods A Delphi expert consensus study involving mental health professionals and people with lived experience (either their own or as carers) was conducted. Participants were recruited from inpatient, outpatient and community care settings. The English-language questionnaire was translated into Sinhala and participants were asked to rate the importance of each item for inclusion in the guidelines for Sri Lanka. Results Data were collected over two survey rounds. A total of 115 panellists (23% male) consisting of 92 mental health professionals and 23 consumers and carers completed the Round 1 questionnaire. A total of 165 items were included in the final guidelines, with 156 adopted from the guidelines for English-speaking countries and 9 generated from the comments of panellists. Conclusions The adapted guidelines were similar to the English-language guidelines. However, new items reflecting culturally relevant approaches to autonomy-granting, communication and culture-specific manifestations of depression were reflected in the adapted version. Further research should explore the use of the adapted guidelines, including their incorporation into Mental Health First Aid Training.

scholarly journals Cultural adaptation of the mental health first aid guidelines for assisting a person at risk of suicide for Sri Lanka: a Delphi expert consensus study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amila Chandrasiri ◽  
Madhawee Fernando ◽  
Madhubhashinee Dayabandara ◽  
Nicola J. Reavley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Expert Consensus ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Mental Health First Aid

Abstract Background Approximately 3000 people die by suicide each year in Sri Lanka. As family and friends may play a role in supporting a person at risk of suicide to get appropriate help, there is a need for evidence-based resources to assist with this. The aim of this study was to culturally adapt the existing English-language mental health first aid guidelines for helping a person at risk of suicide to the Sri Lankan context. Methods A Delphi expert consensus study was conducted, involving mental health professionals and consumers (people with lived experience) and caregivers, who were identified by purposive and snowball sampling methods. Participants were recruited from a wide variety of professional roles and districts of Sri Lanka in order to maximize diversity of opinion. The original questionnaire was translated into Sinhala and participants were requested to rate each item according to the importance of inclusion in the guidelines. Results Data were collected over two survey rounds. Altogether, 148 people participated in the study (130 health professionals and 18 consumers). A total of 165 items were included in the final guidelines, with 153 adopted from the guidelines for English-speaking countries and 12 generated from the comments of panellists. Conclusions The adapted guidelines were similar to the English-language guidelines. However, new items relating to the involvement of family members were included and some items were omitted because they were not considered appropriate to the Sri Lankan context (particularly those relating to explicit mention of suicide). Further research is warranted to explore the use of these guidelines by the Sri Lankan public, including how they may be incorporated in Mental Health First Aid training.

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