Concepts influencing attitudes and beliefs toward mental health issues in a teacher education program

Objective: This study sought to evaluate whether a contact-based workplace education program was more effective than standard mental health literacy training in promoting early intervention and support for healthcare employees with mental health issues. Method: A parallel-group, randomised trial was conducted with employees in 2 multi-site Ontario hospitals with the evaluators blinded to the groups. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 group-based education programs: Beyond Silence (comprising 6 in-person, 2-h sessions plus 5 online sessions co-led by employees who personally experienced mental health issues) or Mental Health First Aid (a standardised 2-day training program led by a trained facilitator). Participants completed baseline, post-group, and 3-mo follow-up surveys to explore perceived changes in mental health knowledge, stigmatized beliefs, and help-seeking/help-outreach behaviours. An intent-to-treat analysis was completed with 192 participants. Differences were assessed using multi-level mixed models accounting for site, group, and repeated measurement. Results: Neither program led to significant increases in help-seeking or help-outreach behaviours. Both programs increased mental health literacy, improved attitudes towards seeking treatment, and decreased stigmatized beliefs, with sustained changes in stigmatized beliefs more prominent in the Beyond Silence group. Conclusion: Beyond Silence, a new contact-based education program customised for healthcare workers was not superior to standard mental health literacy training in improving mental health help-seeking or help-outreach behaviours in the workplace. The only difference was a reduction in stigmatized beliefs over time. Additional research is needed to explore the factors that lead to behaviour change.

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Mental Health Issues Among Farmers: An Online Continuing Education Program for Nurses

The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing ◽

10.3928/00220124-20210913-08 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (10) ◽

pp. 482-488

Author(s):

M. Susan Jones ◽

M. Eve Main ◽

Dawn Garrett-Wright ◽

Catherine M. Malin ◽

Alicia Pennington

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Continuing Education ◽

Education Program ◽

Health Issues ◽

Mental Health Issues

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Mental health issues in the schools: are educators prepared?

The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice ◽

10.1108/jmhtep-11-2013-0034 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 261-272 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Amy Andrews ◽

Mike McCabe ◽

Taunya Wideman-Johnston

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Teacher Education ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Teacher Education Programs ◽

Health Practitioner ◽

Health Issues ◽

Education Programs ◽

Content Type ◽

Mental Health Issues

Purpose – Mental health issues are exceedingly prevalent in society. Approximately one in five people will experience a mental illness within their lifetime and serious mental illnesses are most likely to emerge between the ages of 16 and 24. This research endeavored to gain a better understanding of teachers’ knowledge and perceived roles in dealing with students with mental health issues. The purpose of this paper is to explore teacher education programs and other resources accessible to teachers as well as barriers to their continued learning about issues related to mental health. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 75 secondary school teachers completed an online survey consisting of 42 Likert-style questions constructed with the main objective of the study in mind. The questions were organized under five different subheadings in the survey in order to provide some direction regarding the research questions. Measures of central tendency were utilized to determine frequencies of responses. The researchers created summary tables of the data for analysis purposes. Findings – Teachers indicate that it is within their role to deal with mental health issues, but many do not have the knowledge to do so. Teacher education programs are not providing enough preparation for teachers and, although available, many teachers do not have knowledge of resources produced by interest groups. Research limitations/implications – Teacher education programs, both pre-service and in-sevice, must respond to the needs of teachers. In doing so, the authors can then address the needs of students and assist them in the challenges that mental illnesses present. Practical implications – While an educator's role does not officially include being a mental health practitioner, it is their role to educate all students. This inevitably requires an understanding of the connection between mental health issues and how they affect a student's ability to learn and to live a healthy life. Social implications – Resiliency theory suggests “the most important and consistent protective factor is that of adults caring for children during or after major stressors” (Masten et al., 1991, p. 431). Who better placed to assist them than teachers? Originality/value – This research adds to the ever-increasingly difficulty tasks that teachers are charged with implementing. It identifies a clear need for increased attention to preparing teachers.

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