Clinical trial NCT02334020: Investigating the Impact of the Mental Health First-Aid Training Course in Danish Employees
Official title: Effectiveness of Mental Health First-Aid Training in Denmark. A Randomized Controlled Trial With a Six-Month Follow-Up Supplemented With a Qualitative Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Health Impairment
Keywords: Mental illness
training
support
Mental Health
Lead sponsor: Mental Health Services in the Capital Region, Denmark
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: TrygFonden, Denmark
First posted: 2015-01-08
Enrollment: 538
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The purpose of the study is evaluate the effect of the Mental Health First-aid training course on a Danish population of employees.

Detailed description: Background:

Studies show a high and growing prevalence of mental disorders in the population worldwide. 25 % of the general population in Europe will during their lifetime experience symptoms related to a mental disorder. The Mental Health First Aid concept (MHFA) was founded in 2000 in Australia by Kitchener and Jorm, in order to provide the population with mental health first aid skills.

Objective:

The aim of the concept is, through an educational intervention (course), to increase confidence in how to help people suffering from mental health problems. Further, secondary aims are to increase the mental health literacy of the public by increasing knowledge, reduce stigma and initiate more supportive actions leading towards professional help. An investigation of the effect of MHFA offered a Danish population is needed.

Design and Methods:

The design is a randomized controlled superiority trial, in which 500 participants will be allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. The control group will attend the course six months later, hence waiting list design. From fall 2013 to spring 2014 participants will be educated in Mental Health First-aid following a manualized, two days MHFA course. All the participants will answer a questionnaire at base-line and at 6 months follow-up. The questionnaire is a back-translation of the questionnaire used in Australian trials. The trial will be complemented by a qualitative study, in which focus groups will be carried out.

Outcome:

The primary outcome measure is increased confidence in help-giving behavior among the participants. Secondary outcome will be increased knowledge of and improved positive attitudes towards people suffering from a mental health problem.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

people, who in their line of work are in contact with many different individuals

Exclusion Criteria:

none

Primary outcomes:
measure: Increased confidence in help-giving behaviour as measured by comparing the intervention group after having attended the training course with the control group. (questionnaire)
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Copenhagen
country: Denmark
facility: Mental Health Center Copenhagen
Study officials:
affiliation: Mental Health Centre, in the capital region of Denmark
name: Merete Nordentoft, Prof. Dr.med
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Jensen KB, Morthorst BR, Vendsborg PB, Hjorthoj C, Nordentoft M. Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid training in Denmark: a randomized trial in waitlist design. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2016 Apr;51(4):597-606. doi: 10.1007/s00127-016-1176-9. Epub 2016 Feb 2.
citation: Jensen KB, Morthorst BR, Vendsborg PB, Hjorthoj CR, Nordentoft M. The effect of the mental health first-aid training course offered employees in Denmark: study protocol for a randomized waitlist-controlled superiority trial mixed with a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry. 2015 Apr 14;15:80. doi: 10.1186/s12888-015-0466-1.