Rural Mental Health First Aid Evaluation

Research center:
Lead researcher:
Project funded:
September 2013
Project completed:
May 2015

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), an early intervention training program for general audiences, has been promoted as a means for improving population-level behavioral health (BH) in rural communities by encouraging treatment-seeking. Using a mixed-methods approach to study MHFA trainings in rural areas, this project examines MHFA's appropriateness and impacts in rural contexts. This study provides preliminary evidence that MHFA holds promise for improving rural BH, however MHFA alone cannot compensate for weaknesses in rural BH infrastructure.


Publications

  • Mental Health First Aid in Rural Communities: Appropriateness and Outcomes
    Journal Article
    Maine Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 01/2016
    Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), an early intervention training program for general audiences, has been promoted as a means for improving population-level behavioral health in rural communities by encouraging treatment-seeking. This study examined MHFA's appropriateness and impacts in rural contexts.