ABSTRACT
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based intervention to increase knowledge about mental illness and self-efficacy in addressing mental health problems. This pilot study explored the implementation of MHFA for members and leaders of Christian church congregations. Twenty-seven church members completed the 8-hour manualized training. A preintervention and postintervention survey design was used, and results revealed significant improvement in mean scores for knowledge, beliefs, self-efficacy, and stigma following the training. These results suggest that MHFA is a promising intervention for congregants and may help address an existing gap in supportive services for individuals with mental and emotional health problems.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.