The role of mental health literacy programs in improving education staff’s recognition and referrals of adolescents with mental health difficulties.

Carroll, Benjamin (2022) The role of mental health literacy programs in improving education staff’s recognition and referrals of adolescents with mental health difficulties. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Background: Given the burden that mental health conditions in early life can have on adolescent development, finding ways to encourage early recognition and support is key to reducing the impact on the individual and society as a whole. With the increased demand on schools and colleges to support adolescents with mental health difficulties, mental health literacy programs for education staff are an important avenue of research which could impact upon recognition and referrals.

Method: A systematic review was conducted to determine barriers and facilitators to implementing mental health literacy programs for education staff working with adolescents with mental health difficulties. An empirical study explored the feasibility of a new online mental health literacy program to identify and accurately refer adolescents with depression.

Results: Twenty-two studies were included from the review. Eight themes of barriers and facilitators were uncovered. These were categorised into program characteristics, provider characteristics and community factors. Key implementation factors which may impact long term sustainability included co-production of programs and train-the-trainer models. The empirical study recruited 29 participants. We found self-rated confidence in recognising and referring adolescents with depression increased after the intervention. Preliminary efficacy showed an increase of referral accuracy on vignettes of students not experiencing depression (pre to post) but changes on vignettes of students with ‘mild/moderate’ and ‘severe’ depression showed small effect sizes. The study was feasible in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and participants found the training and research process acceptable.

Conclusions: Given the proven effectiveness of mental health literacy programs on education staff’s knowledge and intention to refer adolescents with mental health difficulties, focus of researchers needs to shift towards optimising design and delivery to best support those in need long term. Despite notable limitations in both studies, implications for the future sustainability of these interventions are discussed throughout.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	James Tweddle
Date Deposited:	07 Nov 2022 14:33
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2022 14:33
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/89687
DOI:

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