Search

This study investigated the association of training implementation factors (Quality, Impact, Usefulness) with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)-targeted outcomes (e.g., increased knowledge, confidence helping someone). Trainees who completed MHFA USA training in 2016 (N = 1003) were surveyed post training about its influence on their thoughts and behaviors, and about implementation factors. Some trainees completed 3- and 6-month follow-ups (N = 430, N = 276, respectively). Training Quality, Impact and Usefulness were rated highly. Differences in Quality and Impact across demographic groups were found; trainees from racially and ethnically marginalized backgrounds, and trainees with lower education levels, reported greater effect. Quality and Impact predicted positive changes in MHFA-targeted constructs such as self-efficacy, stigma and trainee perceived positive effect of MHFA strategies for those in crisis. Impact predicted positive change in mental health knowledge; this association strengthened over time. Results provide information about acceptability and perceived Impact of MHFA USA training and lead to recommendations for future evaluation and implementation.

This randomized trial compared the first online parent training program for an evidence-supported executive function intervention for autism to in-person parent training with the same dose and content. Parents of autistic children (8–12 years-old; Full Scale IQ above 70) were randomized to in-person ( n = 51) or online ( n = 46) training. Training acceptability and feasibility were rated highly by parents, without significant differences between groups. The completion rate was lower for parents in the online versus the in-person training condition, but neither the total time spent with training materials, nor parent and child outcomes differed by condition. Parents reported that training resulted in a reduction in caregiver strain (Cohen’s d = 0.66) and modest improvements in child flexibility, emotional control and global EF, but not planning and organization. Dose of parent training had a significant positive effect on child planning and organization problems. These findings did not support the hypothesized superiority of online to in-person training, but they did indicate online is as effective as in-person training at helping parents learn to improve their autistic children’s EF abilities and reduce their own experience of parenting strain. Implications included increased access to training for parents who experience barriers to receiving in-person care. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02708069 Lay Abstract This study compared the first online parent training program for executive function intervention for autism to in-person parent training on the same content. Participants were parents of autistic children, who were between 8 and 12 years of age and did not have intellectual disability. Parents were randomized to the in-person ( n = 51) or online ( n = 46) training conditions. Both trainings were developed with stakeholder (parents and autistic people) guidance. In this trial, most parents reported that they liked both trainings and that they were able to implement what they learned with their children. Parents in both groups spent equivalent amounts of time (about 8 hours) with the training materials, but while 94% of parents in the in-person training attended both parent trainings, only 59% of parents in the online group completed all 10 online modules. Parents reported that it was difficult to stay motivated to complete the online trainings over the 10-week trial. Parent and child outcomes did not differ significantly between the groups. Overall, parents reported that the trainings resulted in a reduction in their own parenting strain and improvements in their child’s flexibility, emotional control, and global executive function, but not planning and organization. These findings indicated brief in-person and online training can help parents learn to support and improve their autistic children’s executive function abilities, reducing their own experience of parenting strain. The finding that the online training was equivalent to the in-person trainings is important because it is accessible to parents who encounter barriers to in-person care.

Peer delivered, family-to-family (F2F) support-defined as the provision of outreach, engagement, knowledge, care coordination, and support to family members of children and youth with mental health challenges-is a rapidly growing and needed component of the service array. Progress is occurring toward greater specification of program models and core competencies for the parent support providers (PSPs) with lived experience providing these services; however, strategies to inform quality improvement and ensure accountability are lacking. The Family Journey Assessment (FJA), completed by PSPs and family members, fills this gap by tracking caregiver progress toward self-advocacy and self-efficacy. Analyses of 436 FJAs showed a reliable 3-component structure, reflecting progress in the recognition of needs, collaboration to access help from formal and natural supports, and activation of skills to cope with stress, enhance resilience, and develop and carry out plans of care. PSP feedback provided strong evidence for relevance and usability. Examination of FJAs at baseline and follow-up provides one of the first reports showing significant improvement in key indicators of benefit of F2F for participating families. The FJA holds promise as a measure of the impact of F2F services on key goals and as a way to identify benchmarks for focused and individualized peer-to-peer support depending on the family's level of need. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

To promote knowledge and acceptance of autism, Sesame Workshop created an online initiative: See Amazing in All Children. This nationwide evaluation of See Amazing assessed whether it increased knowledge and acceptance, promoted community inclusion, reduced parenting strain, and enhanced parenting competence. Survey responses were collected online from parents of children (age ⩽ 6) with and without autism before (N = 1010), 1 week after (N = 510), and, for parents of autistic children, 1 month after (N = 182) they viewed the See Amazing materials. Following exposure, parents of non-autistic children showed small but significant increases in knowledge of autism and, like parents of autistic children, greater acceptance of autistic children. Parents of autistic children reported less strain, increased parenting competence, and more hope about involving their child in their community. That the See Amazing materials invoked positive changes in the general parent community and in parents of autistic children suggests that See Amazing materials have the potential to be an effective resource to increase acceptance and community inclusion, although limitations of self-selection, dropout rate, and lack of control group constrain interpretation. Implications include support for targeting acceptance as a step beyond awareness campaigns, though actual behavior change is a subject for future research.

Purpose:This study assessed the impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in the United States with a theoretically based and psychometrically sound measure, the Mental Health Beliefs and Literacy Scale (MBLS).Design:Online MBLS surveys were administered pre-MHFA training, 3-weeks post-training, and 6-months posttraining.Setting:Mental Health First Aid trainings carried out across the United States.Participants:Six hundred sixty-two trainees were contacted, and 273 (41%) completed the presurvey. Of those, 63% filled out the postsurvey and 35% completed the 6-month survey. Seventy-six individuals completed all 3 surveys.Intervention:Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour education program to help the general public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse; to date, almost 1 million people have been trained.Measure:The MLBS, based on the Unified Theory of Behavior Change framework, consists of attitudinal, social-, and skill-based constructs affecting the intention to perform and achievement of MHFA actions and reports of their actual completion.Analysis:Change across time points was assessed using multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance.Results:Significant short- and longer term changes were found in internally consistent constructs tapping positive beliefs about MHFA actions, the confidence and intention to perform them as well as mental health literacy.Conclusion:The MBLS documented strong positive effects of MHFA training that were greater in individuals without prior mental health training, the intended targets of MHFA efforts.

Date Presented 04/04/19 Participants will learn about an innovative, dynamic web-based parent education program (e-Unstuck) that helps parents understand executive functions (EF) and the autism spectrum as well as how to integrate EF strategies into daily life. This session will share our research methods and results that allowed us to conclude that e-Unstuck is an acceptable, feasible, and effective alternative to in-person parent trainings. Primary Author and Speaker: Katie Alexander Contributing Authors: Lauren Kenworthy, Laura Anthony, Deb Childress, Alyssa Verbalis, Anna Armour, Kelly Kocher, Mary Troxel, Lynn Cannon, Monica Werner