Evaluation of a culturally adapted training course in Indigenous e-mental health

Abstract

Objective: To report the impact of the Indigenous e-mental health training course 'Yarning about Indigenous Mental Health using the AIMhi Stay Strong App'.

Method: Participants were trained in e-mental health and the use of one of the first culturally adapted e-mental health interventions - The AIMhi Stay Strong App. Between October 2013 and December 2014, 138 participants completed the 'Yarning about Indigenous Mental Health using the AIMhi Stay Strong App' training course and 130 completed pre- and post-training questionnaires to explore knowledge and confidence in a number of areas trained.

Results: Paired t-tests showed significant improvements across all measures of skill and knowledge except for confidence in using computers.

Conclusions: E-mental health is a relatively new development that may contribute to improved access to mental health services for rural and remote Indigenous Australians, particularly where such tools are culturally adapted. Whilst current knowledge and use of e-mental health tools in this group of Northern Territory service providers was limited, perceived knowledge and confidence in use was significantly improved following training.

Keywords: AIMhi; Indigenous; culturally-adapted; e-mental health; training.