Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec 1;33(4):325-330.
doi: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000467.

Assessing the Utility of Mental Health First Aid Training for Physician Assistant Students

Jennifer Forbes  1   2   3   4   5   6 , Diana T Noller  1   2   3   4   5   6 , Madeleine Henriquez  1   2   3   4   5   6 , Sarah Scantamburlo  1   2   3   4   5   6 , Ian Ward  1   2   3   4   5   6 , Hwal Lee  1   2   3   4   5   6
Affiliations

Assessing the Utility of Mental Health First Aid Training for Physician Assistant Students

Jennifer Forbes et al. J Physician Assist Educ. .

Abstract

Introduction: Physician assistant (PA) students are at increased risk for anxiety and depression compared with the general population. The demands of studying medicine can contribute to a decline in mental health, which may impede a student's ability to progress in his or her PA program. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is one strategy that can be used to increase mental health literacy, promote help-seeking behavior, reduce stigma, and improve confidence in providing help to individuals showing signs of a mental health disorder. The aim of this outcomes assessment was to assess PA students' satisfaction with the MHFA course and their posttraining confidence in using the skills learned.

Methods: Participants were PA students (N = 435) across 9 PA programs in their didactic year of training who had completed an MHFA course through the PA Foundation's Mental Health Outreach Fellowship. MHFA postcourse evaluations, completed by the PA students, were analyzed to determine PA students' satisfaction with the course and their posttraining confidence in using the skills learned to help both themselves as well as the general population.

Results: The mean of the MHFA course evaluation items corresponding to satisfaction with the course was 4.82 (maximum score of 5), and the mean of the items corresponding to posttraining confidence in using the skills learned was 4.74 (maximum score of 5). When asked, "Would you recommend this course to others?" 99.3% of the PA students trained in MHFA answered "yes," indicating a high level of satisfaction with the training they had received.

Discussion: PA students who received MHFA training from the PA Foundation's Mental Health Outreach fellows showed high levels of satisfaction with the MHFA course and posttraining confidence in using the skills learned.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-49, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4887. SAMHSA; 2014.
    1. Kessler RC, Berglund PA, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:593-602.
    1. Stephenson J. CDC report reveals “considerably elevated” mental health toll from COVID-19 stresses. JAMA Health Forum. 2020. Published online August 25. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2020.1078 - DOI
    1. Panchal N, Kamal R, Cox C, Garfield R. The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use. 2021. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of... . Accessed September 6, 2022.
    1. Xiong J, Lipsitz O, Nasri F, et al. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: a systematic review. J Affect Disord. 2020;277:55-64.

LinkOut - more resources