Mental health first aid training for China: a randomised controlled trial

INTERVENTION: The intervention Mental health first aid (MHFA) training for China is a major adaptation based on the Australian Standard MHFA 12‐hour course. Course adaptation was undertaken members of the Shanghai Mental Health Center (SMHC) research team. As with the Australian MHFA materials, the MHFA China course includes an MHFA China manual, instructor teaching notes, PowerPoint slides, videos and activities that allow participants to practice their new skills. The content of the MHFA China manual was informed by guidelines developed in five Delphi expert consensus studies, undertaken in China with health professionals, people with lived experience and carers. The results of these studies outline culturally‐appropriate actions to be taken to help a person developing depression, psychosis, problem drinking, at risk of suicide or at risk from a potentially traumatic event. Using these guidelines, the team came up with a simplified MHFA Action Plan, more suitable for countries that do not have good mental health literacy and good pathways to mental health care. The new Action Plan is: Recognise, Engage, Keep safe, and Support. The manual was organized into chapters covering each of these actions. Based on this manual, the teaching and curriculum notes were developed. The resulting English‐language manual, teaching materials and PowerPoint slides were translated into Mandarin Chinese. Subtitles for three of the Australian MHFA videos were also translated. The course will be delivered over 2 days and will be conducted in health services, workplaces and community settings by instructors from SMHC. Training will be offered to approximately 20 participants per course group through face‐to‐face delivery, depending on COVID‐19 restrictions in Shanghai. CONDITION: Mental health literacy and stigma ; Not Applicable PRIMARY OUTCOME: Intentions to provide mental health first aid measured using the Mental health support scale – Intended at baseline (T1), 1 month (T2) and 7 months after completing the training (T3) INCLUSION CRITERIA: Adults aged 18 years old and over SECONDARY OUTCOME: ; 1. Recognition of depression measured by asking the participant to write a vignette at baseline, 1‐month and 7 months; 2. Beliefs about treatment and mental health professionals measured using a Chinese adaptation of a 16‐item scale used in a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trial in Australia, at baseline, 1‐month and 7 months; 3. Confidence in providing MHFA for a person with depression measured by asking participants to rate how confident they would feel supporting this person, at baseline, 1‐month and 7 months; 4. Helping actions taken to assist a person with depression measured using the MHSS‐Provided subscale Chinese version at baseline and 7 months; 5. Desire for social distance from a person with a mental health problem measured using the Link Social Distance Scale at baseline, 1‐month and 7 months; 6. Personally stigmatising attitudes about a person with depression, measured using the Depression Stigma Scale at baseline, 1‐month and 7 months; 7. Course quality and satisfaction measured using a 5‐item questionnaire at 1 month;