An Evaluation of Virtual Adult Mental Health First Aid Using the RE-AIM Framework

Abstract

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based program that equips participants with the knowledge and skills to respond to a person experiencing mental health or substance-use-related challenges. Prior evaluations of MFHA have focused on in-person delivery and effects at the participant level, largely overlooking aspects of the implementation process. This paper presents findings of the evaluation of virtual Adult MHFA using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework, using instructor reflection, the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) quality improvement tool, and a pretraining and 30-day posttraining survey. Between September 2020 and August 2022, 406 people participated in virtual MHFA training, with 96 (23.6% response rate) participating in the pre- and 30-day survey. Generally, respondents reported increased awareness of the signs and symptoms associated with mental health challenges and increased confidence in identifying the signs of mental health distress and engaging in helping behaviors. However, there were no meaningful changes to mental-health-related stigma or helping behaviors. Adoption of MHFA training was significantly higher (p = .04) among community-based organization (CBO) initiated settings compared with non-CBO-initiated settings. Instructor reflection indicated high fidelity to the MHFA curriculum, while PDSA cycles helped indicate improved survey participation through reminder e-mails. Generally, results from our evaluation indicate that virtual MHFA performs similarly to in-person MHFA, regarding effects at the participant level. Our findings highlight unique challenges encountered through the virtual curriculum, offering considerations for practitioners. Finally, the use of the RE-AIM framework provided a comprehensive lens for examining the implementation across multiple dimensions.