Developing culturally appropriate mental health first aid training for China, Chile and Argentina

Project Details

Despite the positive policy and health system contexts, there are not enough trained staff to provide professional care for mental disorders in many middle-income countries. As a result of these structural inequalities, there is a need to train non-specialists to identify and assist in managing people with mental health problems in order to improve adherence to treatment and clinical outcomes. Active engagement with local communities in order to promote service user leadership and mechanisms to ensure that programs are culturally appropriate are essential to improving outcomes.

MHFA training has an established track record in high-income countries of improving knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in relation to people with mental health problems. However, the appropriateness of the course content and implementation models in middle- income countries is unknown.

The overall aims of this project are to develop and trial culturally appropriate training for China, Chile and Argentina. The project involves re-development of the Delphi expert consensus guidelines (on which the course is based), cultural adaptation and randomised controlled trials of the courses. Trials are underway in China and will be conducted in Chile and Argentina in 2025.

Researchers

Professor Nicola Reavley (Project Lead)
nreavley@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 9035 7628

Funding

NHMRC Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases Scheme