A Randomized Control Trial of a Community Mental Health Intervention for Military Personnel

Abstract

This research study tested whether a military adaptation of the Mental Health First Aid (mMHFA) program changes knowledge about and attitudes toward mental health in the military, stigma associated with mental health issues, and use of appropriate referral and support practices for helping someone in need. Phase one of the study consisted of developing the military and veterans module for MHFA. Phase two consisted of a pilot study with four armories from the Kansas Army National Guard. Pilot study results were mixed, with clear trends showing enhanced knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and confidence and reduced stigma among people who took the training. However, there were no intervention effects detected at the community level based on a random survey of guard members in each armory. Overall, the study results indicate that the military and veterans MHFA intervention is acceptable and feasible for National Guard armories, and is a promising intervention that warrants further study in a larger cluster randomized controlled trial to detect intervention effects.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA610536

Entities

People

  • Dennis Mohatt
  • Jay Shore
  • Nathaniel V. Mohatt
  • Nicola Winkle
  • Robert Boeckmann

Organizations

  • Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Brain Injuries
  • Communities
  • Descriptive Analytics
  • Education
  • First Aid
  • First Responders
  • Health
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Health
  • Military Personnel
  • National Guard
  • Pilot Studies
  • Surveys
  • Training
  • Urban Areas

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.