Mental Health First Aid training and assessment among university students: A systematic review

To explore the literature describing the delivery and assessment of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training among university students.

The databases MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, and PsycINFO were searched to identify publications describing MHFA training and assessment among university students since 2000.

All studies, regardless of design, that described the delivery and assessment of MHFA training among university students, at any level, were included in this systematic review.

The discipline and level of students; the version, length, and integration of MHFA training; and the constructs used to assess students post-MHFA training were extracted from each study.

Of the initial 1662 records, 12 were included. Eight studies were conducted in Australia, 3 in the United States, and 1 in the United Kingdom. Most students were enrolled in health care or social work degree programs across all years of their program with 4 studies involving pharmacy students. Three studies described integrating compulsory MHFA training for university students. Most studies reported on the delivery of the Standard or Adult version of MHFA training; no study reported on MHFA for Tertiary Students. Post-MHFA training, students were assessed on mental health knowledge, literacy, intentions, confidence, stigma, and skills application. Only 2 studies described assessment methods involving direct observation of behaviors, whereas the rest relied on self-reported measurements.

Despite the spread of MHFA to over 25 countries and the availability of tertiary student-specific training, the studies included in this systematic review were conducted in only 3 countries and mainly involved Standard and Adult MHFA training. Most assessments relied on self-reported measures. Future studies involving different versions of MHFA training, and the exploration of novel competency-based assessment methods among a diverse range of students from different countries are warranted.