Youth Mental Health First Aid (Y-MHFA) Trainings for Educators: A Systematic Review
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REVIEW PAPER
Youth Mental Health First Aid (Y‑MHFA) Trainings for Educators: A Systematic Review Alexis M. Sánchez1 · Joseph D. Latimer1 · Katrina Scarimbolo1 · Nathaniel P. von der Embse1 · Shannon M. Suldo1 · Chelsea R. Salvatore1 Accepted: 1 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract There’s an increase in mental health concerns with youth, making it imperative to address developing educators’ capacity for identifying and delivering mental health supports. Youth Mental Health First Aid (Y-MHFA) aims to provide the tools for adults to offer aid to youth in need or in crisis. This review examined outcomes associated with Y-MHFA when implemented in school settings. Eight relevant studies were identified through a comprehensive systematic review of online databases, such as PsychINFO and ERIC, and related references. Published studies specifically about Y-MHFA written in English that report educator and/or college student outcomes were included. Overall, findings from the review illustrate promising gains in youth mental health literacy in educators and college students. However, there was a lack of control groups, long-term follow-ups, and cultural and diverse considerations to fully support Y-MHFA. Mental health awareness, strategies, and skills gained after Y-MHFA have implications for educators providing mental health supports to adolescent students and, therefore, increasing future student success. Further implications and areas for future research are discussed. Keywords Mental health · Youth · Gatekeeper training · Youth mental health first aid · Schools
Introduction Upwards of 20% of students during adolescence will exhibit signs of significant behavioral and/or mental health problems during their academic careers (Merikangas et al., 2010). Schools have increasingly been tasked with a concomitant responsibility to meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs (Suldo, Gormley, DuPaul, & Anderson-Butcher, 2014). Yet many educators do not have the skills (Cunningham & Suldo, 2014), training (von der Embse, Kilgus, Eklund, Ake, & Levi-Neilsen, 2018), or tools (Bruhn, Woods-Groves, & Huddle, 2014) to efficiently and accurately identify students who have significant mental health needs. This state of affairs has led to critical delays in students receiving necessary early intervention and preventative supports (Severson, Walker, Hope-Doolittle, Kratochwill, & Gresham, 2007).
* Nathaniel P. von der Embse [email protected] 1
College of Education, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
While schools are places where children and adolescents can grow and make gains academically, their social, emotional, and behavioral needs must be fostered (Adelman & Taylor, 2000). Schools are increasingly implementing proactive and preventative universal mental health assessment and intervention services within their multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to strive toward student success and wellbeing (National Center for School Mental H
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