Farm advisors' reflections on mental health first aid training

Abstract

This paper describes an evaluation of the use of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training with Farm Advisors. The specific objectives of the training were to: i) determine whether changes to mental health literacy were evident; ii) investigate whether changes were affected by demographic factors such as age, sex, work experience and experience with mental health problems; and iii) describe the experience of participants in terms of the relevance and ease of understanding of the presentation format. Data were collected from 32 Farm Advisors working in Southern Queensland, Australia, who attended MHFA training. Results indicated that the training had significantly improved their mental health literacy and skills in dealing with people with a mental illness. Older Farm Advisors, and younger Farm Advisors with field experience, were more knowledgeable about mental health prior to the training. However, no effects of these factors were found in post training, indicating that, irrespective of their age, sex, work experience and mental health experience, the Farm Advisors gained similar literacy in mental illness at the completion of training. The participants expressed that they now know how to recognise symptoms associated with mental illness, provide initial help, and offer a referral pathway for appropriate professional help to increase wellbeing among farming communities. They reported that the course materials were new, well presented, and relevant for them.