An Assessment of the Utility of the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: Effectiveness, Satisfaction, and Universality

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a training program developed to educate child-serving professionals on how to properly identify and respond to mental health needs among children and adolescents. The current study tested the utility of the training by examining the effectiveness, satisfaction, and universality across child-serving occupations. Data collected from 893 child-serving professionals was used to compare training effectiveness and training experiences across four different occupational settings (child welfare, education, support services, and the justice system). Using a pretest/posttest survey design, strong support for the effectiveness of YMHFA (i.e. knowledge, confidence, preparedness, and intentions to intervene), satisfaction with the training program, and universality of effectiveness and satisfaction across the occupational groups was found. Results highlight the utility of YMHFA across different sectors of child-serving agencies and support its sustainability.