Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Dec 18, 2023
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 7, 2024 - May 2, 2024
Date Accepted: Apr 19, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Brief workplace training program to support help seeking for mental ill-health: protocol for the Helipad cluster randomized controlled trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Most people with mental health problems do not seek help, with delays of even decades in seeking professional help. Lack of engagement with professional mental health services can lead to poor outcomes and functional impairment. However, few effective interventions have been identified to improve help seeking in adults, and those that exist are not widely implemented to deliver public health impact. Co-designing interventions with people with lived experience of mental ill-health and other relevant stakeholders is critical if we are to increase the likelihood of uptake and engagement with these programs.
Objective:
The aims of the current study are to 1) test the effectiveness of a co-designed help seeking program on increasing professional help seeking intentions in employees in a workplace setting; 2) determine if the program reduces mental illness stigma and improves help seeking intentions and behavior, mental health literacy, mental health symptoms and functioning relative to the control condition; 3) explore factors that facilitate broader implementation of the co-designed program; and 4) explore the cost-effectiveness of the co-designed program compared to the control condition over 6 months.
Methods:
A two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted (target sample: N=900, 30-36 workplaces, n=25-35 per workplace). The trial will compare the relative effectiveness of an enhanced interactive program (intervention condition) with a standard psychoeducation alone program (active control condition) on the primary outcome of professional help seeking intentions as measured by the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include the impact on mental illness stigma, mental health literacy, help seeking attitudes and behavior, work and activity functioning, quality of life, and symptoms of mental ill-health including depression, anxiety, and general psychological distress.
Results:
Recruitment of workplaces is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2024.
Conclusions:
Risks to the trial are identified and addressed in the protocol. If effective, the program has potential to be ready for rapid dissemination throughout Australia, with potential to increase appropriate and efficient service use across the spectrum of evidence-based services. Clinical Trial: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12623000270617p
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