Emotional Experiences of Mental Health First Aid Trainees: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a program that helps participants identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance use disorders. Research studies focusing on the emotional experiences of MHFA participants are lacking. Studying these experiences can help improve the training process for MHFA learners. This paper aims to identify participants’ motivations for signing up for MHFA and investigate their emotional experiences when applying MHFA knowledge in real-world settings. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews. Participants (n = 20) completed 30-minute interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to the motivators and feelings of participants when applying MHFA. More than half of the participants reported positive feelings, such as increased confidence and gratification. Participants discussed the process of regulating and responding to their own emotions in a crisis situation. Others described negative experiences, including feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and frustration. Personal and professional experiences with mental health or substance use disorders were identified as motivators for taking the training. Participants’ lived experiences when applying MHFA knowledge are key elements to consider. Practitioners may benefit from attending to the prior experiences of trainees and providing more support for participants post-training.

Keywords

• mental health
• qualitative interviews
• motivators
• emotion regulation
• community education
• program evaluation
• social cognitive theory