Reach, adoption, and maintenance of online acceptance and commitment therapy at a university: An implementation case study.

College students are undergoing a mental health crisis and existing clinical resources at universities may be inadequate to meet their needs. One solution to this problem could be the use of self-guided, online programs for mental health that can be easily distributed to students. A persistent issue, however, is the transition from program development to implementation of a self-guided program at campus-wide scale. We describe, in a self-narrative format, the steps taken to translate an online program we developed based in acceptance and commitment therapy, called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Guide, from a research context to a campus-wide service at our university. We also present demographic, previous treatment, and referral data of over 1,500 student sign-ups to describe the reach of our program, how it was adopted into existing university services and systems, and how we maintained the program long term. Findings from these implementation efforts are discussed in the context of suggestions for using self-guided programs for students to fill gaps in mental health service provision in university settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental Health Concerns in Individuals With Developmental Disabilities: Improving Mental Health Literacy Trainings for Caregivers.

Although approximately a third of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) also experience a mental health concern, caregivers often miss early identification of these issues. In this perspective piece, we present an outline for a mental health literacy program that can enhance existing training approaches for caregivers of individuals with IDD. We describe three processes of the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy (MHAA) curriculum and detail how it provides a strong preventative model to train caregivers to increase their mental health literacy. In describing these processes, we provide illustrative examples and conclude by providing a brief vignette that highlights how this process could be used by caregivers to help reduce mental health concerns in individuals with IDD.

Associations between college students' personal experience with mental health issues and their mental health literacy: a strengths-based perspective.

BACKGROUND: Mental health literacy (MHL) programs are a promising approach to help prevent mental health issues (MHI) among college students; however, there is an increasing need to understand individual factors that influence the development of students' MHL. AIMS: Following a strengths-based approach, we examined if college students' individual characteristics and MHI experience were associated with students' MHL. METHODS: Using two vastly different college samples (Sample 1, N = 617; Sample 2, N = 306), we used the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy framework, guided by the health belief model and social-cognitive theory, to investigate associations between students' mental health literacy, demographic factors, and their previous experience with MHI. RESULTS: Results from nested regression analyses suggest that personal experiences with MHI are associated with higher MHL (knowledge, self-efficacy, and behaviors), even after controlling for key individual characteristics. Prior experience with having an MHI and receiving therapy appeared to be most important in explaining MHL behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Students with personal experience with an MHI may be one of the most valuable resources for increasing MHL and utilization of mental health resources on college campuses. Additional implications and future research directions are offered.

A Non-randomized, Quasi-Experimental Comparison of Effects Between an In-person and Online Delivery of a College Mental Health Literacy Curriculum.

Mental health literacy (MHL) training is essential in college environments. These programs are commonly delivered in-person via workshops or for-credit courses. Campuses now seek high-quality online options. We compare the effectiveness of a for-credit MHL course against a comparison course, focusing on whether online asynchronous delivery was as effective as in-person synchronous delivery. This quasi-experimental pretest/posttest treatment/comparison study included 1049 participants across five semesters (pre-COVID-19) who were 18 years or older and self-selected enrollment in a Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy (MHAA) course (treatment; n = 474) or a general lifespan development course (comparison; n = 575). Using linear mixed effect modeling, changes in MHL were compared across groups and across online/in-person modalities. Students in the treatment group significantly increased their MHL knowledge (ß Identifying = .49, p < .001; ß Locating = .32, p < .001; ß Responding = .46, p < .001) and self-efficacy (ß = .27, p < .001), and treatment effects did not differ across modalities. With increased concern regarding mental health issues of isolated college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study supports the efficacy of delivering MHL courses online.