2012 Pilot Study
Last year we conducted a 'feasibility study' through this website. This involved hosting a web-based training program which teaches Resident Assistants how to detect, support and refer fellow students who might be going through emotional/psychological struggles to appropriate health services/professionals. It was tested for its appropriateness and acceptability with a sample of Resident Assistants and College Wardens and Deputy Wardens who live at residential colleges at the University of Otago. The results from this study were promising, and this year we are making the training program available to more residential colleges.
Additionally, we are surveying the general health and well-being of residents (non-RAs) in those colleges over the course of time, which will help measure the effect of those colleges whose RAs have received the training.
Additionally, we are surveying the general health and well-being of residents (non-RAs) in those colleges over the course of time, which will help measure the effect of those colleges whose RAs have received the training.
Study Design
The study has 5 phases:
- We are currently recruiting participants for the study, in the form of RAs to do the training, and residents to do the well-being surveys.
- The two branches of the study will be running simultaneously: College residents will be going through the well-being surveys, while RAs will have the same surveys together with questions about their ability to support students' well-being. Some of those RAs will also have the opportunity to do an online training course which teaches them to better detect, talk to and refer students to health services when appropriate. Those RAs who miss out on the training will have an opportunity to do it after the completion of the final assessment.
- Of those colleges whose RAs go through the online training, half will have the additional opportunity to do a 'debrief session', where the lessons learned in the training are emphasised and fitted into the context of that particular residential college by the Warden and a health professional who works in the mental health sector.
- A few weeks after the initial evaluations, participants will be invited to fill out another online questionnaire, which will provide a measurement of any changes in attitudes and behaviours due to the online training program since the first evaluation questionnaire was completed.
- Two months later participants will be invited to fill out the final set of questionnaires. Participants who complete all components of the study will be eligible to enter a raffle to win an iPad (three iPads will be raffled for this purpose).
