Table 1. Characteristics of included studies.
| Study | Program | Program length (hours) | N sessions | Mode of delivery | Study design | Comparison condition | Study population | % female | Mean age (SD), range | Education level | N (INT, CON)b |
Follow-up points | Country | Involvement of MHFA founder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns 2017 | MHFA for nursing students | 13 | 2 | face-to-face | RCT | Waitlist | First year undergraduate nursing students | 83.6 | N/R (N/R), 18–41+ | All first year undergraduates | 92, 89 | post, 2 months | Australia | N |
| Davies 2016 | MHFA for adults | 6–8 | N/A | online/CD-ROM | RCT | No intervention | Medical students | 65.5 | 19.9 (3.2), 18–39 | first, second or third year undergraduates | 27, 28 | post | United Kingdom | N |
| Jensen 2016 | MHFA for adults, translated into Danish | 12 | 2 | face-to-face | RCT | Waitlist | Danish employees | 83.8a | 43.0a (12.1), N/R | 88.0%a with a university degree | 290, 276 | 6 months | Denmark | N |
| Jorm 2004 | MHFA for adults | 9 | 3 | face-to-face | c-RCT | Waitlist | Members of the public in rural Australia | 81.9a | 47.5a (N/R), N/R | 22.0%a with a university degree | 416, 337 | 4 months | Australia | Y |
| Jorm 2010a | MHFA for adults | N/A | N/A | online/ CD-ROM | RCT | Other mental health education intervention: Sent the MHFA manual and received 4 weekly reminder emails to read it. | Members of the public | 81.0 | 40 (12), N/R | 56.0% with a university degree | 90, 88 | post, 6 months | Australia | Y |
| Jorm 2010b | modified version of Youth MHFA | 14 | 2 | face-to-face | c-RCT | Waitlist | High school teachers | 65.1 | N/R (N/R), N/R | N/R | 283, 140 | post, 6 months | Australia | Y |
| Jorm unpublished | Youth MHFA | 14 | 2–4 | face-to-face | RCT | Generic health education intervention: 15-hour Australian Red Cross Apply First Aid course delivered in groups over 2 days or 4 x 3.5hr sessions | Parents of teenagers aged 12–15 years | 88.2 | 45.2 (5.6), 31–67 | 53.8% with a university degree | 202, 183 | 1 year | Australia | Y |
| Kitchener 2004 | MHFA for adults | 9 | 3 | face-to-face | RCT | Waitlist | Employees of government departments | 78.1 | N/R (N/R), 18–60+ | 60.6% with a university degree | 146, 155 | 5 months | Australia | Y |
| Lipson 2014 | MHFA for adults | 12 | N/R | face-to-face | c-RCT | No intervention | University students | 57.5a | 20.4a (1.3), N/R | Second year or higher university students | 535, 507 | 2–3 months | United States | N |
| Massey 2014 | MHFA for adults | 12 | N/R | face-to-face | CT | No intervention | Student support staff at a university | N/R | N/R (N/R), N/R | N/R | 29, 55 | 6 months | Canada | N |
| Moffitt 2014 | MHFA for adults | N/R | 2 | face-to-face | RCT | Other mental health education intervention: Looking after Wellbeing at Work (LWW) 2 day training course. Locally-developed specifically for the fire service with emphasis on mental health in the workplace. | Fire Service managers | N/R | N/R (N/R), N/R | N/R | 41, 31c | post | United Kingdom | N |
| Mohatt 2017 | Military MHFA, adapted for the military population | 8 | 1 | face-to-face | c-RCT | No intervention | Members of the Army National Guard and community first responders | N/R | N/R | N/R | 69, 107 | 8 months | USA | N |
| Moll unpublished | MHFA for adults | 12 | 2 | face-to-face | RCT | Other mental health education intervention: Beyond Silence, a new program customised to the healthcare workforce. 12 hours of group-based and online education, co-led by peer educators with experience of mental health problems. | Healthcare employees | 88.5 | N/R (N/R), 18–69 | N/R | 108, 108 | post, 3 months | Canada | N |
| O'Reilly 2011 | MHFA for adults | 12 | N/R | face-to-face | CT | No intervention | Pharmacy university students | 64.0 | 21 (1.99), 19–35 | Third-year undergraduate students | 60, 212 | 6 weeks | Australia | N |
| Reavley unpublished | MHFA for adults, tailored to public service | 6 | N/A | online/ CD-ROM | RCT | Generic health education intervention: 4 hour elearning version of Apply First Aid. Both groups received weekly emails for 6 weeks | Employees of Victorian Public Service | 75.5 | 41 (10.9), 18–68 | 66.7% with a university degree | 199, 210 | post | Australia | Y |
| Rose 2017 | Youth MHFA | 8 | 2 | face-to-face | CT | No intervention | Social work students | 94.5 | 27.3a (6.0), N/R | All master's level social work students | 39, 34 | 5 months | USA | N |
| Svensson 2014 | MHFA for adults, translated into Swedish | 12 | 2 | face-to-face | RCT | Waitlist | Swedish employees | 77.1a | 45.6a (10.5), N/R | 75.1%a with a university degree | 199, 207 | 6 months | Sweden | N |
| Wong 2017 | MHFA for adults, translated into Chinese | 12 | N/R | face-to-face | CT | Other: Educational programs on stress management and physical health enhancement, equivalent to 12 hours | Members of the public | 68.6a | N/R (N/R), 18–65 | 64.6%a with a university degree | 161, 183 | post, 6 months | Hong Kong, China | N |
Note. CT = controlled trial, cRCT = cluster randomised controlled trial, RCT = randomised controlled trial, N/A = not applicable, N/R = not reported, Y = Yes, N = No
aCalculated by pooling across conditions
bNumber randomised
Number analysed rather than randomised