Improving the capacity of community-based workers in Australia to provide initial assistance to Iraqi refugees with mental health problems: An uncontrolled evaluation of a Mental Health Literacy Course

Abstract

Background: Australia is a multicultural nation with a humanitarian program that welcomes a large number of Iraqi refugees. Despite the high prevalence of trauma related disorders, professional help-seeking in this group is very low. This study sought to evaluate a face-to-face mental health literacy (MHL) Course that teaches community-based workers how to provide initial help to Iraqi refugees with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related problems. Methods: An uncontrolled pre, post and follow-up design was used to measure improvement in MHL in community-based workers assisting Iraqi refugees. Results: Eighty-six participants completed the pre- and post-training question..