Evaluation of California's Statewide Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Programs: Summary of Key Findings

Background: The California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) selected the RAND Corporation to design and implement an evaluation of three statewide Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) program initiatives – stigma and discrimination reduction, suicide prevention and student mental health. This presentation offers a description of methods and findings.

Methods: To assess the impact of PEI programs, RAND employed several strategies including: a statewide survey of Californians; surveys of individuals who participated in PEI trainings; and a Higher Education Campus-Wide survey. 

The statewide survey provides essential information regarding the reach and potential impact of PEI activities; the training surveys assess the immediate effects of PEI programs; and the campus survey furnishes important information about the mental health risk of students and the capacity of faculty and staff to address student mental health needs.  The evaluation also used website analytics and a network and collaboration survey to track the distribution of online materials and impact of strategic collaborations.

Findings/Implications: Statewide survey results indicate that CalMHSA stigma and discrimination reduction activities reached nearly 1 in 2 Californians and significant decreases in stigma were observed.  About 1 in 3 had been exposed to a suicide prevention marketing campaign and reported greater confidence in identifying, intervening, and referring people at risk for suicide than those who had not been exposed.  Similarly, K-12 and higher education staff reported increased confidence and likelihood of intervening with and referring students with mental health need after participating in mental health trainings.  Findings contribute to the growing research on mental health related prevention and early intervention programs.