Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The project addresses Alaska's pressing issues of high substance misuse rates and mental health concerns, particularly in rural communities. With Alaska facing unique challenges such as isolation and limited access to healthcare, the project focuses on enhancing the capacity of rural Extension personnel through trauma-informed training and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) programs. By providing monthly virtual training sessions and MHFA training, the project aims to equip Extension staff with the skills needed to recognize and address mental health crises and substance use disorders effectively. Additionally, the project will develop culturally informed educational materials and virtual wellbeing programs accessible via print, online platforms, podcasts, and radio broadcasts, targeting various age groups and life stages within rural Alaskan families. Through these efforts, the project seeks to promote mental health awareness, prevent opioid misuse, and strengthen community support systems, fostering improved well-being and resilience across rural Alaska.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
In line with recommendations for addressing adolescent mental health and rural opioid use, this proposal targets key risk and protective factors influencing opioid misuse in rural communities and families. By engaging rural Extension workforce professionals, youth, and families, the project aims to address factors such as exposure to complex trauma, poor mental health, and substance use behaviors while enhancing protective factors like the parent-child relationship and supportive community networks. Despite the interconnected nature of mental health and substance use, prevention efforts often operate independently. To bridge this gap, the project leverages the UAF Extension network to integrate mental health and substance use prevention programming. Utilizing UAF resources and expertise, including access to experts, rural health providers, technological support, and existing communication channels, the project aims to enhance rural mental health and prevent opioid misuse through three main objectives.Objective 1 focuses on increasing the capacity of rural-serving Extension faculty, staff, and volunteers to address opioid-related risk factors using trauma-informed principles and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). Objective 2 aims to provide culturally informed educational resources targeting various life stages within rural Alaskan families, addressing stress management, communication dynamics, and youth goal setting. These resources serve to support individuals who may lack access to traditional mental health services, reinforcing community support systems through the Extension network. Lastly, Objective 3 focuses on developing and evaluating culturally informed virtual wellbeing programs delivered through online platforms, podcasts, and radio broadcasts, aiming to engage rural communities and promote mental health awareness. Through these objectives, the project seeks to foster improved mental health outcomes and prevent opioid misuse in rural Alaska.
Project Methods
Objective 1: To increase capacity of rural-serving Extension faculty, staff, andvolunteers to address the opioid epidemic and related risk factors of complextrauma and mental health with trauma-informed principles and Mental HealthFirst Aid (MHFA).Risk Factors: Complex Trauma and Mental Health: Adverse childhood experiences(ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). These caninclude experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect; witnessing violence in the home orcommunity; or having a family member attempt or commit suicide.The greater number of ACEs an individual has experienced is associated with greater health risk behaviors (i.e. smoking), health risk factors (i.e. obesity), mental health and substance abuse (i.e. drug abuse, depression), and physical health disorders (i.e. cancer, heart disease).Incorporating trauma-informed principles into community- and youth-servingorganizations such as UAF Extension creates safe and secure environments that tend topeople's physical, emotional, and mental triggers without re-traumatization. Lack ofprovider education is a barrier to effective opioid management. Approaches to trainproviders in trauma-informed principles and mental health promotion, such as MHFA,have demonstrated positive impacts on provider knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.These positive changes can, in turn, ripple through thousands of community members.The proposed project will use in-person and virtual methods to train faculty, staff, andvolunteers in trauma-informed principles. Additionally, Extension faculty and staff willreceive training in MHFA Youth and Adult models, allowing for greater dissemination ofMHFA across rural Alaska.Objective #1 Approach: Distance learning and digital delivery methods allow greateropportunity to engage rural communities. Objective #1 uses a two-pronged approach forbuilding capacity within rural Extension systems: 1.a) a monthly series of live and recordedwebinars available to all Extension faculty, staff, and volunteers on trauma-informedprinciples and strategies and the effects thereof on substance and opioid misuse; and 1.b)training Extension personnel in Mental Health First Aid or Youth Mental Health First Aid.Objective 1.a: To provide monthly, virtual training opportunities on trauma-informedprinciples and strategies to Extension faculty, staff, and volunteers. Learning communities aresmall groups focused on local application of trauma-informed principles and strategies.Expanding trauma-informed training via the Extension network results in a pathway forreinforcing rural community support systems.Objective 1.b: To provide rural Extension faculty, staff, volunteers, and communitypartners training in youth and adult Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aid(MHFA) and Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) are universal prevention programsdesigned to provide information on how to assist individuals exhibiting signs of a mentalhealth or substance use disorder or related crisis. These training programs targetindividuals who regularly interact with adults or youth and focus on knowledge and skilldevelopment to identify symptoms, reduce stigmatizing attitudes, and increase confidencein providing assistance. YMHFA is cost-effective with every dollar invested in theprogram resulting in a $5.36 saved benefit to taxpayers, participants, and society at large.Program evaluations and randomized-control trials demonstrated positive knowledge andbehavior outcomes among MHFA/YMHFA participants.Objective 2: Develop and evaluate culturally informed research-based educationalpieces that can be accessed in print, web-based and distance learning formats toincrease the reach to rural AlaskaRisk Factors: Family Dynamics, Societal Influences, and Youth Substance Use Ruraladults have higher rates of use for tobacco and methamphetamines, while opioid use hasgrown in towns of every size. Rural adolescents and young adults use alcohol at higher ratesand are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, like binge drinking or driving underthe influence, than their urban counterparts. The increased use of substances is influencedby many factors in rural isolated areas such as Alaska where we see: lower levels ofeducational attainment, higher levels of poverty and unemployment, a lack of access tomental healthcare providers in person or via telemedicine, andincreased feeling of isolationdue to the remote setting and rugged environment. This is compounded by research onisolation, a very real issue in primarily rural areas.Objective #2 Approach #1: Develop a series of culturally informed educational piecesthat are available online and in print to rural Alaskans. Approach #2: Distance learning anddigital delivery methods allow greater opportunity to engage rural communities.Objective 2: To provide research based culturally informed educational pieces on a varietyof topics which affect rural Alaska families (targeting early, mid and late life individuals andteens) such as various sources of stress and management tools, communication tools withinmultiple family dynamics and goal setting with youth. Written resources and activities serve toprovide a basis to build a foundation for individuals who are unable to access mental healthsupport either due to the lack of providers or remoteness of their home. Expanding resources via the Extension network results in a pathway for reinforcing rural community support systems.While publications are a staple of all Extension systems Alaska's Extension System has beenseverely cut and currently has no publications to support this program. In a 2020 survey of morethan 600 parents, researchers found the second-most-valued benefit of distance learning wasflexibility, not only in schedule but also in method of learning.Objective 3:Develop and evaluate culturally informed virtual wellbeing programsoffered is a variety of distance learning formats including online, podcasts and radioprogramsRisk Factors: Family Dynamics, Societal Influences, and Youth Substance Use:Throughout childhood and adolescence, parents remain a key influence. Specifically,parent-child relational quality, parenting style, parental monitoring, and parental substanceuse and related behaviors modeled within the home directly influence youth attitudes andbehaviors towards risk and substance use.Research findings point to low parent-childrelationship quality (e.g., conflict, coercive communications), low parental monitoring (e.g.,parent knowledge of adolescent behavior), neglectful parenting style (i.e., low warmth andcontrol), and parental modeling of substance use as contributors to adolescent substanceuse. Parenting factors also contribute to adolescent opioid use. A recent study found youthwho obtain alcohol from their parents are 2.5 times more likely to report non-medicalopioid use in the past month.Collectively, research points to parenting factors as a targetfor intervention to prevent or reduce adolescent opioid use.Objective #3 Approach#1: Distance learning and digital delivery methods allow greateropportunity to engage rural communities.Objective 1.a: Virtual trainings will use a retrospective pre-/post-survey to evaluate knowledge gain and related behavior change of SAMHSA's five key trauma-informed principles of safety, choice, collaboration,trustworthiness, empowerment. Surveys will be administered online and changes in knowledge and behavior assessed using Qualtrics. Objective 1.b: Participants inMHFA/YMHFA trainings will be administered a post-program survey on the final day oftraining. Objective 2: Pre/post surveys will be utilized to determine content knowledgegained from the material. Objective 3: Surveys will be administered online and analyzed toidentify post-training levels of confidence, application, and dissemination using Qualtrics.