FROM KNOWLEDGE TO PRACTICE: TRAINING FAITH LEADERS IN AGING AND MENTAL HEALTH
2024

Training Faith Leaders in Aging and Mental Health

Sample size: 44 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Wilson Annalee, Keefe Bronwyn, Emery-Tiburcio Erin

Primary Institution: Boston University

Hypothesis

Can training improve faith leaders' knowledge and skills in supporting the mental health of older adults?

Conclusion

Training significantly improved faith leaders' competencies in mental health and aging.

Supporting Evidence

  • Faith leaders can recognize and support the mental health of older congregants.
  • Older adults attend faith services more frequently and seek mental health support from faith leaders.
  • The course covered identifying mental health conditions and available resources.
  • Participants showed significant improvements in competencies after the course.

Takeaway

Faith leaders learned how to help older people with mental health issues, and they got better at it after taking a course.

Methodology

An online course was developed and piloted with faith leaders, assessing their competencies before and after the course.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 44 faith leaders, primarily from Massachusetts and Chicago, with a majority serving Black congregations.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.3358

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