RFA 2025 Impact Research
The need for scalable, evidence-based mental health prevention solutions is urgent. The latest large-scale evaluation of Resilience First Aid (RFA) – a neuroscience-based training program developed by Hello Driven – confirms that structured resilience training can significantly improve both personal resilience and peer support capability, contributing meaningfully to mental health prevention efforts.
Building on the momentum of the 2024 pilot evaluation, this new peer-reviewed research study involved 769 participants across Australia, the United States, and other regions. It provides robust evidence that RFA is not just a program that builds awareness – it builds real-world skills that translate into measurable mental health improvements.
Key Findings from the Study
This evaluation study involved 769 participants from Australia, the US, and other countries, across sectors such as healthcare, education, emergency services, and government. Participants completed the RFA training in either a live workshop or self-paced online format, with deidentified assessments taken before and after training using two validated tools: the Predictive 6 Factor Resilience Scale (PR6) and the Mental Health Peer Support Questionnaire (MHPSQ).
Here’s what we found:
Significant Gains in Resilience and Peer Support Skills
- +14.5% increase in resilience across the full cohort
- +7.8% increase in peer support skills
- Highest domain gains: Reasoning (+16.7%), Vision (+16.6%), and Collaboration (+16.4%)
Dramatic Risk Reduction
- 77.7% decrease in high-risk (low resilience) individuals
- 187.3% increase in participants reaching high resilience levels
- 30.0% improvement in recognising suicide warning signs
- 41.0% improvement in vulnerable groups (PR6 scores lower than 50%, representing groups with highest risk of mental illness that benefit most from the training)
These shifts are not just statistical – they reflect real protective mental health outcomes, including reduced anxiety, depression, and emotional vulnerability, especially for high-risk individuals.
Both live and self-paced formats were effective, which supports the scalability of RFA as a digital mental health training solution, especially when combined with workplace integration and ongoing support.
Importantly, mandatory participation in workplace settings – yielded very high completion rates (91.3%), without negatively affecting outcomes. A theory here comes from the feedback on the program, with participants broadly recognising the importance of the training, and many saying that everyone should do this training. This suggests that integrating RFA into required wellbeing programs could drive higher engagement and broader impact.
Impact Across Industries
RFA proved effective across all sectors, but particularly strong improvements were seen in the following industry participants (more in the research paper):
- Emergency Services & Safety: +20.3% improvement
- Healthcare: +13.8% improvement
- Financial Services: +15.6% improvement
- Community & Social Work: +15.8% improvement
Even in traditionally harder-to-reach sectors like Construction & Transportation, participants experienced positive shifts (+8.2% resilience).
Overall Satisfaction Ratings
Satisfaction was extremely high across all delivery formats:
- Program satisfaction: 93.2%
- Instructor satisfaction: 94.5%
- Materials satisfaction: 93.2%
Here are the common themes in feedback at the end of the training:
- “Easy to implement”: Tools like the PR6 model and ALL Protocol are immediately usable
- “Loved the neuroscience”: Brain-based models improved understanding and engagement
- “Empowering and practical”: Many reported using the training in real-life support situations
- “Accessible”: Participants appreciated the flexibility of the self-paced format and the interactivity of the live sessions
What Is Resilience First Aid (RFA)?
RFA is a strength-based, science-backed program designed to train individuals to identify early signs of mental distress, respond supportively, and build their own resilience capacity. It is grounded in the Predictive 6 Factor Resilience Model (PR6) and integrates the ALL Protocol (Appreciate – Listen – Lift) as a practical conversational tool to provide safe and effective peer support. Participants learn to:
- Recognise early warning signs of mental distress and suicide risk
- Apply the ALL Protocol to provide safe and effective peer support
- Develop their own psychological resilience across six core domains
The program is accredited by both Suicide Prevention Australia and the American Academy for Continuing Medical Education, and is used worldwide by leading organisations in high-performance and high-risk sectors.
Why This Research Matters
This study shows that RFA doesn’t just increase knowledge – it transforms capacity. It helps people build the confidence and skills to intervene early, reducing mental health risk and supporting those around them.
Whether you’re a health professional, first responder, educator, or workplace wellbeing leader, RFA offers a flexible and evidence-based way to enhance resilience and create lasting impact in your team or community.
Download the Full Research Paper
