Abstract
Worldwide, 10–20% of adolescents experience mental health problems. Strategies aimed at strengthening resilience protective factors provide a potential approach for reducing mental health problems in adolescents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a universal, school-based intervention targeting resilience protective factors in reducing mental health problems in adolescents. A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in 20 intervention and 12 control secondary schools located in socio-economically disadvantaged areas of NSW, Australia. Data were collected from 3115 students at baseline (Grade 7, 2011), of whom 2149 provided data at follow up (Grade 10, 2014; enrolments in Grades 7 to 10 typically aged 12–16 years; 50% male; 69.0% retention). There were no significant differences between groups at follow-up for three mental health outcomes: total SDQ, internalising problems, and prosocial behaviour. A small statistically significant difference in favour of the control group was found for externalising problems. Findings highlight the continued difficulties in developing effective, school-based prevention programs for mental health problems in adolescents. Trial registrationANZCTR (Ref no: ACTRN12611000606987).
Highlights
Introduction10e20% of adolescents experience mental health problems. Strategies aimed at strengthening resilience protective factors provide a potential approach for reducing mental health problems in adolescents
Worldwide, 10e20% of adolescents experience mental health problems
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a universal, school-based intervention targeting resilience protective factors in reducing mental health problems in adolescents
Summary
10e20% of adolescents experience mental health problems. Strategies aimed at strengthening resilience protective factors provide a potential approach for reducing mental health problems in adolescents. Effectiveness of a school-based universal intervention targeting student resilience protective factors in reducing mental health problems in adolescents. Theoretical models of resilience are centrally concerned with positive adaptation and are commonly based on the premise that protective factors act as moderators that reduce the impact of deleterious factors such as risk factors or adversity, reducing the impact of negative outcomes (such as prevalence of mental health problems), and promoting positive outcomes (such as positive mental health)(Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005; Friedli, 2009) This suggestion is supported by results of previous research, which has found high levels of protective factors to be associated with lower levels of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescents (Bond, Toumbourou, Thomas, Catalano, & Patton, 2005; Hjemdal, Friborg, Stiles, Rosenvinge, & Martinussen, 2006; Hjemdal, Vogel, Solem, Hagen, & Stiles, 2011)
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