Abstract
BackgroundRecent estimates suggest that one in ten young people worldwide experiences a diagnosable mental health disorder, with many more suffering subsyndromal levels of psychological distress. As young people spend much of their time in schools, the role of educational settings in the delivery of mental health provision is increasingly recognised. Advances in neurodevelopmental research have highlighted the important and complex role of peer influence on adolescent behaviours, suggesting peer-led support schemes have high potential utility. Schools worldwide have implemented peer-led interventions with mixed results, but the global evidence base on their effectiveness remains limited. This systematic review aims to examine the evidence base of the outcomes of school-based peer-led interventions on the mental health of young people aged 4–18.MethodsEligible studies will be randomised controlled trials and observational studies that report on the mental health outcomes of a peer-led school-based intervention. Eligible participants will be aged 4–18 and will be current students of the intervention school. Individual- and group-based interventions will be included. The following 11 databases will be screened based upon their reach in healthcare and education: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, BEI, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, SSCI and Social Care Online. There will be no restriction placed on publication period, original language or country of publication. Papers will be systematically screened for eligibility by two review authors. Data will be presented as a descriptive report. A meta-analysis will be carried out if a subset of studies allows, given the anticipated high levels of heterogeneity.DiscussionThis systematic review will be the first to synthesise the global evidence on the mental health outcomes of peer-led interventions for children and adolescents in a school setting. It will analyse the available data in order to understand the role of these interventions in schools, inform future developers of peer support programmes and identify gaps in current research. This review will be of value to policy makers, health and education services, researchers and those involved in delivering peer support initiatives.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018116243
Highlights
Recent estimates suggest that one in ten young people worldwide experiences a diagnosable mental health disorder, with many more suffering subsyndromal levels of psychological distress
This review aims to address this knowledge gap by (1) mapping the range of different peer-led, school-based interventions that have been evaluated in the literature and (2) critically examining the evidence base around the mental health and well-being outcomes of peer-led interventions in school-based settings
This systematic review will be the first to synthesise the global evidence on the mental health outcomes of peer-led interventions for children and adolescents in a school setting
Summary
Participants Studies will be included if they evaluate school-based interventions aimed at current pupils. Primary outcomes This review will look at the mental health and well-being impact of peer-led school-based interventions for young people where evaluations have followed structured measurement criteria. Intervention Inclusion criteria Eligible studies will have conducted an evaluation to measure the mental health impact of a peer-led intervention for young people in a school setting. Evaluations of peer mentor training programmes where impact on participants’ mental health is measured will be included, as well as educational peer-led interventions where mental health outcomes are reported Both quantitative and qualitative studies will be included. Extracted information include the following: author, title and year of study; country; school characteristics; peer characteristics; mentor characteristics; study aim; study design; study methodology; type of intervention; target outcomes; reported outcomes; measurement/evaluation tool; population age; population gender; sample size; presence or absence of control group; control conditions and risk of bias. Dissemination The findings of this review will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal
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