Abstract
BackgroundThe mental health of children and adolescents is a key area of health concern internationally. Previous empirical studies suggest that resilience may act as a protective mechanism towards the development of mental health problems. Resilience refers to the ability to employ a collection of protective factors to return to or maintain positive mental health following disadvantage or adversity. Schools represent a potential setting within which protective factors of all children and adolescents may be fostered through resilience-focussed interventions. Despite this potential, limited research has investigated the effectiveness of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions on mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. The objective of the present review is to assess the effects of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions, relative to a comparison group, on mental health outcomes in children and adolescents.Methods/designEligible studies will be randomised (including cluster-randomised) controlled trials of universal interventions explicitly described as resilience-focussed or comprising strategies to strengthen a minimum of three internal protective factors, targeting children aged 5 to 18 years, implemented within schools, and reporting a mental health outcome. Screening for studies will be conducted across six electronic databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Two reviewers will retrieve eligible articles, assess risk of bias, and extract data. Where studies are sufficiently homogenous and reported outcomes are amenable for pooled synthesis, meta-analysis will be performed. Narrative description will be used to synthesise trial outcome data where data cannot be combined or heterogeneity exists.DiscussionThis review will aid in building an evidence base for the effectiveness of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions and in doing so provide an opportunity to better inform the development of interventions to potentially prevent mental health problems in child and adolescent populations.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015025908
Highlights
The mental health of children and adolescents is a key area of health concern internationally
Protective factors have been defined as factors that alter, in a positive direction, the manner in which a person responds to disadvantage or adversity [28, 29], and are often perceived to incorporate both internal factors that reside within the individual and external factors that include characteristics of the wider social environment [23, 27, 30, 31]
The aim of the review is to assess the effects of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions relative to a comparison group on mental health outcomes in children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years
Summary
This systematic review will provide an evidence base for the effectiveness of school-based resilience-focussed interventions on mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. or or or or or or or 27 randomized controlled trial.pt. (psychological adj (wellbeing or well being or health)).mp. (emotional* adj (distress* or health or wellbeing or well 7875 being)).mp. RH contributed to the refinement of the manuscript through critical review and contributed to the refinement of the search strategy. All authors read and approved the final manuscript and will be involved in conducting the review
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