Universal School-based Approaches to Preventing Adolescent Depression: Past Findings and Future Directions of the Resourceful Adolescent Program

Abstract

There is a strong need to find sustainable, cost-effective approaches to the prevention of adolescent depression, a major mental health concern with considerable adverse consequences. The Resourceful Adolescent Program (RAP) is a universal school-based programme designed to foster psychological resilience and prevent depression in adolescents aged 12-16 years. The efficacy and effectiveness of RAP have been systematically researched over the past eight years through a series of randomised controlled trials. This article provides an overview of the Resourceful Adolescent Program, considers the advantages of universal interventions for an adolescent population and summarises the findings of the RAP controlled trials. Results suggest that a universal approach to preventing adolescent depression provides advantages in terms of increased reach and can significantly reduce future depressive symptoms, and that these interventions are also effective in ‘the real world’, using sustainable resources. Directions for...