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Adolescent mental health education InSciEd Out: a case study of an alternative middle school population.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Mental illness contributes substantially to global disease burden, particularly when illness onset occurs during youth and help-seeking is delayed and/or limited. Yet, few mental health promotion interventions target youth, particularly those with or at high risk of developing mental illness ("at-risk" youth). Community-based translational research has the capacity to identify and intervene upon barriers to positive health outcomes. This is especially important for integrated care in at-risk youth populations. METHODS:Here the Integrated Science Education Outreach (InSciEd Out) program delivered a novel school-based anti-stigma intervention in mental health to a cohort of seventh and eighth grade at-risk students. These students were assessed for changes in mental health knowledge, stigmatization, and help-seeking intentions via a classroom activity, surveys, and teacher interviews. Descriptive statistics and Cohen's d effect sizes were employed to assess pre-post changes. Inferential statistical analyses were also conducted on pilot results to provide a benchmark to inform future studies. RESULTS:Elimination of mental health misconceptions (substance weakness p?=?0.00; recovery p?=?0.05; prevention p?=?0.05; violent p?=?0.05) was accompanied by slight gains in mental health literacy (d?=?0.18) and small to medium improvements in help-seeking intentions (anxiety d?=?0.24; depression d?=?0.48; substance d?=?0.43; psychosis d?=?0.53). Within this particular cohort of students, stigma was exceptionally low at baseline and remained largely unchanged. Teacher narratives revealed positive teacher views of programming, increased student openness to talk about mental illness, and higher peer and self-acceptance of mental health diagnoses and help-seeking. CONCLUSIONS:Curricular-based efforts focused on mental illness in an alternative school setting are feasible and integrated well into general curricula under the InSciEd Out framework. Preliminary data suggest the existence of unique help-seeking barriers in at-risk youth. Increased focus upon community-based programming has potential to bridge gaps in translation, bringing this critical population to clinical care in pursuit of improved mental health for all. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID:NCT02680899. Registered 12 February 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02680899.

SUBMITTER: Yang J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5883586 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Adolescent mental health education InSciEd Out: a case study of an alternative middle school population.

Yang Joanna J Lopez Cervera Roberto R Tye Susannah J SJ Ekker Stephen C SC Pierret Chris C

Journal of translational medicine 20180403 1

<h4>Background</h4>Mental illness contributes substantially to global disease burden, particularly when illness onset occurs during youth and help-seeking is delayed and/or limited. Yet, few mental health promotion interventions target youth, particularly those with or at high risk of developing mental illness ("at-risk" youth). Community-based translational research has the capacity to identify and intervene upon barriers to positive health outcomes. This is especially important for integrated ...[more]

PMID: 29615090

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Project description:Introduction and backgroundEarly marriage and maternity represent a violation of human rights and a barrier to achieving gender equality in education. Studies conducted across various regions and countries, including Mozambique, have highlighted the negative consequences of early marriage and maternity, particularly on adolescent girls' physical, educational and mental health. Adolescent girls who marry before the age of 18 are more prone to a broad spectrum of mood, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders. In the districts of Maganja da Costa and Morrumbala in Zambézia Province, Mozambique, high rates of early marriage persist despite government policies and interventions.Purpose statementThis study aims to understand early marriage's socio-cultural, economic, and psychological drivers and impacts on adolescent girls' lives, focusing on education, mental health, and well-being.Design and methodsThis paper used a qualitative research design. We employed a life-story approach and used purposeful sampling to identify participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants and the data were analysed using Tesch's thematic analysis approach.ResultsElements contributing to early marriage and pregnancy are intricately linked with socio-cultural elements. These include the induction into specific societal roles, the affirmation of childbearing, the perceived importance of dowry, the impact of rite-of-passage ceremonies, and the cultural significance associated with a girl's initial menstruation. School dropout often originates from geographical and transportation challenges, nudging adolescent girls towards early marriage. In some instances, termination of pregnancy was viewed as a solution, while engaging in sexual activities was seen as a means to inject purpose into their lives or as a response to poverty. Positive changes and emotions were evident, yet regrettably, the ramifications of early pregnancy and marriage were primarily detrimental. These influenced the adolescent girls' interpersonal connections, educational and career opportunities, emotional well-being, and access to support networks.ConclusionsThe modern perspective, which advocates for equal educational rights for boys and girls and posits that marriage should occur after the age of 18, contradicts the socio-cultural perspective of adulthood.ContributionThis study adds to the ongoing efforts to prevent and combat early marriage and maternity in Africa.

Project description:Background:India's 120 million adolescent girls often have limited opportunities to receive health education, as health-related content in school curricula can be minimal, and the few existing external interventions for this demographic rarely cover multiple topics. Objectives:This study conducted a program evaluation of Girls Health Champions, a school-based peer education intervention in Mumbai, India that educates girls about leading causes of adolescent morbidity and mortality, including nutrition, mental health, and sexual & reproductive health. Methods:Female participants ages 12 to 16 in the eighth, ninth, and tenth standards were recruited at five participating schools in Mumbai, India to learn a multi-topic health curriculum from their peers, with a subset of ninth standard participants in each school trained as the peer educators. Using a quasi-experimental design, participant survey data was collected three times during the 2016-2017 academic year: at baseline, immediately following the peer-led education sessions, and five months following these sessions. Outcomes of interest included change in knowledge levels and health attitudes following the intervention, as well as retention at mid-year. An additional outcome was the change in self-reported leadership skills of peer educators before and after participating. Findings:Compared to baseline, participants demonstrated statistically significant increases in knowledge levels (+48%, p < 0.001) and positive shifts in health-related attitudes (+42%, p < 0.001). These changes were maintained at mid-year (+29% for knowledge levels, p < 0.001; +37% for attitudes, p < 0.001). Findings were consistent when data was stratified by standard and peer educator status (peer educators versus non-peer educators). Peer educators also demonstrated a statistically significant increase in their interest in health promotion. Conclusions:This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the peer education delivery model and finds school-based, peer-led programs covering a range of adolescent health topics can significantly increase knowledge and shift attitudes of program participants. Such benefits can accrue to both peer educators and non-peer educator program participants.

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Adolescent mental health education InSciEd Out: a case study of an alternative middle school population.

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Adolescent mental health education InSciEd Out: a case study of an alternative middle school population.

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