Two-armed, cluster, randimized feasibility trial investigating the feasibility of the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) intervention provided 9th grade students.
Estimated 4% of adolescents aged 12-15 years' experience suicidal ideation increasing to 16% in 16-year-olds in school samples. Universal, up-stream prevention strategies such as school programs have been suggested and investigated, however, country specific feasibility insights are needed. The aim is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of a school-based Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) programme in Danish 9th grade student as measured by 1) program participation and response rates, 2) student endorsement, and 3) manual adherence. Also, to explore whether the YAM-programme is associated with increased mental health awareness and lower rates of suicidal ideation and behaviour. An RCT designed as a 2-arm observer-blinded, cluster-randomised feasibility trial, where students either receive the manualized YAM- program as add on to the general school curriculum or school curriculum as usual + posters. The feasibility trial will be conducted in 8-10 Danish public schools across the country. The goal of the YAM program is to raise student awareness about protective and risk factors for suicidal behaviour, enhance general knowledge on mental disorders, and improve coping strategies for dealing with adversities, such as negative life events and emotional distress. The manualized YAM-program has previously been linked to reductions in SI and DSH. The YAM-program consists of a booklet, posters, discussions, lectures, and role-playing games and will be delivered to students aged 15-16 years. During the 3-week of the intervention, 6 educational posters will remain on display in the classroom, also in the control schools. Secondary explorative outcomes include quality of life assessed by WHO Well-being Scale (WHO-5), which has been validated as a measure of adolescents' quality of life; psychological distress as measured by the Kessler's Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), a standard and validated tool; help-seeking intentions will be measured using the General help-seeking questionnaire, again a validated tool to measure mental health knowledge and literacy, respectively. Lastly, level of suicide stigma and literacy will be calculated from the validated Stigma of Suicide Scale. All questionnaires have been tested and found suitable for adolescents.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
297
Help-seeking and literacy increasing intervention
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Hellerup, Denmark
Feasibility, acceptability and fidelity outcomes
Participation rates, i.e., percentage of parents and adolescent consenting to participate, Percentage of students attending the YAM classes (≥4 out of 5 sessions), Response rates of participating students to questionnaires at three and six months of follow-up, YAM questions regarding student endorsement, Checklist of milestones on the implementation plan
Time frame: Three and six month follow-up
Paykel's Suicidal Feelings in the General Population Questionnaire
Five item tool with yes/no reply options
Time frame: Baseline, 3 + 6 month follow-up
WHO Well-being Scale (WHO-5)
Validated measure of adolescents' quality of life. Five-item, five point likert scale (Range: all the time to at no point in time)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 + 6 month follow-up
Depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS21)
21-item sacle incl. subscales; five point likert scale (range: did not apply to me to did apply to me all or most of the time)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 + 6 month follow-up
General help-seeking questionnaire
Help-seeking intentions \& behaviours; two nine-item, five point likerts scales(range very likely to very unlikely)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 + 6 month follow-up
Kessler's Psychological Distress Scale (K-10)
A 10- + 5-item likert measure (range: all the time to not a any time point)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 + 6 month follow-up
YAM scales
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Measures of stigma and literacy; 26-item scale, reply: True/False/don't know + 16-item, five-point likert scale (range: very much agree to very much disagree)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 + 6 month follow-up