The Solution-Focused Intervention for Mental Health (SIM) is a universal, school-based programme designed to promote mental well-being among adolescents. Previous feasibility and development studies have supported the acceptability and feasibility of SIM in upper-secondary school settings. The present study is a two-arm, parallel-group cluster-randomised controlled superiority trial evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SIM among upper-secondary school students. The trial is conducted across six upper-secondary schools in Sweden. Classes are randomised in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by educational programme, to either the SIM intervention or a control condition. Students in the intervention arm receive the SIM programme in addition to usual school provision, while students in the control arm receive a lecture on mental well-being in addition to usual school provision. SIM is a structured, group-based programme applying solution-focused coaching principles and is delivered by trained school staff within ordinary school settings. The primary outcome is mental well-being, assessed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form. Secondary outcomes include mental health problems and perceived stress, and solution-building capability is examined as a potential mediator of intervention effects. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at approximately six- and nine-month follow-up. The trial also includes process and implementation measures to assess intervention delivery and support interpretation of trial outcomes. By evaluating SIM under routine school conditions, the study aims to provide evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a scalable school-based approach to promoting adolescent mental well-being.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
727
SIM is a manual-based program delivered to upper secondary school students in mentor groups by specially trained teachers. It consists of group-based, solution-focused coaching set within a normative frame of mental well-being. By co-creating perceptions and meaning through language and dialogue, focusing on resources for approaching a preferred future, students increase their solution-building capability, thereby acquiring skills to become agents in their own life, more aware of and prone to invest in mental health.
University Health Care Research Center, Region Örebro
Örebro, Sweden
Mental well-being
The difference in mental well-being between the intervention and control arms as measured by the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form. The total score ranges from 0 to 70, with higher scores indicating better mental well-being.
Time frame: This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.
Mental problems
The difference in mental problems between the intervention and control arms as measured by the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale 25. The total score ranges from 0 to 75, with higher scores indicating more mental health problems.
Time frame: This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.
Perceived stress
The difference in perceived stress between the intervention and control arms as measured by a 14-item scale comprising stressors associated with different areas of adolescent life. The scale ranges from a minimum score of 0 to a maximum score of 42. Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived stress.
Time frame: This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.
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