Do Universal School-based Mental Health Promotion programmes improve the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being of young people? A Literature Review

Aims and objectives: To examine evidence—using a range of outcomes—for the effectiveness of school-based mental health and emotional well-being programmes. Background: It is estimated that 20% of young people experience mental health difficulties every year. Schools have been identified as an appropriate setting for providing mental health and emotional well-being promotion prompting the need to determine whether current school-based programmes are effective in improving the mental health and emotional well-being of young people. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using the health and education databases, which identified 29 studies that measured the effectiveness of school-based universal interventions. Prisma guidelines were used during the literature review process. Results: Thematic analysis generated three key themes: (i) help seeking and coping; (ii) social and emotional well-being; and (iii) psycho-educational effectiveness. Conclusion: It is concluded that whilst these studies show promising results, there is a need for further robust evaluative studies to guide future practice. Relevance to clinical practice: All available opportunities should be taken to provide mental health promotion interventions to young people in the school environment, with a requirement for educational professionals to be provided the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure that the school setting continues to be a beneficial environment for conducting mental health promotion