Effects of a Multifaceted School-Based Intervention to Protect Mental Health and Prevent Suicidal Behaviour in Adolescents in Spain

Launched by FUNDACIÓ D'INVESTIGACIÓ SANITÀRIA DE LES ILLES BALEARS · May 21, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a school-based program designed to improve the mental health of teenagers and prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors among students in Spain. About 2,280 students aged 12 to 16 from 38 secondary schools will participate. The schools will be divided into two groups: one group will take part in classroom sessions led by trained psychologists, where they will learn about mental health, how to manage emotions, and how to seek help. At the same time, parents and teachers will receive online training to better support the students. The other group will see only educational posters in their classrooms.

To be eligible for this study, students must be enrolled in the 2nd or 3rd year of secondary education during the 2026-2027 academic year and be between 12 and 16 years old. They also need consent from themselves and a parent or guardian. Students with severe mental health issues that require special treatment or who are unable to fully understand the program will not be included. Participants can expect to fill out surveys about their mental health at the beginning and again after six months. This study is important because it aims to create a supportive environment for young people, potentially leading to better mental health outcomes not just in Spain, but elsewhere as well.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Students enrolled in the 2nd or 3rd year of compulsory secondary education during the 2026-2027 academic year in the Balearic Islands, Spain.
• • Aged between 12 and 16 years at the time of recruitment.
• • Provision of written informed consent from both the student and at least one parent/legal guardian.
• • Attending school centres with a student population composed of no more than 75% of a single gender.
• • Enrollment in a participating classroom randomly selected for the study.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Presence of cognitive, developmental, or language impairments that, in the judgment of school staff or study personnel, would prevent the student from understanding the intervention content or completing the study assessments reliably.
• • Students currently receiving intensive psychological or psychiatric treatment for acute suicidality or severe mental health conditions that require individualized clinical management beyond the scope of a school-based programme.
• • Students or parents who explicitly decline participation in specific intervention components, such as group discussions on suicide or mental health.
• • Participation in a concurrent school-based mental health programme that could confound the effects of the intervention.