In view of the increasing awareness of mental health needs in youth, this program, namely Striving through the Storms, aims to develop an evidence-based and a school-based approach to improve students’ mental wellbeing and enhance teachers’ capacity to organize school-based mental health promotional activities. 100 – 200 students and 80 teachers/student ambassadors will participate.
Mental health promotion in schools have gained increasing support with increasing public awareness of mental health challenges in youth over the years. Its importance is further asserted following the prolonged school suspension and restrictive COVID-19 measures. Past mental health promotion programs in schools has focused on anti-stigmatization, enhancement of mental health knowledge using a didactic approach, and ambassador or teacher training that increased schools’ capacity to conduct mental health promotional activities. The direct influence of these programs on improving students’ mental wellbeing is unclear. Besides, positive education aims to help students build positive qualities but put less focus on fostering their acceptance of negative emotions and adaptability in face of challenges and uncertainty.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a theory-driven approach that aims to enhance psychological flexibility and resilience in youth. DNA-V is ACT adapted for young people. DNA represents three functional classes of behaviors, namely Discoverer, Noticer, and Advisor, that young persons may utilize for achieving Value-driven goals.
Students with mild to moderate level of psychological distress will be invited to join a group developed based on ACT principles. This approach has little to do with challenging students’ negative cognitions but encourage them to take actions to reduce experiential avoidance and to enhance their flexibility to manage negative thoughts and emotions.
Selected teachers and student ambassadors will also join a workshop that empowers them to organize mental health promotional activities in accordance with ACT principles.
The program would provide a feasible and sustainable model of mental health promotion in schools. The program activities would improve targeted students’ psychological flexibility, emotional symptoms, perceived stress, and sleep quality. Teachers who have completed the workshop would show intention to use the resource kit for developing whole-school mental health promotional activities.