Enhancing mental health literacy in secondary education: development and evaluation of a school-based approach

Many adolescents have limited mental health literacy, which means that they lack the necessary knowledge and skills to maintain their positive mental health, cope with stress, and seek appropriate help when needed. Similarly, the trusted adults in their lives, such as educators, often feel insufficiently trained to support adolescents in addressing, preventing, and managing mental health problems. To address these challenges, this dissertation entails the systematic development and evaluation of a school-based mental health literacy strategy for adolescents and educational professionals.

Various studies were performed, such as a qualitative study on the needs and perspectives of adolescents and educational professionals, the translation and evaluation of a tool for measuring adolescent mental health literacy, and the adaptation of an existing intervention for the Dutch context (LEARN-NL). These studies showed that mental health literacy of both adolescents and educational professionals in secondary education needs to be improved, and that the LEARN-NL intervention has the potential to improve the knowledge and skills for educational professionals.

The dissertation highlights the necessity of addressing mental health literacy in the secondary school setting, equipping both students and educational professionals with the necessary skills to prevent and manage adolescent mental health problems. Continued implementation and research into strategies that improve mental health literacy is needed to realize the great potential of these strategies for enhancing the well-being of future generations.