Preventive intervention school mental health in adolescents: Challenges for a public program in the educational communities Intervención preventiva de salud mental escolar en adolescentes: Desafíos para un programa público en comunidades educativas

Abstract

This paper shows the contribution of "Skills for Life Program" to prevention practices adolescent mental health in schools in Chile. Study included a sample of adolescents (N = 212) who participated in the preventive intervention of the program. The goal was to examine changes in variables of school maladjustment (SM) and psychosocial dysfunction (PD) based on their attendance and their parents to the preventive intervention. Design was ex-post-facto, longitudinal prospective, pre and post measurements. Analysis considered repeated measures ANOVA and t tests for related samples. Results indicate a decrease in risk factors associated with SM and PD stability of adolescents. Study implications will be discussed for preventive science and public policy.