W02-02 - Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE): a European Project for Mental Health Promotion Among European Adolescents

Abstract

SAYLE is a health promoting programme, funded by the EU Commission for adolescents in European schools. Its main objectives are to lead adolescents to better health through decreased risk taking and suicidal behaviours, to evaluate outcomes of different preventive programmes and to recommend effective culturally adjusted models for promoting health of adolescents in different European countries. It is developed by a consortium of 12 countries: Austria; Estonia; France; Germany; Ireland; Hungary; Italy; Israel; Romania; Slovenia; Spain and Sweden (coordinating centre). In this health promotion programme, an intervention study will be implemented to assess the effects of three different health promoting/suicide preventing programmes in comparison with control groups in 11,000 students across 12 European countries. The three interventions are:

1. 1. A general health promotion programme targeting students awareness on healthy/unhealthy behaviors and students self-efficacy in diminishing unhealthy behaviors;

2. 2. TeenScreen - screening by professionals of at-risk students through a questionnaire. For adolescents identified as high risk, the program includes individual assessment and referral to mental health treatment and measures ensuring compliance;

3. 3. QPR (Question, Persuade & Refer) - a gatekeeper's program, training all adult staff at schools (teachers, counselors, nurses etc) and parents on how to recognize and refer a student with risk-taking behaviours or those suffering from mental illness to mental-health help resources.