Online program for promoting mental health in adolescents

Zusammenfassung der Studie

Our online program EMPATIA aims to strengthen the well-being and mental health of young people in the long term. In this program, adolescents learn, among other things, how to better cope with worries, stress, low self-esteem, conflicts with others, or unpleasant feelings such as anger, anxiety, or sadness. These are skills that are known to be helpful for the further development of all adolescents and make them more resilient to stress. In this study, we want to investigate whether the program is helpful, how it works, and which adolescents benefit the most. For our study, we are looking for 152 adolescents from Switzerland who will participate online in the EMPATIA program. To scientifically examine the effectiveness, all adolescents will be randomly assigned to two groups so that the differences can be compared. One group will have access to the EMPATIA program at the beginning of the study, the other group after 12 months.

(BASEC)

Untersuchte Intervention

Online program EMPATIA

The contents of the EMPATIA program are cognitive-behavioral interventions that have already been studied and proven effective. These interventions target mechanisms that have been repeatedly found to underlie the development of several mental disorders in adolescents: behavioral avoidance, repeated negative thinking including rumination, worries and intolerance of uncertainty, emotion regulation, self-critical perfectionism, and rejection sensitivity. The program consists of 8 modules. It is recommended to complete one module lasting about 60 minutes each week and to use additional examples, practical exercises, and journals as often as possible. In addition, age- and gender-specific topics and testimonials are offered, which can be selected by each participant. The intervention allows for the adaptation of the contents through additionally selectable topics such as interpersonal conflicts, self-esteem, and social support as well as extra examples (e.g., when the predominant emotion is anger or sadness). Information is typically presented through short video clips, examples from testimonials, audios, interactive elements, and cartoons instead of text-based parts. At the end of each module, there is a short quiz that allows participants to review and consolidate what they have learned.

Participants are accompanied by E-Coaches, who are advanced Master’s students in Clinical Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence.

(BASEC)

Untersuchte Krankheit(en)

Subclinical general psychopathology

(BASEC)

Sponsor

Universität Bern Institut of Psychology

(BASEC)