background
Recent research shows that 16% (more than one in seven) of 5-16 year-olds experience mental health difficulties (e.g., thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviours that interfere with our daily functioning). These difficulties are associated with a lower quality of life, poorer academic attainment, and other negative outcomes.
Given the importance of mental health difficulties, our research team, with the help of the Kavli Trust, is implementing a randomised trial to assess Passport, a universal social and emotional learning intervention. The ultimate aim of Passport is to reduce the majority of lifetime cases of mental health difficulties that begin during adolescence.
Why schools?
Schools can play a key role in promoting mental health and reducing loneliness. Due to their wide reach and central role in communities, schools are the ideal setting in which to implement universal interventions such as Passport.
Why Passport?
Passport aims to develop the social and emotional skills of all children and young people through explicit instruction in the context of a safe, caring classroom environment. These skills help children to navigate the social world, while promoting resilience to bullying and victimisation - factors that often precipitate common mental health difficulties. Crucially, as learning is a social process, it stands to reason that social and emotional skills can also support academic success (via, for example, improving engagement in the classroom).
We are trialling Passport because it exemplifies the principles of social emotional learning interventions. It helps children and young people to learn, expand, and consolidate their social and emotional skills, while nurturing their coping abilities. Previous research indicated children enjoyed the comic-format intervention sessions (some of the images are displayed in this website).
