Youth Promotion of Resilience Involving Mental E-health (Y-PRIME)

Background

Common mental disorders including depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent NCDs worldwide. Despite this there is very low availability of interventions aiming to prevent negative mental health outcomes across the life course. This gap is especially pronounced in LMICs. In Vietnam, youth experience many risk factors for poor mental health and well-being, which may lead to poor outcomes over the lifespan, including pressure for academic success and high academic work load, social and emotional isolation, conflict with parents and teachers, gender roles and struggles with sexual identity. The socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges. Life skills, including social and emotional learning and self-management techniques can support youth to navigate challenges that, if unaddressed, may lead to more serious mental health problems in the immediate and long term.

Aims

The Y-PRIME study seeks to address a critical gap in population level interventions to prevent negative mental health outcomes at a vulnerable life stage by promoting positive life and self-management skills. This study will evaluate an implementation strategy to inform successful implementation and scale-up of the intervention. It will also provide important evidence relevant to the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions to promote mental well-being in an LMIC context.

Project plan

The Youth Promotion of Resilience Involving Mental E-health (Y-PRIME) study will adapt and evaluate an evidence-based intervention, delivered via a mobile app, that promotes life and self-management skills at a population level among Vietnamese secondary school students beginning in Grade 10. The study will take place in two phases over five years:

In Phase 1 we will adapt the intervention for use in the Vietnamese context and for delivery via an app in collaboration with a Youth Advisory Council. The engagement of Vietnamese youth in the adaptation and co-design of the intervention will ensure that the app is appropriate and acceptable to youth and that it addresses the specific risk factors faced by secondary school students in Vietnam.

In Phase 2, we will evaluate implementation and effectiveness outcomes (e.g. well-being, resilience, mental health, risk factors exposure) among secondary school students in three Vietnamese provinces. The study will consist of a hybrid type 2, quasi-experimental, sequenced pre-post implementation design. We will assess outcomes at the population level and among diverse sub-populations of youth to understand factors influencing equitable access to the intervention.

Throughout the study we will engage key stakeholders including youth, school staff and policy makers to ensure local appropriateness, promote buy-in and lay the ground work for scale-up across the country.

Publications and output

The Centre for Brain Health released a blog post about the project.

Funding organisations

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