Development and evaluation of a mental health and suicide prevention student leadership training programme for secondary school students in Hong Kong

Abstract

<p><b>Background</b><br></p><p><b></b>Contributing to the growing need for adolescent school-based mental health interventions in Hong Kong, the “Suicide Help Intervention through Education and Leadership Development for Students” (S.H.I.E.L.D.S.) programme was developed to train secondary school students to become gatekeepers and lay leaders in mental health for their school communities. It involved both education through mental health and suicide prevention training, and leadership development through the design and implementation of student-led projects to encourage help-seeking behaviours and promote mental wellbeing to their peers.<br></p><p><b>Methods</b><br></p><p><b></b>Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined the impact of two rounds of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. that ran between June 2022 and June 2023 on three groups of participants across eight participating schools: 89 student leaders (<i>M</i>_age = 15.2) who underwent training, 33 staff advisors who supported the student leaders, and 423 general students (<i>M</i>_age = 14.3) who participated in student-led project activities. Questionnaires were disseminated to each group of participants before and after relevant programme activities, while interviews were conducted after the conclusion of all programme activities.<br></p><p><b>Results</b><br></p><p>Quantitative analyses demonstrated that there were no significant changes in both student leaders’ and general students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards mental health. However, qualitative feedback revealed that leaders did feel that their mental health-related knowledge and ability to help their peers improved. This was supported by the staff advisors, who also developed a greater appreciation for the role of students’ input in co-creating school-based mental health promotion initiatives. General students similarly appreciated the peer-led nature of project activities. General observations on the impact of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. on the schools’ mental health culture are also discussed.<br></p><p><b>Conclusions</b><br></p><p>This study highlights the importance of recognising student perspectives and integrating new mental health programmes with existing school efforts, which were instrumental in the successful implementation of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. in the intervention schools. Future implications for the continuity and scaling-up of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. and similar school-based mental health promotion initiatives are also given.<br></p><p><b>Trial Registration<br></b></p><p>Not applicable.<br></p>