Alcohol Education Critical Part of Effective Mental Health Program
Alcohol and other drug education emerges as one of three key components in an effective adolescent mental health program.
Results from a meta-analysis published in Pediatrics journal demonstrated the efficacy of universally delivered interventions in improving adolescent mental health and reducing risk behavior.
In addition, the following 3 treatment components emerged as consistently effective across outcomes:
- interpersonal skills,
- emotion regulation,
- alcohol and other drug education.
Adolescent Mental Health Program Components and Behavior Risk Reduction
The results informed the development of “Helping Adolescents Thrive,” a World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund initiative aimed at developing a package of evidence-based psychological interventions for improved adolescent mental health.
Investigators conducted a systematic review of 14,600 identified records and 158 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The average intervention duration was 13.88 hours for face-to-face interventions and 6.05 hours for digital interventions.
The following 7 intervention components were associated with more successful programs:
- interpersonal skills,
- emotional regulation,
- alcohol and other drug education,
- mindfulness,
- problem solving,
- assertiveness training,
- stress management.
Among these, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, and alcohol and other drug education predicted the largest effect sizes for positive improvements.
When administered face to face, alcohol and drug education predicted positive mental health; when administered through digital means, it yielded improvements in aggression.