Chiloe

Researchers are evaluating a mental health literacy (MHL) intervention aimed at teachers and parents to improve the mental health of children aged 8 to 11 years (3rd to 5th grade) in primary schools located in socially vulnerable areas of Chile and Ecuador. The study addresses the high burden of child mental health problems and the large treatment gap in Latin America, focusing on enhancing knowledge and confidence in recognizing and managing mental health issues within school and family settings. This pilot quasi-experimental study builds on a prior Chilean project that showed improvements in teachers' mental health knowledge and wellbeing, now extending the program cross-culturally and including parents. The intervention includes a teacher program with six 2-hour participatory workshops covering topics like self-care, child development, anxiety, depression, suicide prevention, behavioral disorders, autism, and child maltreatment. The parent program consists of three 90-minute educational sessions addressing stigma, social support, healthy development, warning signs, and emotional containment. Both components use experiential learning and culturally adapted materials, delivered in schools. Seven primary schools (five in Chile and two in Ecuador) are randomly assigned to intervention or control groups, involving about 230 children, their parents, and teachers. Participants will be assessed before and after the intervention using validated questionnaires and biological measures, including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for children, mental health literacy scales for adults, and cortisol levels for stress in children. Researchers will also evaluate emotional wellbeing of teachers and parents, adverse childhood experiences, program acceptability, and satisfaction. Data collection occurs at baseline and 16 weeks post-intervention, with quantitative and qualitative analyses to explore outcomes, feasibility, and cultural adaptations over the study period.