A Mentalization-Based Program to Improve Well-Being and Mental Health in Children Aged 8 to 11 and Their Families Across Europe

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a mentalization-based prevention program aimed at improving well-being and mental health in children aged 8 to 10 years and their families across four European countries Germany, Lithuania, Spain, and Switzerland. The study is designed as a partially randomized controlled trial and investigates how multi-level interventions involving children, parents, and teachers can promote mental health, reduce stigma, enhance help-seeking behavior, and improve classroom climate and parenting skills. The program includes a universal prevention workshop delivered at schools for all children, focusing on mental health awareness and peer support skills. Parents receive one of two different intervention trainings or a parenting guidebook one group attends 10 weekly sessions of the Lighthouse Program targeting secure attachment and reflective parenting behaviors, and another group participates in 6 bi-weekly Mentalization Based Skills Training sessions focusing on attentional control and emotion regulation. An active control group receives a parenting guidebook, while a passive control group participates in follow-up assessments without intervention. Participants will be involved in data collection at multiple time points baseline, post-intervention at 3 months, and follow-ups at 6 and 12 months. Assessments include questionnaires measuring childrens and parents well-being and mental health, parental efficacy and stress, classroom climate, teaching efficacy, and mental health stigma. Focus groups after the post-assessment will gather feedback on implementation and satisfaction. The study aims to follow 5,000 children, their parents, and teachers over a year to evaluate long-term program effects.

A Mentalization Based Prevention Program to Foster Well-Being and Mental Health in Pre-Adolescent Children and Their Families