Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a school-based mental health program: evaluation of socio-emotional skills training component in the Colombian Amazon.

Résumé

School-based mental health interventions are increasingly recognized as a strategy to address the growing mental health needs of children and adolescents, particularly in low-resource and remote settings. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary outcomes of the socio-emotional skills training component of a school-based mental health program implement in the Colombian Amazon. A mixed-methods study was conducted in two schools in Leticia, Colombia. The quantitative component used a pre-post design to assess mental health indicators among students and teachers over 10-month intervention period. The qualitative component included focus groups with students, teachers, and parents to explore acceptability, feasibility, and perceived effects. At baseline, high levels of mental health symptoms were observed across groups. Among primary school students, 36.7% reported significant depressive symptoms, increasing to 65% after intervention (p