Resumo

SIMOES, Rosa Maria Pereira et al. Promoting Well-Being in Adolescents: The +Contigo Project. Port J Public Health [online]. 2018, vol.36, n.1, pp.1-7. ISSN 2504-3137.  https://doi.org/10.1159/000486468.

Objectives: The +Contigo project aims to promote mental health and well-being and prevent self-harm behaviors. As a longitudinal research project, it is based on a multilevel network intervention. One of its major objectives is to promote well-being among 7th- to 12th-graders. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study, with a control group assessed at the beginning and end of the intervention as well as at a 6-month follow-up during the academic year. The intervention directed at adolescents consists of 7 sessions in the classroom, addressing stigma, adolescence, self-concept, problem solving, depression, and well-being. The data collection tool (a questionnaire) is composed of several measurement instruments such as the WHO-Five Well-Being Index (WHO, 1998). The questionnaire was applied to 2,105 adolescents from schools in the central region of Portugal involved in the +Contigo project during the academic years of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. Results: The sample comprised 2,105 adolescents. Most students were male, 8th-graders, and aged between 13 and 14 years. Throughout the 3 stages, the well-being index increased more in the intervention group than in the control group, with a statistically significant difference. Male adolescents had higher well-being scores. Throughout this project, well-being increased for both genders, with statistically significant differences in the male gender. Students in the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades improved their well-being in all assessment stages. Conclusion: The intervention led to short- and longterm positive results in the well-being index, with statistically significant results for the intervention group when compared to the control group. This impact on the adolescents’ well-being reinforces the strategy adopted to prevent suicidal behaviors, since it is believed that wellbeing, as a mental health indicator, can help prevent adolescents’ self-harm behaviors.

Palavras-chave : Well-being; Adolescents; Suicide; Self-harm behaviors; Suicide prevention; School setting.

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