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. 2014 Jun:9:78-84.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2014.01.011. Epub 2014 Feb 12.

Outcome of a school-based intervention to promote life-skills among young people in Cambodia

Bhoomikumar Jegannathan  1 , Kjerstin Dahlblom  2 , Gunnar Kullgren  3
Affiliations

Outcome of a school-based intervention to promote life-skills among young people in Cambodia

Bhoomikumar Jegannathan et al. Asian J Psychiatr. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Most of the school-based interventions to prevent suicide are from high income countries and there is a need for evidence based interventions in resource-poor settings. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of a school based intervention to reduce risk factors for suicide among young people in Cambodia by promoting life skills.

Method: Six classes were randomly selected from two schools each, one designated as experimental and the other as control school, respectively. In experimental school 168 young people (M=92, F=76) received 6 sessions of life skills education and in the control school 131 students (M=53, F=78) received three general sessions on health. We looked at the pre-post differences on Life-Skills Development Scale Adolescent Form (LSDS-AF)- and Youth Self-Report (YSR) questionnaire to measure the effect size (ES) from the intervention after 6 months. We analyzed the data by stratifying for gender and for those who reported more severe suicidal expressions at baseline (high-risk group).

Results: The girls showed improvement in Human Relationship (ES=0.57), Health Maintenance (ES=0.20) and the Total Life Skills Dimensions (ES=0.24), whereas boys with high-risk behavior improved on Human Relationship (ES=0.48), Purpose in Life (ES=0.26) and Total Life Skills Dimensions (ES=0.22). Effect size for YSR-syndrome scores among all individuals showed no improvement for either gender. Among high-risk individuals boys had a small to moderate effect size from intervention on Withdrawn/Depressed (ES=0.40), Attention problems (ES=0.46), Rule breaking behavior (ES=0.36), Aggressive behavior (ES=0.48) and Externalizing syndrome (ES=0.64).

Conclusion: Promoting life skills in schools may enhance the overall mental health of young people, indirectly influencing suicide, particularly among boys with high-risk behavior in Cambodia.

Keywords: Cambodia; Life skills; Outcome; School based intervention.

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