Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar;95(3):264-279.
doi: 10.1111/josh.13538. Epub 2024 Dec 26.

Universal, School-Based Mental Health Literacy Programs for Middle School Students: A Scoping Review

Claire P Zachik  1 , Sarah C Collica  1 , Jacob White  2 , Candice Espinoza  3 , Karen L Swartz  1 , Mariel L Cataldi  4
Affiliations

Universal, School-Based Mental Health Literacy Programs for Middle School Students: A Scoping Review

Claire P Zachik et al. J Sch Health. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Universal, classroom-based mental health literacy (MHL) curricula are associated with improved mental health knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking behaviors. Young adolescents are an ideal target given their need for and receptivity toward MHL education.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review to identify universal, school-based MHL programs primarily for students aged 10-14 years, with adequate descriptions of curriculum implementation and content, and measured outcomes.

Findings: Thirty-one articles describing 24 programs met the inclusion criteria. The content and educational strategies varied, with no two programs having the same curriculum. The studies show promising results for improvement in mental health knowledge, attitudes, help-seeking, and student mental health.

Implications for school health policy, practice, and equity: Collaborative work between educational and mental health professionals, along with rigorous study of outcomes, aiming to reach a consensus on a core MHL curriculum and best implementation practices, will advance efforts to improve MHL.

Conclusions: This scoping review confirmed that existing universal, school-based MHL programs for middle school-aged students improve mental health knowledge. The programs are diverse, and their outcomes are often challenging to compare. Ongoing study in this field to optimize design and implementation for improved effectiveness is needed.

Keywords: education; mental health literacy; middle school; school‐based; universal; young adolescent.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. R. C. Kessler, G. Paul Amminger, S. Aguilar‐Gaxiola, and J. Alonso, “Age of Onset of Mental Disorders: A Review of Recent Literature,” Current Opinion in Psychiatry 20 (2007): 359–364, www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/wmh.
    1. World Health Organization. World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for all (Geneva: World Health Organization, 2022).
    1. United Nations Children's Fund. The State of the World's Children 2021: On My Mind—Promoting, Protecting and Caring for Children's Mental Health. (New York: UNICEF 2021).
    1. N. Racine, B. A. McArthur, J. E. Cooke, R. Eirich, J. Zhu, and S. Madigan, “Global Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents During COVID‐19: A Meta‐Analysis,” JAMA Pediatrics 175, no. 11 (2021): 1142–1150, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.2482.
    1. R. Miao, C. Liu, J. Zhang, and H. Jin, “Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Longitudinal Studies,” Journal of Affective Disorders 340 (2023): 914–922, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.070.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources