DEAL Study

For many individuals, emotional distress first occurs in adolescence, and worsens throughout the teenage years. If unaddressed, this can lead to serious long-term difficulties such as social exclusion, poor health and even death. Interventions to improve adolescents' emotional health and help individuals cope appropriately with emotional distress are therefore crucial. Schools are an important setting for reaching large numbers of adolescents, and are acknowledged to have a significant influence on their health. However, little is known about how emotional health is approached in English secondary schools, or the effectiveness of current activities.

This study aims to establish the extent and nature of interventions focusing on emotional health and distress currently being delivered in English secondary schools, and to identify gaps in provision. It will do so by surveying a random sample of schools, in order to gather details of emotional health activities currently taking place within and outside the curriculum, to identify needs not currently being met, and to explore barriers to provision in this area. In addition, qualitative focus groups and interviews will be conducted with students and teachers in a subsample of schools, to explore their views regarding the emotional health needs of adolescents, and how far these are or might be met by school-based interventions.

This study's findings will be used to aid the design of a school-based intervention that equips young people with the skills to recognise and cope with emotional distress, reduces the stigma attached to emotional disorder and related help-seeking, and addresses other needs regarding emotional health identified by young people and teachers, that could be met within a school setting.

The project is based in the Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol and is led by Dr. Judi Kidger. The other team members are Prof. David Gunnell, Prof. Jenny Donovan, Prof. Rona Campbell, Dr. Lucy Biddle, Dr. Fenella Starkey and Angela Afonso.

Project start: September 2005.

Project end: February 2007.

Funders: The Economic and Social Research Council.