title: School-based mental health promotion in children and adolescents with StresSOS using online or face-to-face interventions: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial within the ProHEAD Consortium creator: Eschenbeck, Heike creator: Lehner, Laya creator: Hofmann, Hanna creator: Bauer, Stephanie creator: Becker, Katja creator: Diestelkamp, Silke creator: Kaess, Michael creator: Moessner, Markus creator: Rummel-Kluge, Christine creator: Salize, Hans-Joachim subject: ddc-610 subject: 610 Medical sciences Medicine description: Abstract Background Schools are an ideal setting in which to promote health. However, empirical data on the effectiveness of school-based mental health promotion programs are rare, and research on universal Internet-based prevention in schools is almost non-existent. Following the life skills approach, stress management training is an important component of health promotion. Mental health literacy is also associated with mental health status, and it facilitates formal help-seeking by children and adolescents (C&A). The main objectives of this study are (1) the development and evaluation of an Internet-based version of a universal school-based health promotion program called StresSOS and (2) demonstrating non-inferiority of the online setting compared to the face-to-face setting. StresSOS aims to improve stress management and mental health literacy in C&A. Methods/design A school-based sample of 15,000 C&A (grades 6–13 and older than 12 years) will be recruited in five regions of Germany within the ProHEAD Consortium. Those with a screening result at baseline indicating no mental health problems will be invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial comparing StresSOS online to an active online control condition (Study A). In addition, 420 adolescents recruited as a separate school-based sample will participate in the StresSOS face-to-face intervention. Participants in both intervention groups (online or face-to-face) will receive the same eight treatment modules to allow for the comparison of both methods of delivery (Study B). The primary outcome is the number of C&A with symptoms of mental health problems at a 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes are related to stress/coping (i.e., knowledge, symptoms of stress, coping resources), mental health literacy (knowledge and attitudes toward mental disorders and help-seeking), program usage patterns, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability of the intervention. Discussion This study represents the first adequately powered non-inferiority trial in the area of school-based mental health promotion. If online StresSOS proves efficacious and non-inferior to face-to-face delivery, this offers great potential for health promotion in youths, both in and outside the school environment. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00014693 . Registered on 14 May 2018. publisher: BioMed Central date: 2019 type: Article type: info:eu-repo/semantics/article type: NonPeerReviewed format: application/pdf identifier: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserverhttps://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/25925/1/13063_2018_Article_3159.pdf identifier: DOI: identifier: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-259257 identifier: Eschenbeck, Heike ; Lehner, Laya ; Hofmann, Hanna ; Bauer, Stephanie ; Becker, Katja ; Diestelkamp, Silke ; Kaess, Michael ; Moessner, Markus ; Rummel-Kluge, Christine ; Salize, Hans-Joachim (2019) School-based mental health promotion in children and adolescents with StresSOS using online or face-to-face interventions: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial within the ProHEAD Consortium. Trials, 20 (64). pp. 1-12. ISSN 1468-6694 relation: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/25925/ rights: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess rights: Please see front page of the work (Sorry, Dublin Core plugin does not recognise license id) language: eng