Suicide prevention is a global priority of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the first of the five mental health priorities of the European Union (EU), according to the 2008 European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being. In Portugal, the National Mental Health Plan 2007-2016 (2008) also includes depression and suicide prevention as one of its objectives.
Suicide rates have increased in Portugal (9.8/100,000 in 2008). When analyzing the available data on parasuicidal behavior in the central region of Portugal and comparing them with the data from the WHO multicenter study on parasuicide (Schmidtke et al., 1994; Saraiva, 1996), the Coimbra area is at the top of the list, especially among young women. These data are confirmed by the Emergency Services and the Suicide Prevention Unit of the University Hospital of Coimbra (HUC), which report an average of two cases of parasuicide per day.
In Coimbra, parasuicides are typically young, female, and with a low level of education or difficulties in school and psychosocial issues, but often without a previously diagnosed psychiatric illness (Saraiva, 1997; Santos, 2006). School experience is a crucial factor in defining the profile of the parasuicide.
Schools become centers for mental health promotion when they combine education with social-emotional and life skills psychoeducation (Social Emotional Learning and Skills for Life), as demonstrated by Diekstra (2008) in a systematic analysis study. The involvement of the whole school (including teaching and non-teaching staff) in the defined strategies for a duration of more than six months optimizes the results achieved in the short and medium term by improving social skills, competences and positive attitudes towards oneself and others, reducing antisocial behavior, preventing or detecting mental illness at an early stage and improving academic results (idem).
The + Contigo project seeks to promote mental health in schools and contribute to the reduction of risk behaviors, especially suicidal behaviors.
Its target population are young students in 7th, 8th and 9th years from schools in the central region of Portugal. These students will be assessed in terms of self-concept, coping, well-being and depression using quantitative methods (psychometric instruments validated for the Portuguese adolescent population) and qualitative methods (semi-structured interviews).
In terms of data collection, the project is divided into four main phases. The first phase consists of training health and social workers from the local health units where the schools targeted for intervention are located; the second phase consists of identifying and training gatekeepers within the school community targeted for intervention; the third phase consists of training/sensitizing parents to this public health problem; finally, the fourth phase consists of developing, implementing, and evaluating the intervention program with students. This last phase consists of three successive stages: a) planning, b) diagnosis of needs, and c) implementation and evaluation of the prevention project. The intervention consists of active methods for group dynamics, such as socio-educational games and role-plays, aimed at increasing self-esteem, improving problem-solving skills and combating mental health stigma.
The PRECED / PROCEED model (Green & Kreuter, 2005) will be used to plan and implement this project. Psychometric instruments will be used to diagnose and assess outcomes and interviews will be collected. The project will be implemented by a multidisciplinary team of technical experts with experience in the development of mental health programs, as well as gatekeepers appointed by the institutions and trained in the field, as defined in the previous phases.
A control group with the same characteristics as the study sample, but without a specific intervention, will be used to better assess the effectiveness of the intervention.
ver anexo para o ano letivo 2011 / 2012
01/01/2009
Em desenvolvimento
PREVENTION OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOURS
Well-being and Health Promotion