Evaluation of the School-based SIM Program in Upper Secondary School Students
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age15+
SponsorRegion Örebro County
About this trial
Söderqvist et al. recently reported on a new school-based program designed to promote mental well-being in adolescents: the Solution-Focused Intervention for Mental Health (SIM, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100493). While previous studies on SIM were designed mainly to test, develop, refine and improve the program and its feasibility in a school setting, the current project aims to test the efficacy of SIM on adolescent mental health, primarily mental well-being.
A two-arm, cluster, randomized, controlled trial will be conducted. The intervention group will receive the SIM program, and the control group will receive a lecture on mental well-being along with the usual school provisions. Randomization is done by class because the intervention takes place in mentor groups. Based on the results of our largest feasibility study, 559 students are required for paired measurements to detect a small effect on mental well-being with 80% power and a significance level of 0.05. The evaluation is based on validated instruments, with measurements taken before and after the intervention, as well as six and nine months later. The project is being implemented in collaboration with six upper secondary schools in Sweden. Recruitment and anchoring at the participating schools, as well as class randomization strafied on educational program, took place in 2025. Enrollment of participating students will begin in January 2026.
This project will contribute new knowledge to the field by evaluating a universal program for schools to use in their health promotion work. The latter is important since high levels of mental well-being independently predict a lower incidence of subsequent mental illness and have a range of positive effects on individuals and society.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
first and second-year upper secondary school students
students enrolled in regular school programs
Disqualifiers
students with insufficient knowledge of the Swedish language
students who are absent during the information meeting or could not be reached for a separate meeting to receive the accurate information
students who are absent at the start session or cannot be reached to complete the baseline prior to the first themed SIM session
students who for various reasons (e.g. functional impairments) are unable to participate in an ordinary teaching situation.
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
The Solution-focused Intervention for Mental health (SIM)
BehavioralSIM is a manual-based program delivered to upper secondary school students in mentor groups by a specially trained teacher. It consists of group-based, solution-focused coaching set within a normative frame of mental well-being. By co-creating perceptions and meaning through language and dialogue, focusing on resources for approaching a preferred future, students increase their solution-building capability, thereby acquiring skills to become agents in their own life, more aware of and prone to invest in mental health. For a detailed description, see Söderqvist et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100493.
Treatment groups
560 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Intervention groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Control groupNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Mental well-being
The mean difference in mental well-being between the intervention and control arms as measured by the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form. For more on the measurement instrument, see Söderqvist and Larm, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01626-6.
Time frame
This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.Secondary outcomes
1
Mental problems
The difference in mental problems between the intervention and control arms as measured by the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale 25. For more on the measurement instrument, see Carlander et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.2007.
Time frame
This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.2
Perceived stress
The difference in perceived stress between the intervention and control arms as measured by a 14-item scale comprising stressors associated with different areas of adolescent life.
Time frame
This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.Other outcomes
1
Solution-building Capability
The difference in solution-building capability between the intervention and control arms as measured by a modified 15-item version of the Solution Building Inventory originally developed by Grant et al (2012).
Time frame
This study will examine participants from enrollment to the end of the 10-week intervention, as well as at six- and nine-month follow-ups.Locations
Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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