Impact of Preventive Mental Health Programme on Social/Emotional Functioning and Resilience in Children in South Africa
Impact of Preventive Mental Health Programme on Social/Emotional Functioning and Resilience in Children in South Africa
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of a mental health prevention and promotion programme delivered to children (ages 8 to 13) living in under-resourced communities in South Africa.
The main question it aims to answer is:
Does the programme increase resilience and improve psychological well-being?
Participants will be asked to attend the programme twice a week after school for a period of six weeks and complete a series of questionnaires.
Researchers will compare children who attended the programme to those who did not to see if the programme resulted in better social/emotional functioning and resilience.
Although the well-being of vulnerable South African children is a significant public health concern, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of mental health prevention and promotion interventions in low- and middle- income countries. Little Lions Child Coaching is a South African youth-led, community-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) that aims to normalise mental health conversations and empower the next generation to tap into their emotional resilience by providing accessible mental health support to children in under-resourced communities surrounding Cape Town.
The aim of this effectiveness study is to measure how a mental health prevention and promotion programme, designed and implemented by Little Lions Child Coaching, impacts the resilience and social/emotional functioning of children (ages 8 to 13) living in townships surrounding Cape Town.
Participants in the intervention condition will receive the programme twice a week after school for a period of six weeks to boost their emotional awareness, confidence, coping skills and resilience. Resilience scores will be compared to a control group.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: