ArticleChild and adolescent mental health2024
Four Steps To My Future (4STMF): acceptability, feasibility and exploratory outcomes of a universal school-based mental health and well-being programme, delivered to young adolescents in South Africa.
Article in Child and adolescent mental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- A scoping review of mental health problems and associated psychological factors pertinent to young people in education in low-and middle-income countries.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Navigating the adaptation of CBT for persons with disabilities in South Africa: An autoethnographic perspective.African journal of disability · 2026Review
- Article
- Debate: Where to next for universal school-based mental health interventions? Addressing the mental health crisis among young people in low- and middle-income countries.Child and adolescent mental health · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Efficacy of Music-Based Therapy in Children and Adolescents with Physical and Mental Health Challenges: A Systematic Review.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveMental health disorders affect many children in South Africa, where vulnerability is high, and treatment is limited. We sought to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a universally delivered classroom-based programme for the promotion of mental health in young adolescents.
methodWe pilot tested an 8 session, cognitive-behavioural therapy-based programme, 4 Steps To My Future (4STMF) in two schools. Participants were grade 5 learners (n = 222; Mean
resultsMost eligible learners at both schools agreed to participate (85% - school 1; 91% - school 2) with more than 80% completing postintervention measures. Learner session attendance and programme fidelity were high. Teachers rated facilitators highly on confidence, preparedness, enthusiasm and classroom management and observed children to be enjoying the programme. Focus group data suggest that learners liked the programme, could recall the content and had shared some of the content with their family. An exploratory analysis of outcomes showed significant pre-post differences on self-esteem at school 1 and on emotion regulation at school 1 and school 2, maintained at follow-up.
conclusionsThis pilot study has shown that 4STMF can acceptably and feasibly be delivered, at classroom level, as a universal school-based prevention programme to young adolescent learners in South African primary schools. The programme could fit in with school context, could be delivered by nonspecialists, showed significant improvements on self-esteem and emotion regulation and was liked by the learners.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.