SynthesisEuropean child & adolescent psychiatry2025
Barriers and facilitators for the implementation of preventative mental health interventions among secondary schools in high-income countries: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European child & adolescent psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Testing an adapted obesity prevention intervention in under resourced schools: a pilot clustered randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Advancing School Behavioral Health Implementation: A Critical Review Using ISF 2.0.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of universal secondary school-based interventions addressing the psychological risk factors of eating disorders in adolescents: a systematic review.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Review
- Feasibility of LifeLab Dublin: a co-designed health literacy intervention for socioeconomic disadvantaged schools.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- Feasibility and acceptability of a multi-level school-based intervention for adolescent mental health in Nepal: a mixed-methods study.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Implementation climate and readiness for the THRIVE intervention in school settings: a mixed methods study.Implementation science communications · 2026Article
- Article
- Co-Creation of Mental Health Intervention for Adolescents: A Social Hackathon Approach.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Teacher-Led Universal Eating Disorder Prevention Programmes in Schools: A Scoping Review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Article
- Home language and diagnostic co-morbidity predict neuropsychological evaluation recommendation uptake among low income families.The Clinical neuropsychologist · 2026Article
- Exploring Sex Differences in the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Eating Disorders Symptoms During Early Adolescence.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Process evaluation of a digital school-based intervention: lessons learned from the Health4Life study.Translational behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Stakeholder perspectives on the scalability of a psychological intervention for alcohol misuse and psychological distress in wartime: A qualitative study in Ukraine.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Talking mental health - study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of mental health prevention in elementary schools in Germany.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Recent societal crises have negatively impacted the mental health of adolescents, emphasizing the need for effective preventative mental health interventions. Schools as key environments for young people offer opportunities to deliver those interventions at low threshold. However, many interventions are not sustained beyond initial funding periods due to persistent implementation barriers, contributing to a significant gap between intervention development and long-term practice. This systematic review synthesizes qualitative research on barriers and facilitators affecting the implementation of school-based interventions in secondary schools in high-income countries. Seven databases were searched for qualitative and mixed-methods studies on the implementation of preventative school-based mental health interventions in regular secondary schools. Implementation determinants were synthesized using the updated version of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Study quality was assessed using modified checklists of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Twenty-six studies, involving 5 to 8,630 pupils, met the inclusion criteria. A total of 336 implementation factors were identified, with barriers (N = 207; 61.6%) outweighing facilitators (N = 129; 38.4%). Barriers included scheduling conflicts, low prioritization of mental health, and logistical challenges. Key facilitators were leadership support, age-appropriate intervention design, and staff engagement. Sustained success of preventative mental health interventions requires integrating programs into school structures, aligning with academic priorities, and addressing resource limitations. Future research should focus on adapting interventions to fit school contexts and strengthening leadership and community support. Understanding multidimensional, interacting implementation factors is essential for creating sustainable interventions that positively impact adolescent mental health.
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