OurFutures Mental Health: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a school-based, universal mental ill-health prevention program

Mental disorders have significant impact on the health and well-being of young people in Australia and worldwide. Intervention during adolescence is critical for reducing immediate harm and preventing the development of chronic mental disorders. This paper describes the protocol for a randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an updated version of the OurFutures Mental Health program in promoting mental health knowledge and preventing symptoms of depression and anxiety. A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted from 2023 to 2024 with 1400 Year 8 students (aged 13-14years) from 14 secondary schools in Australia. Schools will be randomised to the OurFutures Mental Health intervention (n = 7), or an active control condition who will receive their usual health education curriculum (n = 7). OurFutures Mental Health is a six-lesson, online cartoon-based intervention. The intervention draws on cognitive-behavioural principles and incorporates psychoeducation, self-management, and interpersonal skill acquisition. Students will complete self-report surveys at baseline, post-intervention, and 3- and 9-months post-baseline. Primary outcomes are mental health knowledge and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Subgroup analyses will examine anxiety and depression symptoms for students reporting elevated levels of these symptoms at baseline. The primary timepoint is 3-months post-baseline. Ethical approval has been granted by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee and the study is currently under review at the State Education Research Application Process for research in government schools, and Catholic Education Dioceses in NSW. This trial is prospectively registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12622001582741).