The PROMEHS project: a comprehensive multi-component curriculum to promote mental health in schools

Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, copes with the normal stresses of life, works productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community (WHO, 2014). Mental health problems among children have been increasing over the past decades. This underlines the urgent need for early intervention, with schools providing a unique opportunity for the promotion of mental health of students. This study describes the goals and methodology of PROMEHS, a European project aimed to develop an evidence-based curriculum to promote mental health at school. PROMEHS will also promote innovation in educational policies in collaboration with national and international public authorities. PROMEHS will be implemented in six European Countries using the training study methodology. The research design includes the collection of pre- and post-test data among students and their teachers from kindergarten to secondary school. Comparison between the experimental group and the control group will be carried out in order to assess the impact of the PROMEHS curriculum. The findings and outcomes will then serve as the basis for national educational policies in the Member States on mental health promotion in school.