The effect of educational intervention based on social media on mental health literacy of high school students in Ramhormoz city: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period for developing and maintaining good habits for mental health and well-being. This is important for future mental health; as most mental health problems emerge during adolescence. Mental health literacy is the basis for preventing mental health, reducing stigma and increasing the effectiveness of help-seeking, especially among adolescents.

This study will be conducted with the aim of measuring the effect of educational intervention based on social media on mental health. Literacy of high school students in Ramhormoz city.

This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) will evaluate the effectiveness of a researcher-developed intervention based on social media, which will be designed according to the core components of The Guide educational package. The study will include all high schools in Ramhormoz (Iran). A stratified random sampling method will be used. The measures of mental health literacy and attitude towards seeking professional psychological help will be assessed at the beginning (before the intervention), 3 months, and 6 months after the intervention.

We expect that the intervention group will have a significant improvement in their mental health literacy score compared to the control group at post-intervention and at both follow-ups. We also expect that the intervention group will have a significant improvement in their attitude towards seeking professional psychological help score compared to the control group at post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up, but not at 6-month follow-up.

Our study will aim to show that a social media-based educational intervention can effectively improve the mental health literacy and attitude towards seeking professional psychological help of high school students in Ramhormoz city. Our study will demonstrate the potential of using social media as a platform for delivering mental health education to adolescents in a low-resource setting. Our study will also provide evidence-based and culturally appropriate content and strategies for improving mental health literacy among adolescents in Iran and other similar contexts. Our study will have important implications for policy makers, educators, health professionals, and researchers who are interested in using social media for mental health promotion and prevention among adolescents.

This study protocol has been registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) under the registration number IRCT20230603058372N1. The registration date is June 5, 2023. The study protocol adheres to the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines. The SPIRIT checklist is provided as Additional file 1.