ERIC Number: EJ1466183
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: EISSN-1746-1561
Available Date: 2025-01-05
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: A Systematic Approach for Searching through Public Databases for Youth Mental Well-Being Programs
Alice-Simone Balter1; Doga Pulat1; Anjali Suri1; Madison Moloney1; Dina Al-Khooly2; Indika Somir2; Emerald Bandoles2; Clementine Utchay2; Desiree Sylvestre2; Sandra Pierre3; Sheldon Parkes3; Sabrina Brodkin4; Brendan F. Andrade1,5
Journal of School Health, v95 n4-5 p361-369 2025
Background: This practice paper exemplifies a systematic approach used to learn about existing mental well-being programs for youth 11-14 years to inform curriculum development for after-school settings. Methods: We reviewed 3389 mental well-being programs from publicly accessed databases and conducted a content analysis using inductive and deductive coding to explore the domains each program addressed. Results: Through our content analysis of the final eight programs, we found strong alignment with the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) core social-emotional competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and decision-making. Implications for Practice: Although using established processes (e.g., PICO, CFIR) to review public databases is an effective research strategy, engaging in research-intensive endeavors is time consuming and may not be practical for after-school administration. The benefits of community-academic partnerships, such as EMPOWER, are highlighted as an approach, and opportunity, to promote evidence-based research practices to inform programming in community organizations. Conclusion: Enhancing youth social emotional competencies is an important means to supporting youth mental well-being. Incorporating a systematic approach to select youth mental well-being programs provides a structure, for our EMPOWER project, that can steer the choice of curricula to meet the needs of after-school program contexts.
Descriptors: Online Searching, Databases, Youth Programs, Mental Health Programs, Well Being, Curriculum Development, After School Programs, Content Analysis, Alignment (Education), Social Emotional Learning, Interpersonal Competence, Self Concept, Self Management, Interpersonal Relationship, Decision Making
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Visions of Science, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 3Beyond 3:30, Toronto Foundation for Student Success, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 4Department of Applied Psychology & Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 5Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada