Adaptation of an existing intervention to improve mental health literacy in educators

Abstract Mental health problems are increasingly prevalent among adolescents. Improving mental health literacy (MHL) within the school context has been identified as a useful prevention strategy. Recently, interventions have been developed aimed to improve the MHL of educators, who have a key role in identifying signals of mental health problems and promoting help-seeking in adolescents. To implement such existing interventions in another context and assess their effectiveness, it is necessary to first adapt them in a systematic way. Therefore, we systematically adapted an existing intervention targeting MHL of secondary school educators in the Netherlands following the Intervention Mapping (IM) Adapt principles. We followed the six-step procedure of IM Adapt in an iterative process. As part of that, we 1) performed a needs assessment with adolescents and educators, 2) identified a suitable existing intervention (i.e., ‘LEARN': a suitable existing English-language intervention that aligned with the formulated goals and determinants (mentalhealthliteracy.org)), 3) consulted mental health and educational experts for adaptation planning, and 4) translated, shortened, and adapted it to fit the needs of the Dutch context. This resulted in a 6-module digital online training that upholds the fidelity of the original intervention. Finally, we made plans for 5) further implementation and 6) (preliminary) evaluation of the intervention to improve Dutch secondary school educators’ MHL. Following the principles of IM Adapt, we systematically adapted an existing comprehensive MHL training for Dutch secondary school educators, which has the potential to promote mental health help-seeking of adolescents in schools and support early identification of mental health problems and illness. Future research is needed to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness. Key messages • For implementation of existing interventions in another context and assess their effectiveness, it is necessary to first adapt them in a systematic way. • We systematically adapted an existing MHL training for Dutch secondary school educators, which has the potential to promote mental health help-seeking of adolescents in schools.