Evaluation of a Training Course for Educational Professionals on Depression and Mental Health in Childhood and Adolescence

Depressive disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence and yet often are unnoticed and not treated for a long time. Depressive disorders often begin in adolescence and young adulthood. School stress, caused by bullying experiences at school or high performance expectations from parents and teachers, has been identified as an important factor in the development of depressive disorders in students School, as a central area of life for children and young people, is an important place for promoting pupils' mental health.

The rising prevalence of depressive disorders among adolescence in recent years and the delayed start of interventions show a clear need for action in the everyday lives of adolescents. A training for educational professionals in schools on depression in youths is intended to reduce the large treatment gap. By educating about depression, reducing stigma and fostering confidence in dealing with pupils with depression, educational professionals at schools should be sensitised to youth depression so that they can better respond to pupils with mental health problems.

As part of the planned scientific study, a training course on depression and mental health in childhood and adolescence for educational professionals is to be evaluated. The study will investigate the extent to which a two-hour online training course on depression and mental health in childhood and adolescence (including symptoms, causes of depression, comorbid diseases, prevention) and practical tips for everyday school life leads to an increase in knowledge regarding these topics. Additionally, the study will investigate the impact of the training on changes in attitudes towards depression (reduction of stigma), increased behavioural confidence dealing with pupils with mental health problems and changes in behavior deadling pupils with mental health problems. Moreover, the influence of teachers' emotions (assessed via the Teachers Emotion Scales) and self-efficacy on the outcomes will be exploratively investigated. To this end, the educational professionals will take part in 3 online surveys (before the training, shortly after the training and 4 weeks after the training) via Limesurvey.