title: School-based intervention to improve the mental health of low-income, secondary school students in Santiago, Chile (YPSA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression is common and can have devastating effects on the life of adolescents. Psychological interventions are the first-line for treating or preventing depression among adolescents. This proposal aims to evaluate a school-based, universal psychological intervention to reduce depressive symptoms among student's aged 13-14 attending municipal state secondary schools in Santiago, Chile.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cluster randomised controlled trial with schools as the main clusters. We compared this intervention with a control group in a study involving 22 schools, 66 classes and approximately 2,600 students. Students in the active schools attended 11 weekly and 3 booster sessions of an intervention based on cognitive-behavioural models. The control schools received their usual but enhanced counselling sessions currently included in their curriculum. Mean depression scores and indicators of levels of functioning were assessed at 3 and 12 months after the completion of the intervention in order to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Direct and indirect costs were measured in both groups to assess the cost-effectiveness of this intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As far as we are aware this is the first cluster randomised controlled trial of a school intervention for depression among adolescents outside the Western world.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ISRCTN19466209.
authors.affiliation: University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK. r.araya@bris.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Araya
authors.forename: Alan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.forename: Rosemarie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fritsch
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gunnell
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stallard
authors.forename: Sian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noble
authors.forename: Vania
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barroilhet
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vohringer
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guajardo
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cova
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gaete
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rojas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002677:Chile; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012107:Research Design; D012572:School Health Services; D012574:Schools; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013334:Students; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome