title: A student manual for promoting mental health among high school students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We describe a school program based on a student manual for promoting mental health and preventing mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A preliminary version of the manual was assessed for face validity by two focus groups. The final version was evaluated for acceptability among 253 students in 10 high schools and 1 middle school in Italy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The manual included 18 chapters (or "units") which address skills for enabling students to cope with their daily lives: communication skills, problem-solving, assertive skills, negotiation, stress management, anger management and conflict resolution. The manual was found to have been acceptable by high school students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effectiveness of the manual in actually promoting mental health and preventing mental illness is currently being evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nazionale di Epidemiologia, Sorveglianza e Promozione della Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. antonella.gigantesco@iss.it
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gigantesco
authors.forename: Debora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Del Re
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cascavilla
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008603:Mental Health; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students