A REVIEW OF STUDIES ON MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMMES TARGETING YOUNG ADULTS (18–24) IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS IN EUROPE

A review of studies on mental health programmes targeting young adults (18–24) in educational settings in Europe
As students’ mental health and wellbeing are receiving increasing attention within educational institutions, this article presents a review of existing knowledge regarding the effectiveness of mental health and wellbeing programmes targeting young adults within educational settings in Europe. A literature search was conducted, and nine studies were found that matched the selection criteria. Programmes were analysed in terms of their characteristics, participant characteristics and study characteristics. All studies showed that such programmes have a small to moderate effect on at least some aspects of the students’ wellbeing that were targeted. Implications for both
practice and research include: involving end users in the programme development stage; taking into account the drop-out rates of students participating in a programme; considering carefully whether a group-based or individual-based programme is best; and focusing on the importance of embedding a programme in the respective organization. More research is needed to verify the findings and to further determine what makes a programme effective.