Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Psychosocial Support Program for Public School Teachers

ConditionsMental Health LiteracySchool Mental Health Training of Teachers
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
AgeNot listed
SponsorHospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

About this trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if different formats of a school-based psychosocial support training program can improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The study will include teachers working in public schools in Brazil.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Do teachers who receive the training improve their knowledge on how to better to identify and support students with mental health difficulties? 2. Do different formats of training (in-person, online, or self-paced) and the presence of supervision lead to different levels of improvement in this knowledge, in attitudes related to mental health, and helping behaviors?

Researchers will compare five versions of the program (in-person, online, and asynchronous formats, with or without supervision) to see which approach is more effective, acceptable, and feasible.

Participants will:

1. Take part in a training program delivered either in-person, online, or through self-paced materials; 2. In some groups, attend additional supervision sessions to discuss real-life cases; 3. Receive brief follow-up materials through mobile messages after the training 4. Complete online questionnaires at multiple time points (before the training, during the program, after completion, and at follow-up).

The study will measure changes in teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to supporting students' mental health, as well as satisfaction with the program and its feasibility for large-scale implementation.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Public schools from the state education system of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, serving students in "Ensino Fundamental" and "Ensino Médio" (equivalent to grades 1-12), and belonging to "Polo 1", an administrative grouping defined by the Rio Grande do Sul State Department of Education that includes the following Regional Education Coordinators (Coordenadorias Regionais de Educação [CREs]): 1st, 2nd, 11th, 12th, 27th, and 28th CREs;

Schools with 10 or more teachers on staff;

Schools with a complete school management team, defined as having all three core management roles in place.

Teachers currently working in participating public schools;

Disqualifiers

Schools with fewer than 10 teachers on staff;

Schools without a complete school management team;

Youth and Adult Education Centers (Núcleos de Educação de Jovens e Adultos [EJA]);

Schools that began operating as full-time schools in 2026;

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • In-person School-Based Psychosocial Support Training

    Behavioral

    A structured training program designed to improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The intervention includes evidence-based content on mental health literacy, identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties, and appropriate support and referral strategies. The training is delivered in-person in two weekly sessions.

  • Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training

    Behavioral

    A structured training program designed to improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The intervention includes evidence-based content on mental health literacy, identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties, and appropriate support and referral strategies. The training is delivered trough synchronous videoconference in two weekly sessions.

  • Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support Training

    Behavioral

    A structured training program designed to improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The intervention includes evidence-based content on mental health literacy, identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties, and appropriate support and referral strategies. The training is delivered through an asynchronous self-paced course in a digital platform.

  • Supervision Sessions

    Behavioral

    Structured small-group supervision sessions conducted via audio calls, focused on discussion of real-life cases, clarification of concepts, and support for practical application of the training content.

  • Mobile-Based Reinforcement Materials

    Behavioral

    Brief follow-up materials delivered via mobile messaging to reinforce key concepts covered in the training sessions.

Treatment groups

2,925 Participants
are divided into 5 treatment groups
Group A: Arm 1: In-Person Training + SupervisionExperimental treatment 3 interventions
Group B: Arm 2: In-Person Training OnlyExperimental treatment 2 interventions
Group C: Arm 3: Online Training + SupervisionExperimental treatment 3 interventions
Group D: Arm 4: Online Training OnlyExperimental treatment 2 interventions
Group E: Arm 5: Asynchronous Training (Control Condition)Active comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Change in the score in the Mental health Knowledge & Attitudes Questionnaire

Psychosocial support skills knowledge and attitudes will be assessed using a multiple choice instrument (Mental health Knowledge \& Attitudes Questionnaire) developed for this study and previously piloted in a sample of teachers. Scores will range from 0 to 100%, reflecting the percentage of correct responses.

Time frame
Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 4 weeks (T2)

Secondary outcomes

1

Early and Sustained change in the score in the Mental health Knowledge & Attitudes Questionnaire

Same instrument used in the primary outcome

Time frame
Baseline (T0) to 2 weeks (T1); Baseline (T0) to 2-month follow-up (T3)
2

Change in psychosocial support skills score (clinical vignette-based score)

Psychosocial support skills will be assessed using a vignette-based instrument (Psychosocial Support Skills Instrument) developed for this study and previously piloted in a sample of teachers. Each vignette describes a brief clinical scenario, and participants are asked to select the most appropriate level of support for the student. Response options include: (1) Observe and be available; (2) Provide school-based support and accommodations ; (3) Link to a mental health professional ; (4) Act immediately due to safety concerns. Scores will range from 0 to 100%, reflecting the percentage of correct responses.

Time frame
Baseline (T0) to 2 weeks (T1); Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 4 weeks (T2); Baseline (T0) to 2-month follow-up (T3)
3

Changes in helping behaviors toward students

Assessed using a retrospective self-report scale developed to capture mental health-related helping behaviors toward students ("Helping Behaviors Scale"), including identifying emotional distress, providing support, and facilitating referral to appropriate services. The scale includes five items describing specific helping behaviors. Each item is rated as yes, no, or does not apply. Higher endorsement indicates a greater number of supportive actions taken by the respondent in the past week.

Time frame
Baseline (T0) to 2 weeks (T1); Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 4 weeks (T2); Baseline (T0) to 2-month follow-up (T3)
4

Change in the levels of teacher burnout

Teacher burnout will be assessed using the 12-item version of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-12), a self-report questionnaire developed to assess burnout as a multidimensional psychological syndrome. It evaluates four core dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive impairment, and emotional impairment. Each item is rated on a five-point frequency scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always). A total burnout score will be calculated as the mean of the 12 items, with higher scores indicating greater burnout symptoms.

Time frame
Baseline (T0); 2 weeks (T1); Post-intervention at 4 weeks (T2); 2-month follow-up (T3)

Other outcomes

Locations

This trial has no locations.

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Lead sponsor

Child Mind Institute

Collaborator

Secretaria da Educação do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (SEDUC-RS)

Collaborator

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

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