“Resilience and Socioemotional Curriculum for Adolescent Students” Programme: Teaching DBT STEPS-A in Schools in the Basque Country; Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Results After the First Year of Implementation
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Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Psiquiatría Infanto-Juvenil
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31766/revpsij.v42n4a2Keywords:
universal school-based mental health promotion, selective prevention of mental health problems, socioemotional learning, socioemotional education, resilience, adolescentsAbstract
Introduction: The “Resilience and Socioemotional Curriculum” Programme is a universal school-based mental health promotion intervention for adolescents, implemented in the Basque Country since the 2017-2018 academic year. It involves delivering the socioemotional learning curriculum “Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving” (DBT STEPS-A) in schools. Objectives: To assess the impact of DBT STEPS-A on mental health promotion and determine its potential role in the selective prevention of mental health problems among vulnerable students. Material and method: 866 students from 13 schools in Bizkaia were analysed. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), in both self-report and teacher versions, was administered for pre- and post-intervention student assessment. Results: A significant improvement was observed in post-intervention SDQ scale scores, indicating an effect on mental health promotion. This improvement was particularly pronounced among vulnerable students (those with pre-intervention SDQ scale scores in the borderline or abnormal range), suggesting a potential selective prevention effect. Conclusions: DBT STEPS-A is a potentially effective socioemotional learning programme for universal school-based mental health promotion among adolescents and may provide selective prevention benefits for students presenting socioemotional symptoms or difficulties.
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