Adolescent Mental Health: A Global Challenge
Introducing Emotional Skills Training Program for Adolescents with Distress
The World Health Organization (WHO), with support from experts including GIHD-STMU, developed Early Adolescence Skills for Emotions (EASE), a comprehensive and evidence-based group psychological intervention program. EASE aims to bridge the treatment gap by providing trans-diagnostic support to adolescents in distress and their caregivers.
- 7 group sessions for adolescents to learn stress management, taking action and getting moving, problem-solving, and staying healthy.
- 3 group sessions for caregivers to help them learn effective parenting skills (using active listening, praising, and spending quality time) to support their kids in managing distress.
GIHD-STMU’s Pioneering Work in Evaluating and Scaling EASE
The Global Institute of Human Development, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University (GIHD-STMU), with support from the Medical Research Council (MRC), UK and collaboration with the National Ministry of Health Services Regulation and Coordination, School Education Department, Government of Punjab, played a pivotal role in evaluating and scaling the EASE program.
GIHD-STMU spearheaded the cultural adaptation of EASE, making it suitable for delivery by school counselors in low-resource school settings in rural Pakistan. Through rigorous evaluation, GIHD-STMU generated compelling evidence of the program’s acceptability and effectiveness in reducing psychosocial distress among adolescents.
These findings not only underscore GIHD-STMU’s commitment to bridging the mental health treatment gap but also contribute to global efforts to improve adolescent mental health. Based on the results of this evaluation in Pakistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially released the EASE program for global implementation.
Dr. Syed Usman Hamdani, Founding Director, GIHD-STMU
Impact
Next Steps: Translating Findings into Practice
GIHD-STMU is dedicated to translating our research into action. We’ll provide certificate training in EASE for those supporting distressed adolescents. Through this initiative, GIHD-STMU aims to empower more individuals to offer crucial support to adolescents and their caregivers, ultimately fostering a more resilient and thriving environment for our young people.
Acknowledgement
GIHD-STMU extends its gratitude to all stakeholders, caregivers, and adolescents for their participation and contribution to the success of the EASE program.
GIHD-STMU acknowledges the collaboration and support from the School Education Department, District Rawalpindi, Government of Punjab, National Ministry of Health Services Regulation and Coordination, and the World Health Organization.
The work in Pakistan was jointly supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under the MRC/FCDO Concordat agreement, together with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) (Award reference MR/R022410/1).
Publications
- Hamdani SU, Huma ZE, Malik A, Tamizuddin-Nizami A, Javed H, Minhas FA, Jordans MJD, Sijbrandij M, Suleman N, Baneen UU, Bryant RA, van Ommeren M, Rahman A, Wang D. Effectiveness of a group psychological intervention to reduce psychosocial distress in adolescents in Pakistan: a single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2024 Aug;8(8):559-570. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(24)00101-9. PMID: 39025557; PMCID: PMC11254783.
- Sijbrandij M, Bass JK, Carswell K, Hamdani SU, Karyotaki E. Tipping the scales for global mental health: A summary of the Presidential Panel at the 39th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. J Trauma Stress. 2024 Jul 17. doi: 10.1002/jts.23085. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39018333.
- Hamdani SU, Huma ZE, Javed H, Warraitch A, Rahman A, Nizami AT, et al. Prevalence of psychosocial distress in school going adolescents in rural Pakistan: findings from a cross-sectional epidemiological survey: BJPsych Open. 2021 Jun 18;7(Suppl 1):S56-7. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2021.196. eCollection 2021 Jun.; 2021.
- Hamdani SU, Huma ZE, Tamizuddin-Nizami A, Baneen UU, Suleman N, Javed H, Malik A, Wang D, Mazhar S, Khan SA, Minhas FA, Rahman A. Feasibility and acceptability of a multicomponent, group psychological intervention for adolescents with psychosocial distress in public schools of Pakistan: a feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT). Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2022a Jun 21;16(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s13034-022-00480-z. PMID: 35729589; PMCID: PMC9210054.
- Hamdani SU, Huma ZE, Malik A, Nizami AT, Baneen UU, Suleman N, Javed H, Wang D, van Ommeren M, Mazhar S, Khan SA, Minhas FA, Rahman A. Improving psychosocial distress for young adolescents in rural schools of Pakistan: study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2022b Sep 23;12(9):e063607. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063607. PMID: 36153028; PMCID: PMC9511576.