Implementation Science to Improve School Ethos for Mental Health

March 23, 2026 updated by: Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, MD PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Improving School Ethos Towards Mental Health Through Whole School Mental Health Interventions: Implementation Science Approach

The objective of the study is to identify the challenges and opportunities existing within the school ethos in implementing evidence-based interventions to improve youth mental health and to identify the most appropriate implementation strategies for improving mental health among young people in schools at Chennai, a city in Southern part of India, a low- and middle- income country setting.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

The study team will approach the schools where the proposed study will take place and will obtain the needed permission to conduct the study in the school premises. Information about the study to all the potential participants will be disseminated through the school management. All the potential participants can approach the study team to learn more about the study and participate in the study. Potential participants approaching the study team will be explained in detail about the project and informed consent and /or assent will be obtained. The participants will be selected based on the proposed inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study.

After the recruitment of the participants, iIn-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews lasting approximately an hour will be conducted in either English or Tamil. This will be conducted by trained qualitative researchers. Interviews will be audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. A qualitative descriptive approach will guide all aspects of the qualitative methods we employ to derive a comprehensive description of participants' experiences that is both deep and meaningful. The IDI guide will be developed following an extensive literature search and discussions with experts in the field, for understanding the participants. The interviews will be conducted by two members of the research team. Face-to-face interviews or online interviews will be conducted after ensuring that the participant is comfortable, and all external disturbances will be taken care or minimized

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • India
    • Tamil Nadu
      • Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 600101.
        • Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF India)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All the interviews and the quantitative assessment will be conducted with the students, staff, parents, and management of the selected schools. Besides these, few interviews will be conducted with Government officials who are working with youth mental health and education, experts on school mental health and other relevant individuals.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Students between 12-18 years of age
  • Teachers 25-60 years of age
  • Parents 25-60 years of age
  • Management 25-60 years of age
  • Mental health professionals 25-60 years of age
  • School counsellors 25-60 years of age
  • Education department - Government of Tamil Nadu 25-60 years of age
  • Health department - Government of Tamil Nadu 25-60 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not willing to provide informed consent
  • Can not speak either English or Tamil (native language)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
School ethos
Time Frame: for six months
Understanding the school ethos towards mental health prevailing in the schools from urban settings using in-depth interviews
for six months
Challenges and bariers
Time Frame: For six months
Making a list of the challenges and opportunities in establishing and implementing a positive school ethos towards mental health in the schools using in-depth interviews
For six months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Collaborators

Fogarty International Center of the National Institute of Health
Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF India), Chennai, India

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD, University of Pittburgh

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 18, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 27, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

July 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 23, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STUDY22120105
  • D43TW009114 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in the article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).

IPD Sharing Time Frame

One year after publication of this study.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

For individual participant data, meta-analysis.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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