@article{ref1,
title="Outcome of a school-based intervention to promote life-skills among young people in Cambodia",
journal="Asian journal of psychiatry",
year="2014",
author="Jegannathan, Bhoomikumar and Dahlblom, Kjerstin and Kullgren, Gunnar",
volume="9",
number="",
pages="78-84",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Most of the school-based interventions to prevent suicide are from high income countries and there is a need for evidence based interventions in resource-poor settings. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of a school based intervention to reduce risk factors for suicide among young people in Cambodia by promoting life skills. <br><br>METHOD: Six classes were randomly selected from two schools each, one designated as experimental and the other as control school, respectively. In experimental school 168 young people (M=92, F=76) received 6 sessions of life skills education and in the control school 131 students (M=53, F=78) received three general sessions on health. We looked at the pre-post differences on Life-Skills Development Scale Adolescent Form (LSDS-AF)- and Youth Self-Report (YSR) questionnaire to measure the effect size (ES) from the intervention after 6 months. We analyzed the data by stratifying for gender and for those who reported more severe suicidal expressions at baseline (high-risk group). <br><br>RESULTS: The girls showed improvement in Human Relationship (ES=0.57), Health Maintenance (ES=0.20) and the Total Life Skills Dimensions (ES=0.24), whereas boys with high-risk behavior improved on Human Relationship (ES=0.48), Purpose in Life (ES=0.26) and Total Life Skills Dimensions (ES=0.22). Effect size for YSR-syndrome scores among all individuals showed no improvement for either gender. Among high-risk individuals boys had a small to moderate effect size from intervention on Withdrawn/Depressed (ES=0.40), Attention problems (ES=0.46), Rule breaking behavior (ES=0.36), Aggressive behavior (ES=0.48) and Externalizing syndrome (ES=0.64). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Promoting life skills in schools may enhance the overall mental health of young people, indirectly influencing suicide, particularly among boys with high-risk behavior in Cambodia.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1876-2018",
doi="10.1016/j.ajp.2014.01.011",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2014.01.011"
}