As the fifth leading cause of non-fatal disease worldwide, mental health conditions are a serious and prevalent issue in today’s society. One in five youth experience a mental health condition, many of whom experience more than one mental health condition, which has negative developmental implications. Thus, mental health care is critical to minimize the deleterious public health impact and promote optimal long-term outcomes for this high priority population of youth. Although appropriate mental health care can minimize the deleterious impact of mental health for these youth, significant disparities in access to and receipt of effective mental health care exist. There has been increased policy efforts prioritizing child mental health globally, with an emphasis on implementation of prevention for youth who are not showing symptoms, as well as or early interventions for youth who are. The current study aimed to adapt and test a preventative mental health literacy program for adolescence for implementation in non-academic community settings.
