Mental Health Promotion for young people: A proposal for a Tripartite Approach

Abstract

Child and adolescent mental health promotion programmes may be more effective if they include a combination of different approaches to health promotion rather than relying primarily on one approach. A group of complementary approaches that could be combined in a single programme include: (i) a community-wide media campaign to highlight the harmful effects of family discord on the mental health of young people; (ii) a school-based social skills programme to improve the social skills of young people; and (iii) a life skills programme to build the competence of young people "at risk' for developing mental health disorders. The potential value of this particular combination of approaches is discussed with the aim of facilitating the development of innovative new child and adolescent mental health promotion programmes in Australia.