Browsing by Author "Zacharias, Edström"

Objectives Over the past 15 years, there has been an unprecedented increase in mental health issues (WHO, 2021), specifically anxiety disorders and depression among children, teenagers, and young adults (Haidt & Twenge, ongoing). Mental illness is among the most life-inhibiting conditions one can experience. It carries the potential for long-term deterioration in quality of life for all who are affected. Depression is also one of the leading mental illnesses with a confirmed link to suicide mortality (Chesney, Goodwin et al., 2014). Nowadays, the most severely affected are our children, teenagers, and young adults (Knaappila, Marttunen et al., 2021; Our World in Data, n.d.). The aim of this thesis is to examine whether school-based CBT interventions are effective in promoting mental health, and to illustrate which factors influence the effectiveness of these interventions. Methods This thesis has been conducted as a systematic literature review. This means I have identified a number of studies that serve as the basis for an analysis intended to answer the aforementioned research question. The material has been gathered from the Helka and ResearchGate databases to ensure a high level of reliability in the analyzed content. Results and Conclusions This thesis has shown that school-based CBT interventions are effective in promoting mental health by demonstrating higher levels of symptom reduction compared to control groups. The interventions have proven to be most effective when delivered by specially trained professionals, as opposed to existing school staff. School-based CBT interventions are generally effective when carried out by such trained professionals. This approach appears promising for practical implementation in Finland; however, further research is needed to more accurately assess its cost-effectiveness within the framework of the Finnish education system.