Dr Julia Dray

Issue addressed: The aim of this study was to assess potential barriers to the implementation of clinical guideline recommendations regarding maternal alcohol consumption by antenatal clinicians and managers. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys of antenatal clinicians and managers employed in a New South Wales Local Health District were undertaken. Survey items were developed based on 11 domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework. Consistent with previous studies, a cut point of less than 4 was applied to mean values of survey items (range: 1-5) to identify domains representing barriers to the implementation. Results: Thirty-three antenatal clinicians and eight managers completed the surveys. For clinicians, the domains with the lowest mean values included ¿environmental context and resources¿ (ie, complexity of appointments and availability of supporting systems) (mean: 3.13, SD: 0.93); ¿social influences¿ (ie, expectations of others that alcohol will be addressed) (mean: 3.33, SD: 0.68); ¿beliefs about capabilities¿ (ie, confidence in providing guideline recommendations) (mean: 3.51, SD: 0.67); and ¿behavioural regulation¿ (ie, planning and responding to feedback) (mean: 3.53, SD: 0.64). For managers, ¿emotion regulation¿ (ie, stress in managing change) (mean: 2.13, SD: 0.64) and ¿environmental context and resources¿ (ie, complexities of managing change) (mean: 3.13, SD: 0.83) were the lowest scoring domains. Conclusions: The antenatal service environment and availability of resources appear to be primary barriers to both clinicians and managers implementing guidelines for maternal alcohol consumption. So what?: In the development of interventions to support the delivery of clinical guideline recommendations addressing alcohol consumption during pregnancy, a broad range of potential barriers at both the clinician and manager levels need to be considered and targeted by effective implementation strategies.

Objective: Individual and environmental resilience protective factors are suggested to be associated with adolescent condom use; however, previous studies have not comprehensively examined such associations. This study aimed to determine the associations between condom use, and numerous individual and environmental resilience protective factors in sexually active Australian adolescents. Methods: Participants were Grade 10 students attending 28 Australian government high schools (n=1,688). An online survey (2011) collected data regarding: sexual intercourse (past year), condom use and 14 individual and environmental resilience protective factors. Multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression models examined associations between student condom use and protective factors (total, subscale). Results: Only total environmental protective factors remained in the final total score model; students with higher total environmental protective factors scores were 2.59 times more likely to always use a condom(95%CI:1.80-3.74). Only three of 14 protective factor subscales were associated with a higher likelihood of always using a condom in the final subscale model (individual: goals/aspirations; environmental: community participation, pro-social peers). Conclusions: Total environmental and three protective factor subscales demonstrated prominent associations with consistent use of condoms in sexually active adolescents. Implications for public health: Consideration of particular resilience protective factors in adolescent sexual risk behaviour prevention, such as condom use, is warranted.

Worldwide, 10¿20% of adolescents experience mental health problems. Strategies aimed at strengthening resilience protective factors provide a potential approach for reducing mental health problems in adolescents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a universal, school-based intervention targeting resilience protective factors in reducing mental health problems in adolescents. A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in 20 intervention and 12 control secondary schools located in socio-economically disadvantaged areas of NSW, Australia. Data were collected from 3115 students at baseline (Grade 7, 2011), of whom 2149 provided data at follow up (Grade 10, 2014; enrolments in Grades 7 to 10 typically aged 12¿16 years; 50% male; 69.0% retention). There were no significant differences between groups at follow-up for three mental health outcomes: total SDQ, internalising problems, and prosocial behaviour. A small statistically significant difference in favour of the control group was found for externalising problems. Findings highlight the continued difficulties in developing effective, school-based prevention programs for mental health problems in adolescents. Trial registration ANZCTR (Ref no: ACTRN12611000606987).

Universal school-based interventions that address adolescent ¿resilience¿ may represent a means of reducing adolescent substance use, however previous systematic reviews have not examined the effectiveness of such an intervention approach. A systematic review was undertaken to 1) assess whether universal school-based ¿resilience¿ interventions are effective in reducing the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol or illicit substance use by adolescents, and 2) describe such effectiveness per intervention characteristic subgroups. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed reports (1994¿2015) of randomised controlled trials including participants aged 5¿18¿years that reported adolescent tobacco, alcohol or illicit substance use, and implemented a universal school-based ¿resilience¿ intervention (i.e. those addressing both individual (e.g. self-esteem) and environmental (e.g. school connectedness) protective factors of resilience). Trial effects for binary outcomes were synthesised via meta-analyses and effect sizes reported as odds ratios. Subgroup (by intervention type, prevention approach, setting, intervention duration, follow-up length) and sensitivity analyses (excluding studies at high risk of bias) were conducted. Nineteen eligible studies were identified from 16,619 records (tobacco: n¿=¿15, alcohol: n¿=¿17, illicit: n¿=¿11). An overall intervention effect was found for binary measures of illicit substance use (n¿=¿10; OR: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.6¿0.93, p¿=¿0.007,Tau2¿=¿0.0, I2¿=¿0%), but not tobacco or alcohol use. A similar result was found when studies assessed as high risk of bias were excluded. Overall intervention effects were evident for illicit substance use within multiple intervention characteristic subgroups, but not tobacco and alcohol. Such results support the implementation of universal school-based interventions that address ¿resilience¿ protective factors to reduce adolescent illicit substance use, however suggest alternate approaches are required for tobacco and alcohol use. PROSPERO registration: CRD42014004906.

Objective To examine the effect of universal, school-based, resilience-focused interventions on mental health problems in children and adolescents. Method Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of universal, school-based interventions that included strategies to strengthen a minimum of 3 internal resilience protective factors, and included an outcome measure of mental health problems in children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years. Six databases were searched from 1995 to 2015. Results were pooled in meta-analyses by mental health outcome (anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, hyperactivity, conduct problems, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and general psychological distress), for all trials (5-18 years). Subgroup analyses were conducted by age (child: 5-10 years; adolescent: 11-18 years), length of follow-up (short: post-=12 months; long: >12 months), and gender (narrative). Results A total of 57 included trials were identified from 5,984 records, with 49 contributing to meta-analyses. For all trials, resilience-focused interventions were effective relative to a control in reducing 4 of 7 outcomes: depressive symptoms, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and general psychological distress. For child trials (meta-analyses for 6 outcomes), interventions were effective for anxiety symptoms and general psychological distress. For adolescent trials (meta-analyses for 5 outcomes), interventions were effective for internalizing problems. For short-term follow-up, interventions were effective for 2 of 7 outcomes: depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. For long-term follow-up (meta-analyses for 5 outcomes), interventions were effective for internalizing problems. Conclusion The findings may suggest most promise for using universal resilience-focused interventions at least for short-term reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms for children and adolescents, particularly if a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based approach is used. The limited number of trials providing data amenable for meta-analysis for some outcomes and subgroups, the variability of interventions, study quality, and bias mean that it is not possible to draw more specific conclusions. Identifying what intervention qualities (such as number and type of protective factor) achieve the greatest positive effect per mental health problem outcome remains an important area for future research. Systematic review protocol and registration Systematic Review of Universal Resilience Interventions Targeting Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the School Setting; http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13643-015-0172-6; PROSPERO CRD42015025908.

© 2015 Dray et al. Background: The mental health of children and adolescents is a key area of health concern internationally. Previous empirical studies suggest that resilience may act as a protective mechanism towards the development of mental health problems. Resilience refers to the ability to employ a collection of protective factors to return to or maintain positive mental health following disadvantage or adversity. Schools represent a potential setting within which protective factors of all children and adolescents may be fostered through resilience-focussed interventions. Despite this potential, limited research has investigated the effectiveness of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions on mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. The objective of the present review is to assess the effects of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions, relative to a comparison group, on mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. Methods/design: Eligible studies will be randomised (including cluster-randomised) controlled trials of universal interventions explicitly described as resilience-focussed or comprising strategies to strengthen a minimum of three internal protective factors, targeting children aged 5 to 18 years, implemented within schools, and reporting a mental health outcome. Screening for studies will be conducted across six electronic databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Two reviewers will retrieve eligible articles, assess risk of bias, and extract data. Where studies are sufficiently homogenous and reported outcomes are amenable for pooled synthesis, meta-analysis will be performed. Narrative description will be used to synthesise trial outcome data where data cannot be combined or heterogeneity exists. Discussion: This review will aid in building an evidence base for the effectiveness of universal school-based resilience-focussed interventions and in doing so provide an opportunity to better inform the development of interventions to potentially prevent mental health problems in child and adolescent populations. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42015025908