JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Background:

Digital prevention programs that are delivered in the school environment can inoculate young people against depression. However, little is known about the school-based factors that help and hinder the implementation of these programs. School staff are integral to supporting mental health programs in schools and are likely to have a wealth of expertise and knowledge about the factors that affect implementation.

Objective:

Objective:

The primary objective of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to implementing a digital depression prevention program in Australian secondary schools with teachers, counsellors, and principals. The secondary objective was to explore variation in these factors across different school contexts, including school type (government or non-government), location (capital city, regional, or rural), and socio-economic status (low, medium, high).

Methods:

Methods:

This quantitative cross-sectional survey study assessed the barriers and facilitators to implementing a hypothetical digital prevention program in Australian schools. Ninety-seven teachers (Mage = 38.3), 93 counsellors (Mage = 39.4), and 11 principals (Mage = 50.91) across New South Wales, Australia, responded to the surveys between November 2017 and July 2018.

Results:

Results:

A range of barriers and facilitators relating to logistics and resourcing, staff support, and program factors were endorsed by the surveyed staff. Consistent with prior research, common barriers included a lack of time and resources (i.e., staffing and rooms). These barriers were particularly evident in government, rural/regional, and low socioeconomic schools. Other barriers were specific to digital delivery, including privacy issues and a lack of clarity around staff roles and responsibilities. Facilitators included upskilling staff through training, embedding the program into the curriculum, and other program factors including universal delivery, screening of students’ mental health, and clear referral pathways. Knowledge about program efficacy was also perceived as important by a large proportion of respondents.

Conclusions:

Conclusions:

The digital depression prevention program was perceived as suitable for use within different schools in Australia, although certain factors need to be considered to enable effective implementation. Logistics and resourcing, support, and program factors were identified as particularly important for school-based implementation. To maximise the effectiveness in the delivery of digital programs, implementation may need to be tailored to staff role and school type.