Gergo Hadlaczky*, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Vladimir Carli*, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Michael Westerlund*, Karolinska University, Stockholm, Sweden Danuta Wasserman, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Track: Research Presentation Topic: Collaborative biomedical research, academic / scholarly communication, publishing and peer review Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Last modified: 2012-09-12

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Background: Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the third leading cause of death among people aged below 25. Globally, there are nearly a million deaths from suicide every year -- roughly one every 40 seconds. Mental health promotion is a central aspect of the battle against suicide and mental ill-health. The internet and the media are effective tools for disseminating information and education to adolescents and improving their mental health and well-being. In 2011 there were 2.1 billion Internet users world-wide (Internet World Stats 2011). In a random sample of over 3000 American adults, it was found that 58% of the Internet users reported searching for health information for themselves (Atkinson et al. 2009). Objectives: The main objective of the SUPREME project is to develop a website aimed at mental health promotion and to investigate its efficacy. A secondary goal is to compare two different strategies for promoting the use of the website: one where peers are the main promoters and another where the promotion is done by mental health professionals. This European Union funded study comprises 7 European countries: Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Lithuania and Sweden. Both hypotheses are tested in all participating countries, with all relevant materials translated and culturally adapted to each countries primary language (i.e. intervention website, workshop protocol, questionnaires etc.).
Methods: Adolescents are approached in a random sample of schools, in each of the participating European Union countries, yielding a total of 2100 participants. The schools are in turn randomized into control, and intervention with pro referral, and intervention with peer referral conditions. A quasi-experimental minimal-treatment control group design with pre-, post- and follow-up measures is used to test the efficacy of the intervention. Participants are exposed to a minimal intervention and gain access to a mental health promotion website. The effects of the website are compared to a control group which receives minimal intervention, but no website access. The performance of two dissemination techniques are tested by a design where participants are randomized into two workshop-groups, where each workshop is identical with all regards except that one is led by peers, while the other by mental health professionals. Recruitment-rates following the workshops are compared.
Research hypotheses: The following hypotheses are tested in the SUPREME study: psychological well-being of people using the website will increase significantly; the increase in well-being will be significantly correlated with website activity on behalf of the user; there will be a significant difference in the number adolescents recruited by peers vs pro-referral groups.