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Mental Health LiteracyPSPNCT07666542

Psychosocial Support Program for Public School Teachers

A study testing Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training, Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support Training and Supervision Sessions in people with Mental Health Literacy and School Mental Health Training of Teachers, run by Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if different formats of a school-based psychosocial support training program can improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The study will include teachers working in public schools in Brazil. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
What is being tested?
Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training, Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support Training and Supervision Sessions
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2,970 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
9 Sep 2026to Dec 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • School-level inclusion criteria
  • Schools must meet the eligibility criteria for at least one of the study implementation cycles:
  • Rio Grande do Sul state-school implementation cycles:
  • Public schools from the state education system of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, serving students in Ensino Fundamental and Ensino Médio (equivalent to grades 1-12), and belonging to Polo 1 or Polo 2, administrative groupings defined by the Rio Grande do Sul State Department of Education that include the following Regional Education Coordinators (Coordenadorias Regionais de Educação [CREs]): 1st, 2nd, 11th, 12th, 27th, and 28th CREs (Polo 1), and 4th, 7th, 15th, 16th, 23rd, 25th, and 39th CREs (Polo 2);
  • Schools with 10 or more teachers on staff.
  • Municipal-school implementation cycle:
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  • Public schools belonging to municipal education systems in participating municipalities in Brazil and included in the municipal implementation cycle of the study.
  • Participant-level inclusion criteria
  • Rio Grande do Sul state-school implementation cycles:
  • School staff currently working in participating public schools.
  • Municipal-school implementation cycle:
  • Teachers currently working in participating municipal public schools.
  • For all implementation cycles:
  • Able and willing to participate in all stages of the intervention and scheduled assessments;
  • Provide informed consent prior to participation.

Who cannot join

  • School-level exclusion criteria
  • Rio Grande do Sul state-school implementation cycles:
  • Schools with fewer than 10 teachers on staff;
  • Youth and Adult Education Centers (Núcleos de Educação de Jovens e Adultos [EJA]);
  • Schools that began operating as full-time schools in 2026;
  • Schools not belonging to Polo 1 or Polo 2 of the state education system of Rio Grande do Sul;
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  • Schools that do not serve students in grades 1-12.
  • Municipal-school implementation cycle:
  • Schools not belonging to a participating municipal education system or not included in the municipal implementation cycle of the study.
  • Participant-level exclusion criteria
  • Not currently working in a participating public school;
  • For the municipal-school implementation cycle, not currently working as a teacher in a participating municipal public school;
  • Unable to participate in the training on the planned date for the school in which the participant works;
  • Decline or are unable to provide informed consent.

Trial locations and contacts

No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Giovanni A. Salum, MD, PhD contact

(+55) 51 3359 8094

gsalum @hcpa.edu.br

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Feasibility of Different Formats of a School-Based Psychosocial Support Program for Public School Teachers: A Randomized Clinical Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if different formats of a school-based psychosocial support training program can improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The study will include teachers working in public schools in Brazil.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Read more
  1. Do teachers who receive the training improve their knowledge on how to better to identify and support students with mental health difficulties?
  2. Do different formats of training (synchronous online or self-paced) and the presence of supervision lead to different levels of improvement in this knowledge, in attitudes related to mental health, and helping behaviors?

Researchers will compare three versions of the program (synchronous online with supervision sessions, synchronous online without supervision sessions, and asynchronous format) to see which approach is more effective, acceptable, and feasible.

Participants will:

  1. Take part in a training program delivered online or through self-paced materials;
  2. In some groups, attend additional supervision sessions to discuss real-life cases;
  3. Receive brief follow-up materials through mobile messages after the training
  4. Complete online questionnaires at multiple time points (before the training, during the program, after completion, and at follow-up).

The study will measure changes in teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to supporting students' mental health, as well as satisfaction with the program and its feasibility for large-scale implementation.

It will include teachers from the state education system of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and public schools from municipal education systems in participating municipalities in the same country

Being tested
Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training, Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support Training, Supervision Sessions, Mobile-Based Reinforcement Materials
Keywords
School Mental Health, Psychosocial Support, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Teacher Professional Development, Mental Health Promotion, Education Policy

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Online School-Based Psychosocial Support TrainingBehavioural

    A structured training program designed to improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The intervention includes evidence-based content on mental health literacy, identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties, and appropriate support and referral strategies. The training is delivered trough synchronous videoconference in two weekly sessions.

  • Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support TrainingBehavioural

    A structured training program designed to improve teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' mental health needs. The intervention includes evidence-based content on mental health literacy, identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties, and appropriate support and referral strategies. The training is delivered through an asynchronous self-paced course in a digital platform.

  • Supervision SessionsBehavioural

    Structured small-group supervision sessions conducted via audio calls, focused on discussion of real-life cases, clarification of concepts, and support for practical application of the training content.

  • Mobile-Based Reinforcement MaterialsBehavioural

    Brief follow-up materials delivered via mobile messaging to reinforce key concepts covered in the training sessions.

Study groups in NCT07666542
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Arm 1: Online Training + SupervisionExperimentalParticipants receive two synchronous online training sessions (via videoconference), followed by two supervision sessions (audio-based, small group) focused on case discussion and practical application. Participants also receive brief follow-up materials via mobile messages.
Receives: Behavioral: Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training; Behavioral: Supervision Sessions; Behavioral: Mobile-Based Reinforcement Materials
Arm 2: Online Training OnlyExperimentalParticipants receive two synchronous online training sessions (via videoconference) without additional supervision. Participants also receive brief follow-up materials via mobile messages.
Receives: Behavioral: Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training; Behavioral: Mobile-Based Reinforcement Materials
Arm 3: Asynchronous Training (Control Condition)Active comparatorParticipants receive the same training content delivered in a fully asynchronous, self-paced format through digital materials, without live sessions or supervision.
Receives: Behavioral: Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support Training

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in the score in the Mental health Knowledge & Attitudes Questionnaire

    Psychosocial support skills knowledge and attitudes will be assessed using a multiple choice instrument (Mental health Knowledge \& Attitudes Questionnaire) developed for this study and previously piloted in a sample of teachers. Scores will range from 0 to 100%, reflecting the percentage of correct responses.

    Measured: Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2)

Secondary outcomes (8)

  1. Early and Sustained change in the score in the Mental health Knowledge & Attitudes Questionnaire

    Same instrument used in the primary outcome

    Measured: Baseline (T0) to after the second training session (approximately 1 week after baseline)/after ending of the asynchronous training (T1); Baseline (T0) to 1-month follow-up (T3)

  2. Appropriate Response to a Student Mental Health Concern: Open-Ended Classroom Scenario

    Participants are asked to recall a recent situation in their classroom in which they noticed behaviors in a student that raised a possible concern about the student's mental health or psychosocial well-being. Participants provide an open-ended description of the situation and the behaviors they observed and describe what, if anything, they did to support the student.

    Responses will be evaluated to determine whether the actions described by the participant are considered appropriate (1) or not (0) based on the principles taught in the training. This assessment will be blind to the allocation group. The percentage of responses classified as appropriate will be calculated and compared across the three intervention arms.

    The recall period varies by assessment time point: at T1 and T2, situations occurring during the past week; and at T3, situations occurring during the past month.

    Measured: after the second training session (approximately 1 week after baseline)/after ending of the asynchronous training (T1); post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2); 1-month follow-up (T3)

  3. Self-rated knowledge

    Assessed using two self-report items developed for this study. One item assesses participants' perceived knowledge of mental health, rated on a five-point scale from very poor to excellent. A second item assesses participants' confidence in their ability to identify students with psychosocial or mental health difficulties, rated on a five-point scale from not at all confident to extremely confident. Higher scores indicate greater self-rated knowledge and confidence. Participants may also select prefer not to answer.

    Measured: baseline (T0); after the second training session (approximately 1 week after baseline)/after ending of the asynchronous training (T1); post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2); 1-month follow-up (T3)

  4. Changes in helping behaviors toward students

    Assessed using a retrospective self-report scale developed to capture mental health-related helping behaviors toward students ("Helping Behaviors Scale"), including identifying emotional distress, providing support, and facilitating referral to appropriate services. The scale includes five items describing specific helping behaviors. Each item is rated as yes, no, or does not apply. Higher endorsement indicates a greater number of supportive actions taken by the respondent in the past week.

    Measured: Baseline (T0) to after the second training session (approximately 1 week after baseline)/after ending of the asynchronous training (T1); Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2); Baseline (T0) to 1-month follow-up (T3)

  5. Change in the levels of teacher burnout

    Teacher burnout will be assessed using the 12-item version of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-12), a self-report questionnaire developed to assess burnout as a multidimensional psychological syndrome. It evaluates four core dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive impairment, and emotional impairment. Each item is rated on a five-point frequency scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always). A total burnout score will be calculated as the mean of the 12 items, with higher scores indicating greater burnout symptoms.

    Measured: Baseline (T0); after the second training session (approximately 1 week after baseline)/after ending of the asynchronous training (T1); post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2); 1-month follow-up (T3)

  6. Training acceptability & satisfaction

    Assessed using a post-training self-report questionnaire developed for this study. The questionnaire includes one item assessing perceived adequacy of training length, rated as too short, about right, or too long; one item assessing whether the training included sufficient practice of the skills taught, rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Higher ratings indicate greater satisfaction with the training components. An optional open-ended item collects additional qualitative feedback about the training.

    Measured: Post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2)

  7. Cost-effectiveness of the intervention

    Cost-effectiveness will be calculated as the cost per improvement unit in the Mental health Knowledge \& Attitudes Questionnaire described previously

    Measured: Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2)

  8. Change in Proficiency in Discriminating Levels of Student Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Need

    This outcome will be assessed only in the subsample of participants working as teachers. Participants will complete a 16-vignette form of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Vignette Bank (MHPS-VB). For each vignette, participants select the most appropriate response from four ordered levels of action: observe and remain available, provide school-based support and accommodations, refer to a mental health professional, or act immediately to ensure safety.

    Proficiency is defined as the probability of correctly ordering two students one severity level apart. It is expressed as a probability, with higher values indicating greater ability to distinguish between students with different levels of mental health and psychosocial support need.

    Measured: Baseline (T0); after the second training session (approximately 1 week after baseline)/after completion of the asynchronous training (T1); post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2); and 1-month follow-up (T3).

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Jun 2026
  2. Study start9 Sep 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completionNov 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
This is a three-arm, parallel-group, cluster-randomized trial. Schools are the unit of randomization, with one to nine school staff members per school participating in the trial, including teachers and school management personnel. The three arms differ based on delivery format (synchronous online, or asynchronous) and the presence or absence of supervision. Two groups receive synchronous online training, with or without additional supervision sessions, while one group receives the same content delivered in an asynchronous format only. The intervention duration ranges from 2 to 4 weeks depending on the assigned condition. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, during the intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up (1 month after post-intervention assessment). The study is designed to compare the effectiveness, acceptability, and feasibility of different delivery formats and supervision components.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
2,970 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07666542
Sponsor's protocol ID
95402126.0.0000.5327
Acronym
PSP
Status last verified
Sep 2026
First submitted
1 Jun 2026
Last updated
5 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in this study (including data dictionaries) will be made available to qualified researchers. Data will be shared after publication of the primary results, upon reasonable request and subject to approval by the study investigators. Requests will be evaluated based on scientific merit, feasibility, and ethical considerations. Data will be provided in a de-identified format to ensure participant confidentiality and compliance with applicable data protection regulations.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Online School-Based Psychosocial Support Training, Asynchronous School-Based Psychosocial Support Training and Supervision Sessions in people with Mental Health Literacy and School Mental Health Training of Teachers, run by Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 15 inclusion and 14 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Giovanni A. Salum, MD, PhD ((+55) 51 3359 8094, gsalum @hcpa.edu.br), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in the score in the Mental health Knowledge & Attitudes Questionnaire (time frame: Baseline (T0) to post-intervention at 2-4 weeks (T2)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07666542.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Oct 2026.

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