Promoting Mental Health in Adolescents: “Teens Mental+”, a Nursing Intervention Program Based in the Positive Mental Health Model

Abstract

Adolescence is a life stage characterized by significant physical and emotional changes in which the opportunity to enhance protective mental health factors is crucial. Evidence shows that psychoemotional well-being at this stage has worsened in recent years, being a time of special vulnerability for mental health problems. Positive mental health (PMH) is understood as the mental health of healthy individuals built on optimizing overall well-being through the acquisition of psychosocial competences. In this sense, it seemed timely to develop an original program to promote PMH in adolescents, since there are no structured and validated programs in this area focused on this population. This article presents a nursing intervention protocol aimed at promoting PMH in adolescents based on Lluch’s multifactorial model. The program addresses its six factors: Personal Satisfaction; Prosocial Attitude; Self-Control; Autonomy; Problem Solving and Interpersonal Relationship Skills. The PMH Program arises as a response to the need to implement the mental health promotion in adolescents through an integrated model in three sessions, which can be systematically dynamized by health providers, through standardized procedures and adjusted to the adolescent’s needs. Interventions in educational centers have proven to be the ideal setting for these interventions.