PROCARE will be implemented during this academic year in students between 12 and 18 years of age in public and private schools thanks to the agreement signed by the UJA and the Balearic Government’s Department of Education and Vocational Training.
21/03/2023.- Researchers from the Department of Psychology of the University of Jaén (UJA) will start this March a screening to detect emotional problems in students aged 12 to 18 years in the Balearic Islands and to contribute to improve the health and emotional well-being of those who are interested.
In this way, they will implement the PROCARE initiative, which aims to evaluate and provide psychological strategies to emotionally strengthen adolescents who need it.
The launching of PROCARE takes place thanks to the collaboration agreement signed by the Rector of the University of Jaén, Juan Gómez, and the Councilor for Education and Professional Training, Martí X. March. Its purpose is the promotion of coping strategies for adolescents at risk of suffering emotional problems, who are enrolled in public or subsidized schools in the Balearic Islands.
The agreement has been promoted by Amanda Fernandez, General Director of Early Childhood, Innovation and Educational Community, Aina Amengual, Director of the Institute for Coexistence and School Success, and Catherine Adrover, technician of the Institute, thanks to funding from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training through the European Social Fund within the Territorial Cooperation Program for Mental Health. In addition, it has as promoter the UJA professor, Luis Joaquín García, with the support of the Psychology Office, the Research Group of Evaluation and Psychological Treatment HUM-836, the Research Structure EI_HUM18_2023 of the UJA and the PROEM Network.
Within the PROCARE initiative, Luis Joaquín García highlights that “PROCARE+ is a pioneer at international level for being the first selective prevention program aimed at young people between 12 and 18 years of age at risk of suffering emotional problems at a stage conditioned by emotional difficulties after COVID-19”. In turn, PROCARE-I contributes to emotionally helping young people who evidence the first signs of emotional problems.
“The results show a drastic reduction in emotional problems, a significant improvement in subjective quality of life and a greater regulation of emotions among the young participants and their families, at least up to 12 months after the end of the intervention,” indicates Luis Joaquín García. In fact, thanks to PROCARE, more than 1,500 adolescents throughout Spain were helped through an evidence-based screening, assessment and intervention protocol adapted to the needs of young people.
For her part, Amanda Fernandez explains that “the implementation of this agreement arises from the satisfactory result and the good reception among the families and adolescents participating in PROCARE in the 2020-2021 course”. Likewise, she emphasizes “the alarming data detected in the last school year, with an increase in self-harm, suicidal ideations and attempts, and a completed suicide, which highlights the need to offer specific resources towards the emotional well-being of young people and their families”.
Multi-phase implementation
The screening will be carried out in several phases in Balearic schools, which have shown their concern about the decline in the emotional well-being of their students. In the first phase, the adolescent and his or her family will complete a questionnaire on emotional aspects telematically. “This tool will allow us to identify the risk or high risk of suffering from an emotional problem, such as anxiety or depression,” says Luis Joaquín García. “All participants will receive information on the outcome of emotional health and well-being free of charge.”
In the second phase, young people can benefit from a workshop on emotional strengthening and resilience in the face of present and future adversities. In this way, they will learn to cope with risk situations and to enhance their communication skills. They will also receive an additional tailored module on situations that make them feel vulnerable.
Finally, both six months and one year after the end of the workshop, they can carry out reminiscence sessions to consolidate the benefits acquired and evaluate the progress of the participating students on an emotional level.
This initiative is supported by the experience of PROCARE (‘Selective prevention through a transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents at risk of emotional problems’), a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, involving a team of researchers from the UJA, led by Luis Joaquín García, Lourdes Espinosa and José Antonio Muela and Mar Díaz, the researcher from the University of Miami (USA), Jill Ehrenreich-May, as well as a team from the University of Rovira i Virgili, led by researcher Josefa Canals and a team of researchers from the University Miguel Hernández, led by researcher José Antonio Piqueras.
In addition, PROCARE (PID 2019-111138RB-I00/AEI/10. 13039/501100011033) has an External Advisory Board formed by the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE) attached to the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030, the Spanish Youth Council (CJE), the Youth Group of the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, Bisexuals, Intersexuals and more (FELGTBI+), the Confederation of Organizations of Psychopedagogy and Guidance of Spain (COPOE) and the Spanish Association of Mutual Help against Social Phobia and Anxiety Disorders (AMTAES).
