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Applying School as a Protective Factor in the Icelandic Prevention Model
Anne Abbott1, Megan Lorraine Smith1, Meredith Spivak1
1Boise State University, School of Public and Population Health, Boise, Idaho, USA.
The Journal of School Health
|September 17, 2025
Summary
The School as a Protective Factor (SPF) framework effectively reduced adolescent depression rates by 42% in a rural school district over three years. This highlights the importance of school environments and academic-community partnerships for youth mental health.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent mental health research
- School-based health interventions
- Educational psychology
Background:
- K-12 environments significantly impact adolescent well-being.
- Measuring and addressing social environments in schools presents challenges.
- The School as a Protective Factor (SPF)-Framework and Brief instrument were developed to address these measurement gaps.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the application of the SPF-Framework in an academic-community partnership.
- To assess the effectiveness of SPF in a small, rural public school district.
Main Methods:
- A school-based survey administered to middle and high school students from 2022 to 2025.
- Tracking key risk and protective factors, including SPF measures.
- Monitoring health outcomes such as depression and suicidal ideation.
- Annual sharing of SPF data with school employees to guide environmental improvements.
Main Results:
- SPF was significantly associated with reduced rates of depression and suicidal ideation.
- Population-level depression rates decreased from 66% to 24% over the three-year study period.
Conclusions:
- The SPF-Framework and Brief instrument are valuable tools for school-based youth mental health initiatives.
- Academic-school partnerships facilitate effective data collection, analysis, and implementation of interventions.
- SPF tools promote shared understanding, guide action, and measure progress in improving school environments.
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