New research shows that a school-based coping skills program improves youth mental health, increases motivation, and enhances academic outcomes—especially for the most vulnerable students.
How can schools proactively support students’ mental health while also improving educational outcomes?
A new working paper, "The Impact of Teaching Coping Skills in Schools on Youth Mental Health and Academic Achievement: Evidence from a Field Experiment," presents experimental evidence on the effects of a teacher-led coping skills curriculum.
The paper is authored by Mari Rege, Edvin Bru, Ingeborg Solli, Maximiliaan Willem Pierre Thorsen Thijssen, Kjersti Tharaldsen, Lene Vestad, Sigrun K. Ertesvåg, Terje Ogden, and Paul Stallard.
Findings
Conducted as a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 1,879 students, the study finds that systematic coping skills instruction leads to:
- Improved mental well-being and reduced emotional distress, particularly among students with lower baseline well-being.
- Increased academic motivation and a higher likelihood of selecting an academic high school track.
- Better math performance, especially for students with initially low motivation.
Why does this matter?
Adolescents worldwide face increasing mental health challenges, and schools are a powerful setting for scalable, preventive interventions. By equipping teachers with tools to strengthen students’ social and emotional skills, we can promote resilience, academic engagement, and long-term well-being.
Curious to learn more? You can access the full paper here: The Impact of Teaching Coping Skills in Schools on Youth Mental Health and Academic Achievement: Evidence from a Field Experiment