ABSTRACT
Evaluated whether a universal school-based program, designed to prevent depression in adolescents, could be effectively implemented within the constraints of the school environment. Participants were 260 Year 9 secondary school students. Students completed measures of depressive symptoms and hopelessness and were then assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (a) Resourceful Adolescent Program-Adolescents (RAP-A), an 11-session school-based resilience building program, as part of the school curriculum; (b) Resourceful Adolescent Program-Family (RAP-F), the same program as in RAP-A, but in which each student's parents were also invited to participate in a 3-session parent program; and (c) Adolescent Watch, a comparison group in which adolescents simply completed the measures. The program was implemented with a high recruitment (88%), low attrition rate (5.8%), and satisfactory adherence to program protocol. Adolescents in either of the RAP programs reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptomatology and hopelessness at post-intervention and 10-month follow-up, compared with those in the comparison group. Adolescents also reported high satisfaction with the program. The study provides evidence for the efficacy of a school-based universal program designed to prevent depression in adolescence.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Depression/prevention & control , School Health Services/organization & administration , Adolescent , Child , Depression/diagnosis , Depression/psychology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Program Evaluation , School Health Services/standards , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
The eyestalk of the land crab, Gecarcinus lateralis, is rich in Met-enkephalin-like materials. Leu-enkephalin, if present, is at a level which is below the sensitivity of our assay. The brain (cerebral ganglion) of this organism contains both Met- and Leu-enkephalin-like materials. Material which was reactive with our Met-enkephalin antibody was also detected in a peak that migrated after Leu-enkephalin. This biochemical study confirms earlier immunohistochemical reports which indicated that opioid substances are present in crustaceans. It also strongly supports the concept that opioid mechanisms are a product of early evolution and further demonstrates that the sequence of the smaller opioid compounds has been conserved.
