Feasibility & Acceptability of a Culturally Adapted Socio Emotional Learning Intervention for Pakistani Adolescents

NCT07434531 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 0839/Ethic/07S3H/87/DBS
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The aim of the study is to improve socioemotional learning skills of adolescents in public school settings of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of culturally adapted social and emotional learning intervention through feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial. In the current study, 4 schools will be randomized to intervention and control arms, stratified by gender. The study participants will be adolescents studying in government schools.

Conditions

Mental Health

Keywords

adolescent mental health; socioemotional skills; helping adolescent thrive; feasibility; acceptability; randomized controlled trial

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Social Emotional Abilities and Learning (SEAL)

  It is 36 items tool designed to measure socioemotional abilities of adolescents. The items are rated on three-point Likert scale, where yes has the highest score (2), No has the score of (1) and maybe has the lowest score of (0) (UNICEF, 2021).Higher scores indicate stronger socio-emotional knowledge, skills, and positive practices, while lower scores indicate poorer socio-emotional competencies and awareness.

  From baseline to one day post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Pediatric Symptoms Checklist

  from baseline to one day post-intervention

• Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)

  From baseline to one day post-intervention

• Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWS)

  from baseline to one day post-intervention

• Bullying Victimization Questionnaire

  from baseline to one day post-intervention

• Study Specific Feasibility Assessment Questionnaire

  one day post intervention

Study Arms (2)

Magnificent Mei & Friends Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

It is a multicomponent universal intervention that has been designed to promote socioemotional life skills among adolescents 10-14. Based on evidence based effective program components, the intervention has potential to improve adolescent mental health and reduce risky behavior. It is resource-effective where the facilitator learns skills through self-study and reflection. The intervention comprises empirically supported strategies, delivered via group sessions in classroom. Each session is further subdivided; the individual subdivided session lasts from 20 minutes to 30 minutes. The intervention material consists of 1. Magnificent Mei and Friends Comic Series 2. Facilitator's Guide to the Magnificent Mei \& Friends Comic Series. The comics represent life scenarios and situations young adolescents face in their daily lives. With the help of the comics, the facilitator teaches social and emotional skills to adolescents.

Behavioral: Magnificent Mei & Friends Comic Series

Enhanced Treatment-as-usual

NO INTERVENTION

Mental health services are not available in public schools of Pakistan to promote mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents; therefore, the treatment as usual across both arms will be enhanced by conducting a 40 minutes awareness raising seminar on promoting mental health among adolescents through schools. In these seminars the teachers and adolescents will receive mental health awareness information from the study lead.

Interventions

Magnificent Mei & Friends Comic Series BEHAVIORAL

It is a multicomponent universal intervention that has been designed to promote socioemotional life skills among adolescents 10-14. Based on evidence-based effective program components, the intervention has potential to improve adolescent mental health and reduce risky behavior. It is resource-effective where the facilitator learns skills through self-study and reflection. The intervention comprises empirically supported strategies, delivered via group sessions in classroom. Each session is further subdivided; the individual subdivided session lasts from 20 minutes to 30 minutes. The intervention material consists of 1. Magnificent Mei and Friends Comic Series 2. Facilitator's Guide to the Magnificent Mei \& Friends Comic Series. The comics represent life scenarios and situations young adolescents face in their daily lives. With the help of the comics, the facilitator teaches social and emotional skills to adolescents.

Magnificent Mei & Friends Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 14 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Students enrolled in Grade 6
• Present at school on the day of the baseline assessment, the endpoint outcome assessment, or both

You may not qualify if:

• The adolescents will be excluded if the they
• are at high risk of imminent suicide as reported by the students themselves or parents/primary caregivers, or identified by the trained assessment team during assessments.
• have acute medical conditions who require immediate or ongoing inpatient medical or psychiatric care, as reported by students themselves or parents/primary caregivers or identified by the trained assessment team during assessments.
• have deafness, blindness and speech difficulties or with severe mental, neurological or substance use disorders (e.g., psychosis, mutism, intellectual disability, autism or drug dependence) identified by the trained assessment team during assessments.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National University of Science and Technology, Pakistan: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Sitwat Usman Langrial

  National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan

  STUDY CHAIR

• Joanna Lai

  United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Sitwat Usman Langrial, PhD

CONTACT

+92-335-9928019; Sitwat@s3h.nust.edu.pk

Syeda Wajeeha Zafar, MS

CONTACT

+92-334-9761086; wajeehazafar2010@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD candidate

Model Details: The present study will be a feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial, in which 4 schools will be randomized to intervention and control arms, stratified by gender.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 8, 2026
• First Posted: February 25, 2026
• Study Start: February 23, 2026
• Primary Completion: February 23, 2026
• Study Completion: March 10, 2026
• Last Updated: February 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share