The Effectiveness of the Hopeful Minds Intervention Program in Reducing Depressive Symptoms: A Study on Adolescents in Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Mental health issues among adolescents have been increasing recently. Specific interventions are needed to reduce the rising trend of depression in the country, especially among adolescents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hopeful Minds Intervention Program among adolescents.

Method: This study used an experimental research design to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hopeful Minds Intervention Program among adolescents in Sarawak. A total of 100 adolescents, aged 13, participated in this 10-week study. They were randomly divided into intervention (n=50) and control groups (n=50). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) was used to measure overall depressive symptoms, as well as the depressive affect and somatic symptoms subscales. Participants completed the CES-D instrument both pre- and post-intervention. The effectiveness of the intervention was analyzed using ANOVA by comparing the mean effects between the intervention and control groups for the overall depressive symptoms score, depressive affect subscale, and somatic symptoms subscale.

Results: The Hopeful Minds Intervention Program significantly reduced the overall depressive symptoms score and the somatic symptoms subscale in the intervention group.

Discussion: These findings align with previous evidence supporting the benefits of school-based mental health programs. It also suggested that a structured intervention grounded in emotional regulation and the Theory of Hope can be delivered effectively in a school setting. Despite the facilitator lacking a mental health professional background, the program produced meaningful improvements, highlighting its scalability and practicality for implementation by trained educators.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the intervention program was effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Several recommendations are proposed to improve future studies.