Research Shows No Significant Additional Benefits from Popular Children's Mental Health Program

A recent study conducted by researchers from The University of Manchester has evaluated the effectiveness of a widely-used mental health intervention program for children, known as Passport: Skills for Life. The findings suggest that this program may not provide added benefits over existing social and emotional learning (SEL) curricula already implemented in primary schools.

The study, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, involved over 2,400 children across 62 primary schools in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas. Schools that adopted the Passport program, which consists of 18 weekly lessons aimed at helping children aged 9 to 11 manage their emotions, handle stress, and develop healthy relationships, were compared to schools continuing their usual teaching methods.

Designed to improve emotional regulation, social skills, and overall mental well-being, the program was delivered by trained teachers. Despite its thoughtful design, the research indicated that children participating in the Passport lessons did not experience significant improvements in mental health symptoms, emotional regulation, well-being, or bullying prevention compared to their peers in control schools.

One possible explanation for these results is the overlap between Passport content and existing school curricula, as nearly two-thirds of teachers reported that they were already using similar SEL programs prior to the study. Additionally, around 60% of the content in Passport was similar to lessons already in place. Experts suggest that the gains in children's mental health may be hard to measure when programs are similar to existing efforts.

Professor Neil Humphrey highlighted that, considering the advancements in SEL education over the past decades, new programs like Passport face a high standard for demonstrating additional impact. The study also raises questions about the cultural transferability of interventions developed outside of the UK, such as Passport, which originated in Canada.

The research team plans to continue analyzing their data, exploring whether the program might have long-term benefits, work better for specific groups of children, or offer good value for money. Overall, the results underscore the existing quality of mental health education in UK schools and suggest a need for further investigation into which programs are truly effective.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-extra-benefit-children-mental-health.html