Country
Work Package 1
8) Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE)
The SEYLE study is a multicentre, cluster-randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate three school-based interventions aimed at reducing risk behaviours and promoting mental health among adolescents across Europe. It was funded under the EU’s FP7 Health Programme (grant no. HEALTH-F2-2009-223091) and coordinated by Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
The study was conducted across 11 countries—Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel (non-EU), Italy, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain – with Sweden serving as the scientific coordinating centre.
Type of Study
A school-based randomized controlled trial (cluster RCT) comparing 3 active interventions versus a minimal intervention control group.
Data Collection
Self-administered structured questionnaires were completed at baseline and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups in each country. The approximately 127-item instrument included validated mental health scales along with items on risky and health-related behaviours. Teachers and staff were also assessed through separate questionnaires addressing mental health knowledge and attitudes.
Sample Size
Approximately 11,000 adolescents aged 14–16 years (mean age 14.8 ± 0.8 years) were recruited from around 168 schools. The study targeted approximately 250 pupils per intervention arm per country (1,000 per country in total).
Sample Size Characteristics
Adolescents aged 14–16 years (mean age 14.8 years), including both sexes. The sample represented a range of risk-behaviour profiles, with clusters identified as low-risk (58%), “invisible” risk (29%), and high-risk (13%).
Measurement of Mental Health
- Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
- Paykel Suicide Scale (PSS).
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
- WHO Well-being Scale (WHO-5).
- Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI).
- Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS).
- Sheldon Cohen’s 10-Item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), plus a question about previous suicide attempt.
Cohort Profile Available
Yes. Wasserman D et al. Saving and empowering young lives in Europe (SEYLE): a randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, Volume 10, Issue 192, apr 2010, DOI:10.1186/1471-2458-10-192.
Key Publications
- Wasserman D. Review of health and risk-behaviours, mental health problems and suicidal behaviours in young Europeans on the basis of the results from the EU-funded Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) study. Psychiatr Pol, Volume 50 Issue 6, 1093-1107, Dec 2016, DOI:10.12740/PP/66954.
- Wasserman D et al. School-based suicide prevention programmes: the SEYLE cluster-randomised, controlled trial. The Lancet, Volume 385, Issue 9977, 1536 – 1544, DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61213-7.
- Kahn JP et al. Important Variables When Screening for Students at Suicidal Risk: Findings from the French Cohort of the SEYLE Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health, Volume 12, Issue 10, Sep 2015, DOI:10.3390/ijerph121012277.
Open Access
The SEYLE dataset is not publicly available. Access to individual-level data is restricted and typically requires collaboration with the study consortium or a formal data request subject to approval.
Contact For Collaboration and Possible Access
Collaboration requests are typically directed to key investigators:
- Vladimir Carli (Karolinska Institutet)
vladimir.carli@ki.se - Other senior investigators you may contact (often corresponding authors):
- Danuta Wasserman (PI / coordinator)
- Christina W. Hoven