Award Title: Calibration and utility of ARTEMIS-A: a web application for early identification of mental health difficulties in secondary schools.
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: The problem: More young people are experiencing poor mental health, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. They struggle to cope in school and socially, while many also have poorer physical health. These negative outcomes can be prevented or reduced if young people at risk are identified and receive the right support promptly.      The solution: To help secondary schools identify young people who may need additional support for their mental health, we developed a web application (app) called ARTEMIS-A. The app is a mental health assessment which has been co-produced with school staff and pupils to ensure it is appealing and easy to use. ARTEMIS-A contains 106 questions but uses mathematical calculations (the algorithm) to select just 7-14 questions for each user. Therefore, it only takes 3-5 minutes to complete the ARTEMIS-A assessment. The score is calculated automatically and pupil s report is given immediately, so it is much quicker and easier for schools to use than many standard psychological questionnaires.       This project: In this study, we will:   (1) Test if ARTEMIS-A can correctly spot young people in need of support;    (2) Test is ARTEMIS-A is as good at spotting young people in need of support as a paper-based test (called the DAWBA), which is commonly used by psychologists and psychiatrists;   (3) Find out what young people, parents, school staff and mental health professionals think about using ARTEMIS-A in schools.      Patient and Public Involvement: We will work with young people and school staff to ensure that outputs are appropriate and meaningful. We will invite two young people into the research team through Leaders-Unlocked. As lay-co-researchers, they will work with us at every stage of the research process with support and training from the research team. We will ask 3-4 members of school staff to advise us on study procedures, review participant materials, and help raise awareness of the study and to help us produce social media content, speak at teacher conferences.      Next steps: Once we confirm that ARTEMIS-A correctly spot young people with mental health difficulties and is acceptable to pupils and school staff, we will set up a social enterprise to distribute it to school at the lowest cost.

Lay Abstract: The problem: More young people are experiencing poor mental health, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. They struggle to cope in school and socially, while many also have poorer physical health. These negative outcomes can be prevented or reduced if young people at risk are identified and receive the right support promptly.      The solution: To help secondary schools identify young people who may need additional support for their mental health, we developed a web application (app) called ARTEMIS-A. The app is a mental health assessment which has been co-produced with school staff and pupils to ensure it is appealing and easy to use. ARTEMIS-A contains 106 questions but uses mathematical calculations (the algorithm) to select just 7-14 questions for each user. Therefore, it only takes 3-5 minutes to complete the ARTEMIS-A assessment. The score is calculated automatically and pupil s report is given immediately, so it is much quicker and easier for schools to use than many standard psychological questionnaires.       This project: In this study, we will:   (1) Test if ARTEMIS-A can correctly spot young people in need of support;    (2) Test is ARTEMIS-A is as good at spotting young people in need of support as a paper-based test (called the DAWBA), which is commonly used by psychologists and psychiatrists;   (3) Find out what young people, parents, school staff and mental health professionals think about using ARTEMIS-A in schools.      Patient and Public Involvement: We will work with young people and school staff to ensure that outputs are appropriate and meaningful. We will invite two young people into the research team through Leaders-Unlocked. As lay-co-researchers, they will work with us at every stage of the research process with support and training from the research team. We will ask 3-4 members of school staff to advise us on study procedures, review participant materials, and help raise awareness of the study and to help us produce social media content, speak at teacher conferences.      Next steps: Once we confirm that ARTEMIS-A correctly spot young people with mental health difficulties and is acceptable to pupils and school staff, we will set up a social enterprise to distribute it to school at the lowest cost.

Research Activity Codes: 7.3 MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING;4.2 EVALUATION OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Health Categories: MENTAL HEALTH