Background: Mental health issues have become more prevalent among institutionalised adolescents. Therefore an effective intervention programme is needed to improve their mental health.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Super Skills for Life (SSL) programme in improving the mental wellbeing of institutionalised adolescents and determine the factors associated with their mental wellbeing.
Methods: A quasi-experimental study involving 80 female institutionalised adolescents divided into intervention and control groups was conducted. Intervention involved implementation of the SSL programme. The effectiveness of the programme was evaluated based on several outcome parameters.
Results: Factors including age, number of family members, perceived social support and self-esteem had significant correlations with mental wellbeing of participants. The SSL programme significantly improved the anxiety and stress levels of participants.
Conclusion: SSL programme exclusively improves the mental wellbeing in institutionalised adolescents.
Keywords: adolescents; cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT); detention settings; mental health; super skills for life (SSL) programme.