What do we know about school mental health promotion programmes for children and youth?

There are numerous studies of school mental health promotion and primary prevention and many reviews of these studies; however, no clear consensus statement has emerged regarding school mental health promotion other than that child mental health is an important area that should be addressed in schools. This integrative review seeks to address this gap. How should mental health promotion be addressed in schools and what approaches work best? Using an integrative review approach, two authors searched 11 selected databases, and hand searched an additional 15 promising journals to answer the question: 'What is the state of school-based mental health promotion literature reviews published in selected databases in the English language from 1998 to 2010?' Findings suggest a whole school approach focusing on mental health promotion rather than on mental illness prevention is effective in promoting child and youth mental health. However, study populations are limited and many studies either lack clarity regarding who implemented interventions, lack theoretical foundations, process evaluations or youth viewpoints.