Testing the Effects of Project Calm in Ukrainian Schools

The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a universal, digital, single-session intervention for youth mental health, functioning, and well-being, when implemented with Ukrainian children and adolescents. The intervention teaches well-established procedures that research has shown to be effective in helping American children calm themselves and regulate emotions, including slowed breathing and peaceful mental imagery. The intervention has not been tested previously with Ukrainian students. Participants will be provided access to this brief online program as part of the school curriculum. Students will be randomly assigned to receive the digital program either immediately or after 2 months. This 2-month lag will allow for evaluating the effectiveness of Project Calm in improving students' mental health, well-being, and self-calming skills. This will also allow for evaluating the effectiveness of such an intervention for war-exposed youths for whom these interventions may be especially helpful given the gap between these children's needs for mental health services and the very limited availability of clinicians