Project CRATERS is a youth participatory action research project to develop, pilot, implement and evaluate a peer-led, teen mental health promotion intervention. Project CRATERS addresses the need to expand mental health services for Iowa teens beyond treatment facilities to include community-level and peer supports, particularly to emphasize prevention and promotion as current services focus more on treatment and lack the full cascade of evidence-based supports. Primarily developed by Iowa teens, for Iowa teens, CRATERS includes 4 modules:
(1) It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (define mental health, discuss stigma, understand how to describe emotions, and how to recognize changes to one’s mental health state and wellbeing)
(2) Building Hope, Resilience, and Healthy Habits (discuss and practice strategies to foster resilience, optimism, self-awareness, and positive coping mechanisms)
(3) Mental Health in Relationships (explore and practice strategies to navigate various relationships while prioritizing their mental health and fostering healthy, supportive connections)
(4) How to Support Others (model and discuss strategies to support friends and peers facing mental health challenge).
The overarching goal of Project CRATERS is to implement and evaluate an evidence-informed, group-level mental health promotion intervention targeted and tailored for Iowa teens.
| Participants | Required Activities | Products | Expected Outcomes | Overall Impact |
| Teen Working Group and UI students | -Monthly Meetings -Curriculum Development -Strategic planning for implementation and evaluation -Participation/Implementation of integrated curriculum
| -Intervention Curriculum & Implementation Guide, Digital and Print Materials -Pre- and post-test assessment data from intervention delivery with validated tools | -Content creation- prevention messaging; integrated curricula products (content and process) -Increased Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes Self-efficacy, Coping skills, Positive outlook | Improved mental health of teens in Iowa (Johnson County initial focus)
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Outcomes to date: Outcomes to date include: (a) establishing and building capacity of a teen working group to engage in youth participatory action research, (b) mobilizing and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students to gain knowledge and skills regarding youth participatory action research, intervention development, and implementation science, (c) developing CRATERS module structure, training materials including slides and worksheets, and outlining facilitator guide, (d) partnering with Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Johnson County Public Health and other campus and community stakeholders
NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.
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