Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Aug 19, 2024; 14(8): 1143-1147
Published online Aug 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i8.1143
Could school programs based on social-emotional learning prevent substance abuse among adolescents?
João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, Nicolas Kohatsu Matakas
João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, Department of Neuroscience, Medical School, FMABC University Center, São Paulo 09060870, SP, Brazil
Nicolas Kohatsu Matakas, Department of Substance Use Disorders, Perdizes Institute-HCFMUSP, Sao Paulo 05021001, SP, Brazil
Author contributions: Castaldelli-Maia JM and Matakas NK wrote the manuscript. All Authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia and Nicolas Kohatsu Matakas declare to have none.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Medical School, FMABC University Center, Fundação do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo 09060-870, SP, Brazil. jmcmaia2@gmail.com
Received: May 10, 2024
Revised: July 8, 2024
Accepted: July 11, 2024
Published online: August 19, 2024
Processing time: 93 Days and 21.8 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: School programs based on social-emotional learning (SEL) are a powerful, well-established, cost-effective intervention to prevent multiple adverse outcomes. They focus on integrating social and emotional skills in school activities, improving relationships, and creating a better environment that leads to better student development. In the last three decades, they have consistently improved multiple domains that are also shared as risk and protective factors for substance abuse among adolescents. This article will discuss whether SEL-based programs could be an effective way to prevent substance-related outcomes in adolescents.