Research Project
PRO-DIALOG
Can we strengthen children’s mental health by starting as early as preschool? That’s the question we aim to answer in the research project “PROmoting mental health in young children – a DIALOGue based approach in kindergartens.” The project will evaluate a new method in which the biannual parent–teacher meeting is used more systematically, and where parents take a more active role. The goal is to enhance collaboration between preschools and parents, enabling earlier and more effective support for children who are beginning to show signs of concerning development.
The PRO-DIALOG method was developed by consultant psychiatrist and professor Ingvar Bjelland in close collaboration with a total of eight different kindergartens.
22 kindergartens are participating in the research project. Half have been randomly assigned to use the PRO-DIALOG methodology, while the others will conduct their parent–teacher meetings as usual. Using questionnaires completed by both parents and kindergarten teachers, we collect information on how PRO-DIALOG works during the child’s final three years in kindergarten.
We aim to answer:
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How effective the method is compared to another screening approach
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How user-friendly and robust the method is
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How the method influences the timing of interventions for individual children
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How the method affects the development of children’s mental health
- PRO-DIALOG—the effect of a novel dialogue-based parent-teacher conference on mental health in kindergarten children: a cluster randomized controlled trial
- Poster ESCAP 2025.pdf
- Dialogue Based Early Detection—Development of a Novel Approach for Detection of Mental Health Problems Among Children in Daycare Centers - Frontiers
- Project description.pdf