Abstract:

Background:
Adolescent mental health literacy is essential for early recognition, stigma reduction, and resilience-building. However, most current tools lack developmental relevance or engaging delivery formats. The Erasmus+ InnerWorlds* project introduces the InnerWorlds Pedagogical Integration Framework (IPIF), a novel guidance model that integrates evidence-based mental health education with serious game design, specifically tailored to adolescents' developmental needs.

Methods:
IPIF was developed through interdisciplinary co-design involving academic researchers and mental health professionals. It was reviewed by eight expert stakeholders from four different European countries to ensure clinical accuracy and contextual relevance. The framework comprises four core pillars:
(1) developmental-context alignment,
(2) actionable mental health literacy concepts for teachers and parents/caregivers,
(3) introductory principles for integrating mental health into serious games, and
(4) inclusive, culturally and gender-sensitive content. The accompanying digital handbook serves as the core IPIF resource for educators, caregivers, clinicians, and content creators.

Results:
Designed for adaptability, the handbook can be used across formal education, community, youth work, digital content creation, and clinical early intervention. It offers psychoeducational content, reflective tools, and strategies for use in schools, clinics, homes, or digital learning environments. The handbook will also bridge gameplay and learning in the InnerWorlds videogame which is about to develop. Initial feedback from eight external stakeholders and professionals on mental health and education across four European countries shows enhanced professional confidence.

Conclusions:
The InnerWorlds digital handbook offers a scalable, interdisciplinary, and adaptable guidance tool for people interact directly with adolescents and aim on adolescent mental health promotion. Its open-access format ensures wide dissemination and real-world impact. The digital handbook supports preventive mental health education through flexible application and it can be embedded into school curricula, clinical psychoeducation, digital games or can be used as a guidance for parents and caregivers across the world, enabling professionals and parents to facilitate emotional skill-building and early recognition. As mental health challenges among adolescents grow, tools like the InnerWorlds digital handbook offer a replicable model for cross-sector, developmentally aligned mental health guidance.

Acknowledgement:
*The ERASMUS+ project ‘‘InnerWorlds: A Videogame Journey Through Teen Depression and Social Pressures’’ is funded by the European Union and is comprised by diverse partners from Spain, Cyprus, Austria, and Romania. The consortium includes Universitat Jaume I de Castellón (Spain - Project Leader), University of Limassol (Cyprus), InterAktion (Austria), Innovation Education Lab (Romania), Sembrem (Spain), and the Centre of Social Services ‘‘Saint John the Merciful’’ (Cyprus).
https://innerworlds.eu/

Keywords:

Adolescent mental health, ERASMUS+, mental health literacy, digital handbook, prevention.