Whole-school mental health promotion in Australia

Although there is increasing recognition internationally of the significance of social and emotional health and wellbeing for the healthy development of young people, the levels of support that governments provide for mental health policy and programme initiatives vary widely. In this paper, consideration is given to Australia’s approach to mental health promotion from early years to secondary school, including specific reference to the KidsMatter Primary mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative. Although it is now well established that schools provide important settings for the promotion of mental health initiatives, there are significant challenges faced in effectively implementing and maintaining the delivery of evidence-based practice in school settings, including concerns about quality assurance in processes of implementation, translation, dissemination and evaluation.peer-reviewe

Mental health promotion in schools : a comprehensive theoretical framework

Recent decades have seen a rise in mental health problems among children and adolescents. Despite a proliferation of studies describing effective school-based mental health programs, reviews of current research in this field suggest a strong lack of consensus concerning the definition of school mental health and its constructs. In the present paper, we set out to fill this gap via a two-step process: first, we offer a critical overview of recent research around the concept of school mental health; second, we propose a comprehensive theoretical framework for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers involved in mental health promotion and school prevention programs. The proposed framework comprises three key domains: the first two, cover the promotion of social and emotional learning and resilience, while the third concerns the prevention of behavioural problems.peer-reviewe

Developing the Perth Charter for the Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing

While the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion promotes a holistic approach to health promotion, health promotion in practice has largely been confined to physical health promotion. Hence the organising committee for the Seventh World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (held 17–19 October 2012 in Perth, WA) decided to develop a ‘Perth Charter for Mental Health Promotion and Wellbeing,’ which has just been published in the International Journal of Mental Health Promotion. It was hoped that the Perth Charter for Mental Health Promotion would be helpful as a first step towards eventual integration of physical and mental health promotion. The Charter was designed to be succinct and actionable, and was developed in three phases through an iterative feedback process with input from health professionals around the globe. The Perth Charter is intended to be a useful resource for mental health professionals in advocating for greater resource allocation and policy support for mental health, and mental health promotion in particular at a local level. It was envisaged that the Perth Charter would do for mental health promotion what the Ottawa Charter did for health promotion generally, and physical health promotion in particular. An abridged version of the Perth Charter is provided within this review, while the full version is available for download from the Clifford Beers Foundation or from Dr Julia Anwar McHenry

Mental health promotion needs assessment of factory workers at a sugar mill company in Swaziland

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Science in Nursing (Course work) March 2017Background: Work is both an important resource for mental health, yet it also presents psychosocial risks for mental health. The workplace has been identified as a potential setting for both mental health promotion and mental illness prevention. It is well documented in the literature that mental (emotional) health needs of employees should be addressed and a mental health promotion programme that addresses diverse mental health aspects should be included in comprehensive workplace health promotion programmes. The selected sugar mill company in Swaziland does not address mental health or mental illness issues through a dedicated programme as part of the comprehensive workplace health promotion programme. Employees/workers with mental health and personal problems are referred to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for assistance and help. Purpose and objectives of the study: The overall purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the mental health promotion needs and mental health concerns of factory workers at a Sugar Mill Company in Swaziland. Research design and method: This study used a qualitative approach, descriptive in nature. In-depth face to face interviews using an interview guide was used to determine the mental health promotion needs of sugar factory workers. Through purposive sampled 20 workers participated in the study. Data analysis: Audio-taped interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were then analysed by means of themes, categories, and sub-categories using Tesch’s method. Main findings: Factors that influenced mental health negatively (stressors) were related to workplace factors (money, workload and long hours) and family factors (family needs money). The mental health promotion needs identified in relation to the workplace consisted of more opportunities for employees’ development, salary increase and enhanced management and communication skills of supervisors and managers. In addition, health and life skills education, as well as more counseling services were identified as mental health needs. Conclusions: The identified mental health needs can be addressed through the Sugar Mill’s existing workplace health promotion programme. Key words: Mental health promotion, mental health, needs, factory workers.MT201

KASULHAYAN: A School-Based Mental Wellness Promotion in St. Therese’s High School, Inc., Casay, Anini-y, Antique

Kasulhayan is a Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a word that denotes a state of well-being encapsulated within the experience of satisfaction with life despite its adversities. As the title of this capstone project, Kasulhayan, is a school mental health promotion program implemented in St. Therese’s High School, Inc. in Casay, Anini-y, Antique which aimed to explore the process of mental health promotion program in this school and to ground the designing and implementation of a whole school mental health promotion program. The mental health promotion activities of STHS Inc. reviewed using the policy review checklist and an interview of key informant persons. The general state of mental health of the students, parents, teachers, and non-teaching staff assessed using the Hiligaynon translation of the General Health Questionnaire- 12. The results of the initial school mental health assessment suggested that the lack of a systematized and planned school mental health promotion program and policy be addressed by the creation of a core group of school mental health promoters and the building-up of the capacities of its members in planning, implementing and sustaining school-based mental health programs and policies. The good state of the general mental health of the community members of STHS, Inc. and their eagerness, excitement, and welcoming acceptance of a school mental health program could be sustained by the mental health promotion strategies embodied in ‘Kasulhayan, Masarangan, Basta Ululupod Kita, Together”, the proposed capacity-building school mental health program developed by the members of the core group of school mental health promoters of STHS, Inc

Venturing into schools : locating mental health initiatives in complex environments

Schools provide viable settings for mental health promotion initiatives, such as programs to develop students’ social and emotional capabilities (SEC). Complexity in the school environments into which initiatives are introduced, such as diverse student capabilities, school structures, and teachers’ knowledge and confidence, will play an integral role in the success of those initiatives. This paper investigates the environments of schools about to receive the KidsMatter mental heath promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative in Australia, using information sourced from questionnaires about 2598 students and their teachers in 50 Australian primary schools. The focus of the report is on the status of the schools’ work in one of the key focus areas for the intervention, namely students’ SEC. Analysis showed relatively high levels of students’ SEC across the whole sample, but with sub-group differences. Teachers’ attitudes towards SEC learning were highly positive. Teachers’ self-rated knowledge and approaches in dealing with SEC were moderate, and point to requirements for additional pre-service and professional development. The extent of regular and sustained delivery of SEC programs and mental health initiatives in general showed variability, suggesting the need to attend to school systems and structural supports. Implications of these areas of diversity in school environments on the selection and methods of delivery of mental health promotion programs in schools are discussed.peer-reviewe

Promoting mental health in men

Health promotion is essential to improve the health status and quality of life of individuals. Promoting mental health at an individual, community and policy level is central to reducing the incidence of mental health problems, including self-harm and suicide. Men may be particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, in part because they are less likely to seek help from healthcare professionals. Although this article discusses mental health promotion and related strategies in general, the focus is on men's mental health

Perubahan Pengetahuan dan Sikap Remaja Setelah Diberi Promosi Kesehatan Mental

The aim of this research is to determine differences in changes in knowledge and attitudes of adolescents after being given mental health promotion. This research method is pre-experimental design with one pre-test-posttest group. This research was conducted on students of SMAN 2 Sukoharjo who were given health promotion. The results of the research before being given health promotion were 91 people who had sufficient knowledge. After being given health promotion, 91 people had good knowledge. Before being given the health promotion, 93 teenagers had Sika in the low category. After being given health promotion, 91 people had attitudes in the high category. There is a difference in teenagers' knowledge before and after health promotion (p value = 0.001). There is a difference in teenagers' attitudes before and after health promotion (p value = 0.001). The conclusion is that there is an increase in knowledge and attitudes after being given health promotion regarding mental health in adolescents. It is recommended that nurses provide health promotion to teenagers directly in schools.   Keywords: Adolescents, Health Promotion, Mental healt

Teachers' knowledge and confidence for promoting positive mental health in primary school communities

This paper reports an investigation into Australian primary school teachers’ knowledge and confidence for mental health promotion. Questionnaires were delivered to 1397 teachers. In-depth interviews were held with 37 teachers. Quantitative results showed that half to two thirds of teachers felt efficacious and knowledgeable about selected components of mental health promotion. Independent judgments by staff about students’ mental health status concurred with students’ scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in about 75% of cases, indicating a good level of staff awareness about students’ mental health status. Exposure to the KidsMatter Primary mental health promotion initiative was associated with improvements in teachers’ efficacy, knowledge and pedagogy, with small to medium effect sizes. Qualitative analysis indicated that teachers’ subject-matter and pedagogical knowledge were heavily reliant on curriculum resources. Implications of the findings for the implementation of school-based mental health promotion initiatives are discussed

The benefits of student led-health promotion intervention

Purpose – The benefits of a student-led mental health promotion intervention on World Mental Health day result in tangible learning benefits for those students. The event occurs within the students’ own university.The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – This case study evaluates students’ experience on a mental health promotion intervention. This intervention was to enable students to experience running a health promotion intervention and develop their health promotion skills outside of their lectures. Students were recruited who had just completed a module on health promotion. Students had to plan and organise the intervention, which included involving other organisations and facilities both external and internal to the university. The experience was evaluated through the case study using as data collection a semi-structured interview. Findings – Results indicated that students found the experience to be beneficial in deepening their understanding of health promotion, mental health awareness and in increasing their self-esteem. Limitations of this case study are in the argument for reproducibility of results, which is affected by the small number of students who took part. Research limitations/implications – There are opportunities to develop this idea further and to broaden the availability of the initiative, enabling more students from diverse backgrounds to experience putting theory into practice. Originality/value – To the best knowledge of the author, this study, although with limitations, provided a good understanding on how to develop health promotion skills within a university setting. The outcomes of this study are mainly applicable to a health studies course, educators of mental health promotion, university mental health support services and research related to this topic, especially on promoting mental health awareness and educatio