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Prevalence, nature of this health problem
This page lists resources and links that explain how mental health problems and mental illness can develop among young people.
According to a recent systematic review related to barriers and facilitators of the health of young people “mental health is increasingly being recognized as fundamental to concepts of health and there is a general shift away from viewing ‘mental health’ as ‘mental illness’, to thinking about mental health as also encapsulating the notion of ‘positive mental health’ or ‘mental well-being’.
Good mental health does not only involve the absence of mental illness but can be seen as a resource for reaching ones’ full potential.[1] The same review reiterates that “factors which lead young people to take multiple health risks are likely to be intertwined with general risk factors for mental health and/or barriers to positive mental health and well-being”.
Impact of the School on Mental Health
Research has demonstrated that a sense of connectedness or attachment to school is a protective factor for young people. There is an increasing awareness that schools can engage in deliberate strategies to build a secure and supportive school environment, and to promote health enhancing attitudes and behaviours. In addition, there is awareness that mental health problems in students are associated with higher rates of truancy, suspension, exclusion, school alienation, and lower educational achievement. Child and adolescent mental health problems are frequently first identified at school. Parents with concerns about their children are likely to consult teachers and other student services as their first step in seeking help.
Educators, in cooperation with parents, health professionals and the community can play a significant role in teaching the knowledge and skills necessary for good mental health, in providing a safe, supportive environment with healthy role models and in connecting to services and programs in the community. School is also an area where we can most effectively identify children and youth who may have (or may be at risk for) mental health difficulties.
A recent study using data from the Gatehouse Project (Australia) provides further support for prevention strategies in schools that move beyond health education to promoting positive social environments. See Promoting Social Inclusion in Schools: A Group-Randomized Trial of Effects on Student Health Risk Behavior and Well-Being.
In another recent systematic review (Sarah Stewart-Brown et al) done for the Health Evidence Network of the World Health Organization, “a reviews of programmes that promoted mental health in schools (including preventing violence and aggression) show these programmes to be among the most effective ones in promoting health. Of these programmes, the ones that were most effective were of long duration and high intensity, and involved the whole school.”[2]
Voices for Children (Canada) promotes the well-being of children and youth in Ontario by disseminating information to influence policy, practice and awareness. Relevant reports cited there include: The Critical Role of School Culture in Student Success (DeWit et al, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, December 2003), and Resilience - giving children the skills to bounce back (Kordich Hall and Pearson, November, 2003).
The (ON) Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health ( www.onthepoint.ca) has completed the first comprehensive systematic review of school-based interventions to reduce stigma relating to mental health difficulties among children and youth. The Centre is developing tools and resources from the review to stimulate research, inform program development and initiate policy discussions. Coming soon: Mental Health Awareness Curriculum for the Classroom and Beyond. In addition, the Centre’s knowledge exchange activities of interest include systematic reviews annotated bibliography related to children and mental health.
Sticks and Stones: Breaking the stigma of child and youth mental health difficulties through our schools by Peter Levesque, Knowledge Exchange Specialist, and Dr. Howard Schachter, Scientist, Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa (September 2006).
[1] Shepherd J et al. Barriers to, and facilitators of, the health of young people: a systematic review of evidence on young people's views and on interventions in mental health, physical activity and healthy eating - Vol. 2: complete report. London, Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre, 2002 http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=257
[2] Sarah Stewart-Brown, What is the evidence on school health promotion in improving health or preventing disease and, specifically, what is the effectiveness of the health promoting schools approach?, March, 2006 available online at: http://www.euro.who.int/HEN
The US Centers for Disease Control has just released The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan, which summarizes research on childhood stress and future adult health and well-being. Research focuses on the effects of child abuse, neglect and repeated exposure to intimate partner violence. Included in the publication is information on how violence prevention practitioners can incorporate information on childhood stress in to their work.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/effects_of_childhood_stress.htm
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Latest page update: made by cindyandrew
, Feb 26 2008, 12:33 PM EST
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