ERIC Number: EJ1461657
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jun
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: EISSN-1866-2633
Available Date: 2023-03-04
O Is for Awesome: National Survey of New Zealand School-Based Well-Being and Mental Health Interventions
Hiran Thabrew1; Robert Biro2; Harshali Kumar1
School Mental Health, v15 n2 p656-672 2023
Although student well-being and mental health are government-identified responsibilities for New Zealand schools, the extent to which school-based well-being and mental health interventions are currently delivered is unknown. This survey of a nationally representative sample of schools was undertaken to identify: what well-being and mental health interventions are currently used by primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools; what gaps exist between current practice and the evidence base; what ideas staff have for improving student well-being and mental health; and what barriers staff can identify for implementing evidence-based interventions and suggestions for how these may be overcome. Forty staff from 37 (22 primary, 13 secondary and 2 composite) schools participated in semi-structured interviews. Seven key themes were identified: (1) awareness and enthusiasm about student well-being and mental health; (2) existence of specific interventions to support student well-being and mental health; (3) support for government-sponsored programmes; (4) limitations of existing programmes; (5) drivers of new interventions; (6) perceived barriers to the implementation of new interventions; and (7) suggestions for future interventions and their implementation. Currently, a wide range of primarily non-evidence based well-being and mental health interventions are delivered in a variable manner by school-based and external providers. Despite current enthusiasm by schools, there is room for improvement in the quality and equity of intervention delivery.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Well Being, Mental Health, Integrated Services, Administrator Attitudes, Principals, Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools, Evidence Based Practice, School Personnel, Health Personnel, Intervention, School Role, Employee Attitudes, Barriers
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Auckland, Department of Psychological Medicine, Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand; 2Uppsala University, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala, Sweden