Students ' understandings of mental health and their preferred learning platforms
| Date | 21 December 2015 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-04-2015-0013 |
| Pages | 185-195 |
| Published date | 21 December 2015 |
| Author | Claire Bone,Pat Dugard,Panos Vostanis,Nisha Dogra |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Students’understandings of mental health
and their preferred learning platforms
Claire Bone, Pat Dugard, Panos Vostanis and Nisha Dogra
Claire Bone is Research
Assistant at the Department of
Psychology, University of
Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Pat Dugard is based at the
Department of Psychology,
University of Dundee,
Dundee, UK.
Professor Panos Vostanis and
Professor Nisha Dogra, are
both based at the Department
of Psychology, University of
Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine students’understandings of mental health and their
learning preferences, in order to provide guidance for developing targeted mental health education.
Design/methodology/approach –A study-specific self-administered questionnaire was used at two
English schools (n ¼980; ages 11-18), incorporating a combination of open-ended and fixed-choice items.
Data were subject to content analysis, cross-tabulation of frequencies and statistical analyses.
Findings –Overall, students understood mental health in terms of personal attributes or disorder, however
older students were more likely to talk about relationships. Males were less likely to say they wanted to learn
about mental health than females, believing they had no need to learn more. White students were also less
interested in learning about mental health than Indian students. Overall, students said they would not use
social media to learn, however Indian students were most likely to want to use it. Younger students preferred
school-based learning to online.
Research limitations/implications –The questionnaires were study specific and self-report. However
interesting demographic variations in responses were found, worthy of further exploration.
Social implications –Policymakers should consider targeted mental health interventions in schools and
research the potential roles/barriers of the internet and social media. Long-term possible benefits relate to
improved preventative strategies within schools.
Originality/value –Previous research has focused on the delivery of mental health promotion/education in
schools, whereas the current study drew on a large sample of students to understandhow they define mental
health for themselves, as well as how they prefer to learn about it.
Keywords Mental health, Students, Social media, Content analysis, Schools, Psycho-education
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
There have been repeated exhortations in UK national policy for specialist child and adolescent
mental health services (CAMHS) to work more effectively with education services, and
vice versa (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2008; Department for Education and
Skills, 2005; Department of Health, 2015). This concept is also reflected internationally, with
the deficits in resources available for at risk groups (12-25 years) being a source of global
concern (Handuleh et al., 2013; Houri et al., 2012; McGorry et al., 2013; Remschmidt et al.,
2007; Shastri, 2009).
In the UK there is an increasing emphasis on the need for both specialist CAMHS and education
providers to contribute to each of five key policy outcome areas as described by the “Every Child
Matters”initiative, these being: enjoying and achieving; being healthy; staying safe; achieving
economic wellbeing; and making a positive contribution (Department for Education and Skills,
2003). Policy documents recognise however that moving beyond this rhetoric to produce
beneficial changes for young people presents real challenges on the ground.
Received 15 April 2015
Revised 23 August 2015
19 September 2015
Accepted 6 October 2015
This study was funded by The
Children’s Research Fund.
DOI 10.1108/JPMH-04-2015-0013 VOL. 14 NO. 4 2015, pp. 185-195, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729
j
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTALHEALTH
j
PAG E 18 5
To continue reading
Request your trial