An exploration of the efficacy of mental health and wellbeing education initiatives in secondary schools: triangulation of student and teacher perspectives

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Schools invest substantial time and money in support of mental health and wellbeing education for their students. Approaches vary, with minimal guidance available regarding most efficacious methods to engage and support students. Understanding the experience and perspectives of students and educators in this area can assist to clarify mental health needs of secondary school students and guide future development of effective methods to target them.

Methods

Interviews with 21 senior secondary school students from four Australian schools captured perspectives about the influences on their mental health and wellbeing over their secondary school journey. A further eight interviews with school staff with responsibility for wellbeing education were conducted to identify similarities and disparities between school aims and student experience.

Results

A reflexive thematic analysis of the data generated three main themes. Interviews conducted indicated consistency between staff and students’ perspectives that schools need to commit to staff training, cultivate interpersonal connections and make wellbeing education for adolescents more engaging.

Conclusions

Mental health and wellbeing approaches should be nuanced for the specific needs of each school’s context. Educating teachers to utilise a school-wide wellbeing framework to customise student learning can increase student engagement through personal reflection and small group discussion to reinforce key learnings.

Key Points

What is already known about this topic:

1. Adolescence is a pivotal time in the development of a person’s mental health.

2. Provision of an effective wellbeing curriculum delivered in secondary schools can help to prevent mental ill-health in the present and in the future.

3. Schools provide an excellent avenue for students to undertake this type of learning.

What this topic adds:

1. Schools invest substantial time and money into stand-alone programs, but they may not be effective in developing student mental health and wellbeing.

2. Schools need to understand the key drivers to student engagement with wellbeing programs and approaches to make them more effective.

3. Staff do not feel capable to deliver this content effectively and require better training in tertiary education, as well as ongoing professional development from their schools.

KEYWORDS:

• Qualitative
• student
• wellbeing
• mental health
• secondary school
• reflexive thematic analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).