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Abstract
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.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr Katherine L. Dix and Professor John P. Keeves (AM) for their support and contribution to the statistical analyses reported in this paper.
Notes
1. More detail about the aims and processes of KidsMatter can be obtained from the KidsMatter website, http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au.
2. The terms “social, emotional or behavioural difficulties” were selected following discussions with representatives from professional bodies including the Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia and beyondblue: the national depression initiative, in order to help overcome stigma associated with the term “mental health”.
3. Level 1, within students (time); Level 2, between students; Level 3, between schools.