Advances in school mental health promotion 

About: Advances in school mental health promotion is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Mental health & Psychological intervention. It has an ISSN identifier of 1754-730X. Over the lifetime, 199 publications have been published receiving 3978 citations.

Maximizing the Implementation Quality of Evidence-Based Preventive Interventions in Schools: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract: Increased availability of research-supported, school-based prevention programs, coupled with the growing national policy emphasis on use of evidence-based practices, has contributed to a shift in research priorities from efficacy to implementation and dissemination. A critical issue in moving research to practice is ensuring high-quality implementation of both the intervention model and the support system for sustaining it. The paper describes a three-level framework for considering the implementation quality of school-based interventions. Future directions for research on implementation are discussed.

Learning to BREATHE: A Pilot Trial of a Mindfulness Curriculum for Adolescents

Abstract: This study reports the results of a pilot trial of Learning to BREATHE, a mindfulness curriculum for adolescents created for a classroom setting. The primary goal of the program is to support the development of emotion regulation skills through the practice of mindfulness, which has been described as intentional, non-judgmental awareness of present-moment experience. The total class of 120 seniors (average age 17.4 years) from a private girls' school participated as part of their health curriculum. Relative to controls, participants reported decreased negative affect and increased feelings of calmness, relaxation, and self-acceptance. Improvements in emotion regulation and decreases in tiredness and aches and pains were significant in the treatment group at the conclusion of the program. Qualitative feedback indicated a high degree of program satisfaction. The results suggest that mindfulness is a potentially promising method for enhancing adolescents' emotion regulation and well-being.

Mental Health and Social and Emotional Learning: Evidence, Principles, Tensions, Balances

Abstract: This paper gives an overview of current evidence, practice and driving principles in mental health promotion and social and emotional education in schools, and explores some tensions, balances and debates in the field. It examines the evidence base for such work in terms of its impacts on learning, behaviour and mental and emotional well-being. It suggests some key sources of evidence and so-called ‘good practice’ world-wide. It outlines some principles to be derived from this growing practical experience which are rapidly becoming the new orthodoxy, in theory if not in practice. The principles include the need to base practice on sound theory, research and evaluation, implement consistently, take a whole-school approach, ensure explicit learning of skills, balance universal and targeted approaches, encourage teamwork between the appropriate agencies including parents and students, support staff development and encourage autonomy rather than compliance. It suggests that there is a current lively debate on...

Advancing School Mental Health Promotion Globally

Abstract: This article introduces the new journal Advances in School Mental Health Promotion. Following definitions of key concepts, critical themes associated with high-quality school mental health promotio...

Exploring a Mindfulness Meditation Program on the Mental Health of Upper Primary Children: A Pilot Study

Abstract: In Australia, 14% of children and adolescents have a significant mental health problem, which is similar to global prevalence estimates of 12%. Teaching children techniques in mindfulness meditation has been recommended to improve their mental health. However, the recommendations are based mainly on efficacy in adult clinical trials, and insufficiently on trials with children and adolescents in a classroom setting. This mindfulness meditation pilot project involved training teachers at two primary schools in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, Australia to deliver a ten-week mindfulness curriculum and optional daily mindfulness exercises to students in grades 5 and 6 (ages 10 to 12). Pre- and post-program, students completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a modified version of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). On both scales there was a significant decrease in overall average score and the number of children in the diagnostic categories, 25.6% scoring in the borderline or diag...