Exploring staff perspectives on mental health promotion and prevention in Flemish schools

Abstract

Background Mental disorders like anxiety and depression often emerge for the first time during adolescence. It is increasingly recognized that schools play an influential role in promoting adolescents’ mental health and well-being. Several theoretical frameworks have been proposed to classify school-based and healthcare-based interventions aimed at promoting well-being in adolescents. Against this theoretical background, this study aims to investigate Flemish staff’s descriptions and perspectives on schools’ approaches to preventing mental health problems and promoting well-being in 12–18-year-old students.

This study is an exploratory qualitative investigation among school staff from 12 Flemish schools, examining their views on school-based interventions.

Forty-eight interviewees participated in the study. For data analysis, an a priori approach was employed, utilizing one classification scheme’s categories to describe the schools’ activities https://elsevier.proofcentral.com/en-us/landing-page.html?token=bad096ee90775280ce8bb5b44ab825(1) and code staff perspectives thematically, developing a coding scheme that reflected the main topics and attitudes addressed for each classification.

Results demonstrate that staff perceive the schools as deploying very similar care activities, of which school-wide and individual approaches are constitutive parts. Promotion and prevention are necessary complementary components of a comprehensive school approach. While schools offer similar types of prevention and promotion activities, they differ significantly in who delivers them, ranging from teachers and psychologists to student counsellors and Student Guidance Centers. Teachers often feel that they lack the appropriate training to address students’ emotional, behavioral, or psychological difficulties, and they expect individual support from the school counselor or the external Center for Student Guidance.

Even if (ad hoc) promotion and prevention activities are in place, and school-external student guidance centers serve as hubs for students who need specialized mental health care, there is room for the development of more strategic proactive initiatives, and for the training of a future workforce that can deploy such school-based initiatives. While schools collect valuable data that could inform initiatives, there is a lack of designated staff trained to use this data to develop evidence-based, school-wide strategies. Strengthening collaboration between schools and Student Guidance Centers is essential to addressing these challenges effectively.