Abstract
Students develop skills, gain knowledge, and achieve greater wellbeing by creating a positive school environment. Through the years, schools have realized the importance of mental health services for adolescents. Research on the role of schools in mental health awareness building and preventing mental health problems is meager, and focuses on students in the western context. This chapter focuses on the recommendations given by teachers on what role schools can play in identifying, preventing, and building awareness among adolescents. These recommendations are based on the themes obtained through semi-structured interviews with 24 teachers teaching 10th, 11th, and 12th graders in private high schools and colleges in Bangalore. Consequently, it aims to provide an overview of incorporating techniques and strategies to enhance mental health among school students in the Indian Scenario.
TopBackground
Teens face many mental health problems, but psychologists and counselors are not the first to recognize their vulnerabilities. Teachers deal with bullying, violence, and sexual harassment in the classroom and refer students to mental health services (Weist et al., 2007). Teachers mostly have little formal training, but they spend much time with their students (both personally and professionally), which provides insight into their behaviors and functioning (Kauffman & Landrum, 2013).
Several studies indicate that teachers lack confidence in dealing with mental health issues (Rothi et al., 2008), and teachers lack the necessary skills and training to differentiate between typical and atypical psychological disorders (Loades &Mastroyannopoulou, 2010). However, trained teachers can better assist students with psychological illness and refer them to psychologists or counselors.
Adolescent mental health is a priority in India's National Adolescent Health Program (“Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram”; RKSK) (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 2015), but school mental health provision is limited. High-income countries tailor interventions to institutions' needs and resources, involving gatekeepers and local healthcare agencies (Murray & Jordan, 2016; Doll et al., 2017; Kern et al., 2017). Intervention developers and providers must understand local backgrounds, expectations of relevant stakeholder groups, and anticipated barriers to implementation.
Key Terms in this Chapter
At Risk Students: Students who might be showing emotional and behavioral issues and are at a risk of developing mental health problems.
Whole School Approach: A positive and universal focus on wellbeing involving the cooperation of all members of the school.
In Service Training for Teachers: A professional training offered to teachers during their tenure of teaching to update themselves on recent developments, professional practices and improve their skillsets.
Case Vignettes: A type of data collection method used in qualitative research where scenarios or case examples of symptoms of illness would be used to understand the awareness, attitudes of people towards mental illness or related concepts.
Adolescents: WHO defines 'Adolescents' as individuals in the 10-19 years age group and 'Youth' as the 15–24-year age group. While 'Young People' covers the age range 10-24 years.