The effectiveness of a school-based, universal mental health programme in six European countries

Promoting teachers' wellbeing through a serious game intervention: a qualitative exploration of teachers' experiences

Introduction

Teachers' wellbeing plays a critical role in their overall job satisfaction, motivation, and effectiveness in building supporting learning environments. In today's dynamic educational settings, where teachers often face numerous challenges and stressors, their wellbeing becomes increasingly vital. Consequently, there is an urgent need to innovate and develop targeted training interventions that can support specifically the wellbeing of educators.

Methods

This study sought to provide an overview of the "Online Wellbeing Course - OWC," a serious game developed to enhance teachers' wellbeing, and to investigate the participants' feedback after being engaged in the OWC, utilizing a qualitative approach through focus group discussions. A total of 189 in-service teachers took part in the study. To qualitatively explore their experiences with the OWC, participants were involved in focus groups and asked to provide feedback about how and to what extent the course was beneficial for their wellbeing.

Results

Teachers reported enhancements in areas such as emotional competence, self-care strategies, social awareness, relationship skills, decision-making, and school climate.

Discussion

These outcomes suggested the potential of serious games as an innovative training approach for supporting teachers' wellbeing, offering valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and educators.

Propelling the Global Advancement of School Mental Health

Rates of mental health problems and disorders in children and youth have been increasing for at least three decades, and these have escalated due to the pandemic and multiple other societal stressors. It is increasingly recognized that students and families frequently struggle to receive needed care through traditional locations such as specialty mental health centers. Upstream mental health promotion and prevention strategies are gaining support as a public health approach to supporting overall population well-being, better utilizing a limited specialty workforce, and reducing illness. Based on these recognitions, there has been a progressive and escalating movement toward the delivery of mental health support to children and youth "where they are," with a prominent and more ecologically valid environment being schools. This paper will provide a brief review of the escalating mental health needs of children and youth, advantages of school mental health (SMH) programs in better meeting these needs, example model SMH programs from the United States and Canada, and national and international SMH centers/networks. We conclude with strategies for further propelling the global advancement of the SMH field through interconnected practice, policy, and research.

The role of teachers' socio-emotional competence in reducing burnout through increased work engagement

Introduction

Research has highlighted the relevance of socio-emotional competence in buffering the harmful impacts of perceived stress on the psychological facets of the teaching profession. The purpose of this paper is to innovatively investigate the relationships between perceived stress, work engagement, and burnout in a single comprehensive model, when considering the potential role that socio-emotional competence plays in mitigating the adverse impact of perceived stress on burnout.

Methods

A total of 276 Italian in-service teachers (mean age = 46.6 ± 9.9 years) completed quantitative self-report measures of perceived stress, socio-emotional competence, work engagement, and burnout. Data were analyzed by using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach.

Results

All fit indexes supported the model's full acceptance and suggested that teachers' socio-emotional competence reduced the effect of perceived stress on the risk of burnout by increasing their level of work engagement.

Discussion

The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of promoting interventions that target not only stress reduction but also foster teachers' socio-emotional competence in order to maintain a good level of work engagement and reduce the effect of stress on burnout.

Validation of Italian students' self-ratings on the SSIS SEL brief scales

Introduction

Despite increasing interest in measuring social and emotional learning (SEL), there is a lack of European-validated tools for assessing the efficacy of SEL programs. The aim of this study was to validate an Italian version of the social skills improvement system (SSIS) SEL brief scales-student form.

Methods

Participants were 1,175 students (mean age: 11.02 years; SD: 2.42; range: 8-16 years; males: 46.8%) recruited at schools in Northern Italy.

Statistical analyses and results

Initial confirmatory factor analysis encountered a series of challenges, implying non-convergence of the original five-factor measurement model (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) based on the Collaborative on Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) competency framework established with students in the United States. Further exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a four-factor model that remained partially invariant across gender groups. The Italian version of the SSIS SEL brief scales was thus shown to be an efficient measurement tool for estimating social and emotional learning in students.

Discussion

We discuss the implications of findings in relation to selecting valid and reliable instruments for assessing children's and adolescents' SEL competencies, while considering the culturally-situated nature of the constructs under study.

The effect of universal school-based mindfulness on anhedonia and emotional distress and its underlying mechanisms: A cluster randomised controlled trial via experience sampling in secondary schools

This cluster randomised controlled trial examined the effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training (MT; vs. passive control) to lower anhedonia and emotional distress among mid-adolescents (15-18 years). It further examined three potential mechanisms: dampening of positive emotions, non-acceptance/suppression of negative emotions, and perceived social pressure not to experience/express negative emotions. Adolescents (ncontrol = 136, nintervention = 95) participated in three assessment points (before, after and two/three months after the in-class MT), consisting of Experience Sampling (ES) assessments and self-report questionnaires (SRQs) to corroborate the ES assessments. Analyses were based on general linear modelling and multilevel modelling. Overall, no evidence was found for a significant beneficial and long-lasting impact of the MT on adolescents' mental health. Importantly, some barriers inherently linked to universal MT approaches (low engagement in and mixed attitudes towards the MT) may have tempered the effectiveness of the MT in the current trial. Further research should prioritise overcoming these barriers to optimise programme implementation. Additionally, given the potential complex interplay of moderators at micro- (home practice), meso- (school climate), and macro-level (broader context), research should simultaneously focus on alternative ways of delivering MT at schools to strengthen adolescents' mental health.

Supporting Preschoolers' Mental Health and Academic Learning through the PROMEHS Program: A Training Study

There is compelling evidence that early school intervention programs enhance children's development of life skills, with a positive knock-on effect on their behaviors and academic outcomes. To date, most universal interventions have displayed gains in children's social-emotional competencies with a limited reduction in problem behaviors. This may depend on programs' curricula focused to a greater extent on preschoolers' social-emotional competencies rather than problem behaviors. Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) is a European, school-based, universal mental health program explicitly focused on both promoting students' mental health and preventing negative conduct by adopting a whole-school approach. In this study, we set out to evaluate the effectiveness of the program for Italian and Portuguese preschoolers. We recruited 784 children (age range = 4-5 years), assigning them to either an experimental group (six months' participation in the PROMEHS program under the guidance of their teachers, who had received ad hoc training) or a waiting list group (no intervention). We found that PROMEHS improved preschoolers' social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies, prosocial behavior, and academic outcomes. The more practical activities were carried out at school, the more children's SEL competencies increased, and the more their internalizing and externalizing behaviors decreased. Furthermore, marginalized and disadvantaged children were those who benefited most from the program, displaying both greater improvements in SEL and more marked decreases in internalizing problems compared to the rest of the sample.

Children's social emotional competence in Pakistan and Sweden: Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Social Competence Scale (teacher edition)

Introduction

Social emotional competence is fundamental to the positive development of children and youth. Accurately understanding and assessing children's social emotional competencies, using psychometrically sound instruments, are essential to global efforts to support children's social emotional learning, academic achievements, and health. This study examined the psychometric properties of a teacher-reported measure of young children's social emotional competence, the Social Competence Scale - Teacher edition (SCS-T), in two samples of children growing up with varied economic resources/conditions, cultural norms, and educational experiences, namely Pakistan (N = 396) and Sweden (N = 309).

Methods

Participants were aged 4-6 years old. The study design was cross-sectional.

Results and Discussion

Using structural equation modelling, bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis models implying shared variance, among all items and domain-specific shared variance, among the prosocial items, emotion regulation items, and academic skills items resulted in good fitting models in each respective sample. Invariance testing across samples revealed a subset of items from each factor structure with partial scalar invariance, whereby five items had equal thresholds and could be comparable across the two samples. Thus, results provided partial support for hypotheses 1, 2, and 3, in that the posited three factor model (H1) was not clearly supported and a bi-factor model evidenced the best fit, among tested models, for both samples. Further, partial scalar invariance (H3) was found for five items out of 25 items, concerning social competence and academic skills. In regards, to the posited research question, the results of Z-tests showed significant (p < 0.001) latent mean differences between the samples. Compared to the Swedish sample, the Pakistani sample was 1.80 units lower on social competence (z = -6.41, p < 0.001) and 1.86 units lower on academic skills (z = -7.87, p < 0.001). The implications of these findings in light of efforts to promote positive child development in diverse parts of the world are considered.

Facilitating engagement of universal school-based digital mental health solutions through user experience: A qualitative exploration

Digital mental health intervention (DMHI) programs offered in schools present a readily-accessible and flexible means for educating, empowering, and supporting adolescents in maintaining a balanced mental health, especially during uncertain and stressful times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies indicate that the effectiveness of DMHI programs in improving students' mental well-being and in preventing from their mental health complications depends on the users' engagement. This study focuses on identifying the user experience factors that can facilitate user engagement with universal school-based DMHI programs (i.e., the DMHI programs delivered to the students regardless of their mental health risks or conditions). To identify said factors, we sought to gain a deeper understanding of perceptions, opinions, and preferences of actual end-users (i.e., the adolescents) regarding their experiences with both digital and non-digital mental health resources. Specifically, interviews were conducted with two participant groups to uncover the reasons that could lead the adolescents to better engage with school-based DMHI programs, as well as the shortcomings that could prevent that from happening: (a) adolescent users who had either a high or a low level of engagement with universal DMHI programs of a specific school-based digital mental health solution; and (b) adolescents who had voluntarily used non-digital or non-school-based digital mental health resources for purposes other than treatment. Through a thematic analysis of interview data, the most important (or primary) and the additionally desirable (or secondary) factors that could lead to a higher engagement level for school-based DMHI programs were identified. Lastly, using the evidence gathered from our interviews, specific recommendations are proposed that could help in targeting each identified engagement factor and in increasing the likelihood that school-based DMHI programs achieve their desired outcome for high school students.

Does Online Implementation Make a Difference in the Effects of a Mental Health Curriculum at Schools?

COVID-19 changed and challenged education, with schools obliged to adapt to online settings. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a mental health curriculum implemented at schools, considering the implementation settings: online, onsite, and mixed (online and onsite). From kindergarten to high school, 933 students were evaluated by teachers regarding their social and emotional learning, strengths and difficulties, and academic outcomesin two measuring times: pre- and post-test. A qualitative analysis of teachers' adaptations to the online implementation was also conducted. Results revealed a positive impact with both mixed and onsite implementation. However, the mixed format demonstrated significant positive changes between the pre-and post-test, namely in relationship skills, responsible decision-making, internalized problems, and academic achievement. The mixed format with few online activities appears to have a more positive impact on students. Nevertheless, implementing social and emotional skills (SES) activities exclusively online seems to positively affect some SES domains more than onsite and mixed formats. Teachers used synchronous (e.g., digital platforms) and asynchronous (e.g., extra resources) adaptations for the implementation. This study shows that implementing mental health programs at schools, in this case, PROMEHS, is beneficial for students, even amidst the pandemic, and regardless of the implementation settings.

Impact of a School Mental Health Program on Children's and Adolescents' Socio-Emotional Skills and Psychosocial Difficulties

The challenges of today's society demand high levels of socio-emotional skills in children and adolescents; therefore, mental health is an important issue to be addressed and promoted in schools. The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a school mental health program (Promoting Mental Health at Schools; PROMEHS) designed to promote socio-emotional learning and prevent psychosocial difficulties in children and adolescents. The study was conducted on a sample of 1392 students (evaluated by 104 teachers) from kindergarten (n = 446), primary school (n = 426), secondary school (n = 354), and high school (n = 166). A quasi-experimental study design with experimental and waitlist control groups was used to evaluate the program's effectiveness. Students were non-randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 895) and control group (n = 497). Students belonging to the experimental group received one-hour lessons once a week for 12 weeks. The teachers evaluated their students' social-emotional skills, strengths, and difficulties before and after the intervention. The results indicated the effectiveness of the PROMEHS program in improving social-emotional skills for all school levels, reducing internalizing problems in primary and secondary school chil-dren, and reducing externalizing issues for kindergarten and primary school children. The PROMEHS program is a promising approach to enhancing childrens' and adolescents' social and emotional skills and to decreasing psychosocial difficulties, such as internalizing and externalizing problems.

Monitoring system of implementation of the Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) program

Effective school-based mental health programs are a research field with growing interest and great social value. At the stage of development and initial testing of the program, as well as during dissemination, and adaptation in other cultures, it is important that the implementation is carried out in the way that was originally intended. Fidelity or adherence is the most often used concept relating to the extent to which the implemented intervention corresponds to the originally intended program. Therefore, monitoring of the implementation is an essential element necessary to integrate into contemporary evidence-based program. The current paper describes the monitoring system developed for the Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) project. The monitoring was done on both the structural and procedural aspects of the program's implementation, involving the evaluation of five core aspects: fidelity, dosage, quality, responsiveness, and adaptation. This methods article aims to describe the development of the monitoring system and to analyze the strengths of the qualitative-quantitative multi-informant approach in the monitoring of the intervention's implementation. In the future, this would support further research on effectiveness of the PROMEHS program.

Multi-informant validity evidence for the SSIS SEL Brief Scales across six European countries

The SSIS SEL Brief Scales (SSIS SELb) are multi-informant (teacher, parent, and student) measures that were developed to efficiently assess the SEL competencies of school-age youth in the United States. Recently, the SSIS SELb was translated into multiple languages for use in a multi-site study across six European countries (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Romania). The purpose of the current study was to examine concurrent and predictive evidence for the SEL Composite scores from the translated versions of the SSIS SELb Scales. Results indicated that SSIS SELb Composite scores demonstrated expected positive concurrent and predictive relationships with scores from the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and negative relationships with scores from the problem behavior scales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Although there were a few exceptions, these patterns generally were consistent across informants (parents, teachers, and students) and samples providing initial validity evidence for the Composite score from the translated versions of the SSIS SELb Scales. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.