School culture and student mental health: a qualitative study in UK secondary schools.
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Authors
Kidger, Judi
Spencer, Liam
Geijer-Simpson, Emma
Kaluzeviciute, Greta
Burn, Anne-Marie
Leonard, Naomi
Limmer, Mark
Publication Date
2022-03-30Journal Title
BMC Public Health
ISSN
1471-2458
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
22
Issue
1
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Jessiman, P., Kidger, J., Spencer, L., Geijer-Simpson, E., Kaluzeviciute, G., Burn, A., Leonard, N., & et al. (2022). School culture and student mental health: a qualitative study in UK secondary schools.. BMC Public Health, 22 (1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13034-x
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is consistency of evidence on the link between school culture and student health. A positive school culture has been associated with positive child and youth development, effective risk prevention and health promotion efforts, with extensive evidence for the impact on student mental health. Interventions which focus on socio-cultural elements of school life, and which involve students actively in the process, are increasingly understood to be important for student mental health promotion. This qualitative study was undertaken in three UK secondary schools prior to the implementation of a participative action research study bringing students and staff together to identify changes to school culture that might impact student mental health. The aim was to identify how school culture is conceptualised by students, parents and staff in three UK secondary schools. A secondary aim was to explore which components of school culture were perceived to be most important for student mental health. METHODS: Across three schools, 27 staff and seven parents participated in in-depth interviews, and 28 students participated in four focus groups. The Framework Method of thematic analysis was applied. RESULTS: Respondents identified elements of school culture that aligned into four dimensions; structure and context, organisational and academic, community, and safety and support. There was strong evidence of the interdependence of the four dimensions in shaping the culture of a school. CONCLUSIONS: School staff who seek to shape and improve school culture as a means of promoting student mental health may have better results if this interdependence is acknowledged, and improvements are addressed across all four dimensions.
Keywords
Children, Mental health, Qualitative, Young People, School Culture, School Climate, Humans, Mental Health, Schools, Students, Adolescent, Child, School Health Services, United Kingdom
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (Grant Reference Number PD–SPH–2015).
Funder references
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (Grant Reference Number PD-SPH-2015, Grant Reference Number PD–SPH–2015)
Identifiers
35351062, PMC8964383
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13034-x
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/336646
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