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Studying Mental Health in Schools: A Participatory Action Research (PAR) Approach in Public Mental Health

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cam.depositDate2022-03-15
cam.issuedOnline2021
dc.contributor.authorKaluzeviciute, Greta
dc.contributor.authorJessiman, Tricia
dc.contributor.authorBurn, Anne-Marie
dc.contributor.authorFord, Tamsin
dc.contributor.authorKidger, Judi
dc.contributor.authorLeonard, Naomi
dc.contributor.authorLimmer, Mark
dc.contributor.authorSpencer, Liam
dc.contributor.orcidFord, Tamsin Jane [0000-0001-5295-4904]
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-16T00:30:32Z
dc.date.available2022-03-16T00:30:32Z
dc.date.updated2022-03-15T12:14:09Z
dc.description.abstractAbstract: Despite a rising prevalence of mental health difficulties in the young, existing prior to, but also exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, mental health needs in this population remain unmet even in economically wealthy countries. Increasingly, supportive school environments have been suggested as having a significant impact on young people's mental health. The idea of health-promoting schools, initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), highlights the ongoing need for both health education via the curriculum but also a school environment that is conducive to students' health and emotional well-being. Despite this promising public health measure, existing studies into mental health-related interventions delivered in schools have been found to have a small or no effect. One explanation for this is that previous studies did not sufficiently address or focus on the school environment, which may in itself pose barriers to acceptability and successful implementation of mental health interventions. This paper will highlight a novel methodological approach to public mental health research - Participatory Action Research (PAR). The PAR method is unique in enabling study participants to become co-researchers of their own experiences in a specific context. A growing body of educational PAR research suggests that this method can also generate collaborative and participative processes foundational to positive school culture and mental health outcomes. This paper will provide an overview of such outcomes, as well as outline methodological strengths and challenges common to the PAR approach in educational mental health settings.
dc.description.sponsorshipThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (Grant Reference Number PD–SPH–2015).
dc.identifier.doi10.17863/CAM.82475
dc.identifier.eissn2562-7546
dc.identifier.issn2562-7546
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/335036
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherConcurrent Disorders Society Press
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychiatry
dc.publisher.urlhttp://dx.doi.org/10.54127/rnuo8607
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject4203 Health Services and Systems
dc.subject42 Health Sciences
dc.subject3 Good Health and Well Being
dc.titleStudying Mental Health in Schools: A Participatory Action Research (PAR) Approach in Public Mental Health
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2022-01-23
prism.publicationNameJournal of Concurrent Disorders
pubs.licence-display-nameApollo Repository Deposit Licence Agreement
pubs.licence-identifierapollo-deposit-licence-2-1
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review
rioxxterms.versionVoR
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.54127/rnuo8607

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