Supporting Mental Health in Primary Schools: Proven Practices

The mental health of students in primary schools has become a significant concern in many countries, including Vietnam. Social, educational, and family factors pose pressure on young minds, affecting their academic performance and interactions with others. As a result, the importance of support in schools must be highlighted.

This article explores how to support mental health in primary schools while emphasizing the need for effective strategies and collaboration between families and schools.

What Factors Impact Student Mental Health?

Students’ mental health issue stems from various sources of pressure regarding the school environment and peer relationships. Parents and educators can address this issue by understanding the essence of the following factors:

• School environment: While many students appreciate the green and tidy school environment, other issues, such as disorder, noise, and inconsistent rule implementation, negatively affect their experience.
• School engagement and teacher support: Some students feel a sense of disconnection and lack of support from their teachers and peers. This issue is worsened when teachers quickly move past basic knowledge, leaving them to struggle alone.
• Peer relationships and bullying: Conflicts among peers and bullying contribute to emotional distress and feelings of isolation. Vietnamese students also suffer from cyberbullying due to the development of the internet and social media.
• School pressure: School pressure arises from heavy homework, high expectations from teachers and parents, and the demands for exams and extra classes, causing severe stress and anxiety. Although some students find the pressure motivating, it affects others’ concentration and well-being.
• Technology-related risk factors: Parents are concerned about the extensive time their children spend on technology. Exposure to harmful content and a reduction of real-world interactions can impact student mental health.
• Ethnic minority student risk factors: Ethnic minority students often experience stress because of socioeconomic and cultural pressures. Seasonal farming and language barriers lead to frequent school absences, which ultimately causes increased dropout rates and a sense of hopelessness about their future.

ISHCMC responds effectively to factors impacting student mental health by employing a multifaceted approach to address this significant concern. They conduct regular assessments, train counselors, and introduce students to the mental health concept for better self-awareness of their issues.

How to Support Students’ Mental Health in Primary Schools?

Supporting students’ mental health in primary school involves a multifaceted approach that highlights the role of educators, with school climate playing a fundamental role.

School climate refers to the context for children’s development at school. This context includes factors like student relationships with teachers and friends, the school environment, parent, teacher, and student engagement, and students’ sensation about security at school. They need a positive, supportive school climate to overcome their mental issues and thrive.

1. Promote Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

Schools can implement strategies to support their students’ mental health. For example, they can restructure class schedules to increase student’s meeting frequency with the teachers, enabling consistent teacher-student interactions.

Integrating time for student-teacher sharing and support into the standard curriculum can allow students regular chances to voice their opinions. During deep conversations, teachers can understand their concerns and guide them.

Another strategy is to reduce class sizes. Teachers can address individual student needs by paying more personalized attention to their learning struggles. In this manner, teachers can also receive recognition and evaluation based on their relationships with students.

2. Prohibit Physical Discipline in Schools

Physical discipline may lead to numerous adverse outcomes, such as increased fear and anxiety, which can hinder emotional development. Hence, it should be prohibited in schools’ teaching practices.

Teachers play a vital role in eliminating physical discipline. They must have the necessary skills to motivate their students and apply nonviolent discipline techniques. Schools should offer training programs to ensure teachers can manage classrooms effectively without physical punishment.

Additionally, educators can promote a culture of respect, understanding, and self-discipline by adopting nonviolent discipline. They can also protect students from serious health damage and contribute to their long-term mental conditions.

3. Promote Student Engagement and School Connection

Engaging students in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, such as clubs, sports, and arts, allows them to develop essential life skills, including problem-solving, relationship building, emotional control, and communication.

Moreover, such activities allow young learners to explore their strengths and motivation. Once they become more confident, they will be more comfortable attending school and interacting with their peers.

In addition, engaging in school activities strengthens their connection with schools, educators, and friends. Students develop a sense of belonging, which enhances their school experience. They can also consider school a supportive environment where they nurture valuable relationships.

4. Promote Positive Peer Relationships

Bullying impacts students’ education and social outcomes negatively, which remains the primary reason for common mental health issues such as depression and low self-esteem.

Schools can prevent bullying among primary students by offering recognition programs for acts of kindness. When taught about kindness, students can realize the value of empathy and learn how to get along well with their peers.

Another solution to prevent bullying is to develop and enforce anti-bullying policies that underscore the consequences of bullying to increase the whole school’s awareness of this issue. Schools should also ensure that policies are communicated effectively to students, parents, and staff.

5. Reduce Academic Pressure

Academic pressure causes stress and other mental health issues. Students, especially girls, often experience more stress related to grades and self-expectations, which impacts their well-being.

Schools should implement systemic changes to alleviate these pressures, such as changing examination schedules and promoting a balanced learning environment. Schools should be supportive places where mistakes are growth opportunities.

Moreover, teachers should focus on student development rather than academic outcomes. By prioritizing creativity, collaboration, and self-confidence, schools can shift away from students’ focus on academic performance toward well-rounded development and mental well-being.

6. Teach Students Essential Skills for Positive Mental Health

Essential skills can help mental health in primary schools by contributing to academic achievement and positive youth development. Once students proactively apply these skills in real-life situations, they can break barriers and reduce anxiety.

Social and emotional skills that students should nurture to deal with mental health problems include problem-solving, communication, conflict resolution, and maintaining healthy relationships. Each skill offers distinct benefits for students’ well-being.

For example, communication skills help students interact with their peers simply, avoid misunderstandings, and build long-term relationships. Meanwhile, problem-solving skills enable students to navigate challenges effectively with proper decisions.

School programs can integrate those skills into the curriculum to provide young learners with a robust foundation for lifelong mental health. Those essential skills can also help them succeed in their future career.

7. Identify Student Mental Health Problems Early

Late identification of mental health issues can cause various negative consequences, such as social isolation and the development of more severe mental health disorders. Hence, early detection is needed to rescue affected students.

Schools can identify student mental health problems early by implementing comprehensive screening programs to improve mental health literacy among parents and teachers. Well-prepared knowledge of mental health signs can support them in realizing the change in students’ mental behaviors early for proper solutions.

Screening programs should be done with counseling services, specialized psychological care, and active parent engagement. Schools and teachers should also ensure that identified students receive consistent care and that their personal mental health information is kept carefully to protect their privacy.

8. Provide Students with Professional School-Based Counselling

School counselors can help students overcome their mental problems by providing specialized guidance and support. They must be proficient in both individual and group counseling and effectively address students’ concerns within the school setting.

Furthermore, school counselors should work with teachers and parents to support students. They can develop a detailed plan for each case to ensure students receive consistent care.

School counselors should refer students with severe problems to expert psychological and medical services. With immediate intervention, they can access the care they need.

9. Train School Medical Staff in Basic Mental Health

Building human resources with specialized student mental health expertise is essential. Trained staff can guide program development and implement mental health initiatives within schools. They work as the first line of defense by helping recognize early signs of mental issues in young learners.

Schools ensure well-trained and highly qualified staff by paying attention to the recruitment process. When setting high standards for their school medical staff, they can select the best candidates for their needs.

Staff training programs play an equal role while ensuring the staff can respond immediately to students’ mental health problems, creating a safer school environment.

Mental Health Support in ISHCMC’s Primary School

ISHCMC’s Primary School implements the PYP (Primary Years Program), which encourages students to develop an understanding of themselves, including their mental health.

The transdisciplinary themes of PYP serve as the foundation for student inquiries. They focus on six concepts:

• Encapsulating shared commonalities
• Highlighting the complexity and connectedness of the global human condition
• Encouraging students to engage in discussions about real-world issues
• Enabling genuine integration of subject areas
• Enhancing the uniqueness of the PYP

Join ISHCMC in this journey to nurture mentally healthy students and prepare them for the challenges in their future lives!

FAQs

This section includes answers to common questions related to mental health in primary schools, such as the consequences of mental health issues, the challenges faced in schools, and how parents can support their children’s mental well-being.

1. What are the consequences of students’ mental health issues?

Mental health problems impact students’ concentration, energy levels, quality of life, physical health, and satisfaction with school experience, finally hindering their academic performance.

Furthermore, students’ mental health issues affect their families, campuses, and the whole community. Parents often experience stress and concern for the affected child, which can strain family relationships. Besides, faculty and staff may feel overwhelmed by the need to support struggling students. If there are any student suicides, the whole campus will suffer from anxiety and grief.

The broad community also struggles when students are unable to pursue their educational path due to mental health issues, which leads to the reduction of skilled professionals and the overall well-being of society.

2. What are the most common mental health issues in schools?

The most common mental health issues in schools include:

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): This disorder affects a child’s ability to concentrate on their schoolwork. Some symptoms may include talking too much, feeling restless, or even disrupting their classes. Those behaviors affect their learning abilities and cause multiple problems in school.
• Anxiety: Students with anxiety don’t participate in school activities and are afraid of interacting with others. They tend to avoid school because they don’t want to separate from their parents or are too shy to be around many people.
• Depression: Depressed students don’t enjoy what they used to like. Some experience a sense of hopelessness about their lives.

3. How can parents support children’s mental health in primary schools?

Parents can help their children’s mental health in primary schools by:

• Putting mental health topics into daily talks during car rides and meal time.
• Giving them full attention when they are talking shows that you are listening to them and really want to help.
• Maintaining open, relaxed body language and getting down to the child’s level.
• Taking the problem seriously by respecting their feelings.
• Asking open questions to encourage conversations.
• Staying with the feelings and offering empathy rather than jumping to quick solutions.
• Checking their words, body language, and tone of voice.