scholarly journals Loneliness, adolescence, and global mental health: Soledad and structural violence in Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 673-687
Author(s):  
Janis H. Jenkins ◽  
Giselle Sanchez ◽  
Olga Lidia Olivas-Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
School Students ◽  
Gene Effects

In this article, we call into question recent public health claims that loneliness is a problem of epidemic proportions. Current research on this topic is hindered by an overreliance on limited survey data and by paradigmatic imbalance that delineates the study of loneliness to psychological, cognitive, neuroendocrinological and immunological effects, social functioning, physical health, mortality, and gene effects. The article emphasizes that scientific approaches to the phenomena of loneliness are more appropriately conceived and investigated as inherently matters for social, relational, cultural, and contextual analysis of subjective experience. Studies of loneliness and possible relationships to mental health status require investigations of social, environmental, and institutional structures as well as families, peers, friends, counselors, and health providers. This article takes a step in this direction through examining the lived experience of 35 high school students and their families living under conditions of social adversity in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, with attention to anxiety and depression. Utilizing ethnographic interviews, observations, and psychological screening tools, we provide an overview for the group and illustrate the interrelations of subjective experience and social environment through a case study. These data reveal the vital role of understandings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety from the perspectives of adolescents themselves. We conclude that future studies of loneliness are best informed by in-depth data on subjective experience in relation to social features to advance understandings within the field of global mental health and allied fields.

scholarly journals Feasibility of a serious game coupled with a contact-based session led by lived experience workers for depression prevention in high-school students

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260224
Author(s):  
Mandy Gijzen ◽  
Sanne Rasing ◽  
Rian van den Boogaart ◽  
Wendy Rongen ◽  
Twan van der Steen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
School Students ◽  
Preventive Program ◽  
High School Setting

Background Stigma and limited mental health literacy impede adolescents getting the help they need for depressive symptoms. A serious game coupled with a classroom session led by lived experience workers (LEWs) might help to overcome these barriers. The school-based Strong Teens and Resilient Minds (STORM) preventive program employed this strategy and offered a serious game, Moving Stories. The current study was carried out to assess inhibiting and promoting factors for scaling up Moving Stories once its effectiveness has been ascertained. Methods Moving Stories was offered in three steps: (1) introductory classroom session, (2) students playing the game for five days, (3) debriefing classroom session led by lived experience worker. Data was collected on the number of participating students, costs of offering Moving Stories, and was further based on the notes of the debriefing sessions to check if mental health first aid (MHFA) strategies were addressed. Results Moving Stories was offered in seven high-schools. Coverage was moderate with 982 participating students out of 1880 (52%). Most participating students (83%) played the Moving Stories app three out of the five days. Qualitative data showed that the MHFAs were discussed in all debriefing sessions. Students showed great interest in lived experience workers’ stories and shared their own experiences with depression. Conclusions Bringing Moving Stories to scale in the high-school setting appears feasible, but will remain logistically somewhat challenging. Future implementation and scale-up of Moving Stories could benefit from improved selection and training of LEWs that played such an important role in grabbing the full attention of students and were able to launch frank discussions about depressive disorder and stigma in classrooms. Trial registration The study is registered in the Dutch Trial Register: Trial NL6444 (NTR6622: https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6444).

Stability of High School Students' Mental Health in a Dual-Factor Model

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie M. Mcmahan ◽  
Shannon M. Suldo ◽  
Ashley Chappel ◽  
Lisa Bateman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
School Students

Perfectionism in adolescents: Self-critical perfectionism as a predictor of depressive symptoms across the school year

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Levine ◽  
Isabelle Green-Demers ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya ◽  
Kaitlyn M. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
School Students ◽  
Personal Standards ◽  
School Year ◽  
Path Modelling ◽  
Personal Standards Perfectionism

The present study examined the influence of personal standards and self-critical perfectionism on depressive and anxiety symptoms over the academic year. High-school students (N=174) were surveyed in the late Fall and early Spring, assessing perfectionism in the Fall and mental health across the year in both the Fall and Spring. Path modelling was used to examine whether self-critical and personal standards perfectionism were related to changes in mental health across the school year. Controlling for mental health at the start of the year, self-critical perfectionism predicted an increase in depressive symptoms over time, whereas personal standards perfectionism was unrelated to changes in mental health. Results support that self-critical perfectionism is detrimental to mental health in adolescents, suggesting that future interventions should focus on reducing self-critical cognitive biases in youth.

scholarly journals Rural Aboriginal high school students' views of their future tertiary education

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Jessica Howard ◽  
Jacob Jeffery ◽  
Lucie Walters ◽  
Elsa Barton
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Educational Aspirations ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Students ◽  
Aboriginal Australians ◽  
Relationship Networks

Abstract In the context of a stark discrepancy in the educational outcomes of Aboriginal Australians compared to non-Aboriginal Australians, this article aims to contribute the voices of rural Aboriginal high school students to the discourse. This article utilises an appreciative enquiry approach to analyse the opinions and aspirations of 12 Aboriginal high school students in a South Australian regional centre. Drawing on student perspectives from semi-structured interviews, this article contributes to and contextualises the growing body of literature regarding educational aspirations. It demonstrates how rurality influences a complex system of intrinsic attributes, relationship networks and contextual factors. It offers an important counterpoint to discourses surrounding academic disadvantage and highlights the lived experience of rural Aboriginal Australians.

Relationship Between Different Types of Violence and Mental Health in High School Students From Northern Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110219
Author(s):  
Oscar Armando Esparza-Del Villar ◽  
Sarah Margarita Chavez-Valdez ◽  
Priscila Montañez-Alvarado ◽  
Marisela Gutiérrez-Vega ◽  
Teresa Gutiérrez-Rosado
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
School Students ◽  
Social Violence ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Different types of violence have been present in Mexico but there have been few studies that have analyzed their relationship with mental health in adolescents, especially in cities with high rates of social violence. It is important to compare different violence types and their relationship with mental health since not all relationships are the same. It appears that social violence has a stronger relationship with mental health, and for this reason it receives more attention, but other types of violence have a stronger relationship and do not receive as much attention. Chihuahua has been one of the most violent states in Mexico, and Juarez has been the most violent city in the world in 2009 and 2010. The purpose of the study is to compare the relationship of different types of violence (social, cyberbullying, partner violence, and child abuse and neglect) with mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and paranoid thoughts). There were 526 high school students, from the cities of Juarez ( n = 282) and Chihuahua ( n = 244). The mean age was 16.5 ( SD = 1.4) years and 50.6% reported being males. The relationships among the variables were analyzed using Pearson’s correlations and multiple linear regressions. Both cities that have experienced social violence like carjacking, kidnapping, and sexual assault, but they have very small or no relationships with mental health indicators. Other types of violence have stronger correlations. Our findings suggest that interventions should not focus only in preventing and dealing with social violence, but that other types of violence must also be addressed in adolescents.

The effects of short-term mindfulness-based group intervention utilising a school setting for Japanese adolescents with trauma

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Daisuke Ito ◽  
Yuki Kubo ◽  
Ayako Takii ◽  
Asuka Watanabe ◽  
Tetsuhiro Ohtani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Short Term ◽  
School Students ◽  
Japanese Adolescents ◽  
Intervention Session

Abstract The use of mindfulness as a tool to improve mental health has received increased attention. Schools provide ideal environments for short-term prevention and skill development for mental health. Further, teachers can promote and reinforce students’ daily use of mindfulness. This study explored the effects of a short-term group mindfulness-based intervention on the mental health of adolescents who have experienced trauma. A total of 49 high school students received a mindfulness-based intervention session followed by homework and teacher reinforcement. The results suggest that a short-term group intervention for mindfulness can potentially improve mindfulness attention awareness and reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents. As there was no control group, additional research examining the effectiveness of the intervention is essential.

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