The Role of School Connectedness in Supporting the Health and Well-Being of Youth: Recommendations for School Nurses

2021 ◽  
pp. 1942602X2110484
Author(s):  
Ellen M. McCabe ◽  
Caroline Davis ◽  
Lauryn Mandy ◽  
Cindy Wong

The importance of students feeling connected in school cannot be overstated, as this perception is crucial to support their health and well-being. A lack of school connectedness can lead to adverse physical and mental health outcomes, including bully victimization. Numerous factors, including individual, social, and environmental, influence students’ perceived sense of school connectedness. School nurses are well positioned to establish and maintain school connectedness due to their knowledge, accessibility to students, and familiarity with the school environment. This article details the importance of school connectedness and describes the associations between school connectedness, bullying, and mental health. In addition, we offer recommendations geared toward school nurses regarding strengthening school connectedness and promoting a culture of care and inclusivity within school environments, especially salient in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Barnett ◽  
Ellen A. Anderson

ABSTRACTObjectives:Optimism and pessimism are distinct constructs that have demonstrated independent relationships with aspects of health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether optimism or pessimism is more closely linked with physical and mental health among older adults.Design:Cross-sectional survey.Participants:Community-dwelling older adults (N = 272) ages 59–95 in the southern United States.Measurements:The Life Orientation Test—Revised and the Short Form 8.Results:At the bivariate level, optimism was associated with higher physical health and mental health, while pessimism was associated with lower physical health and mental health. Multiple-regression analyses as well as comparison of correlation coefficients found that pessimism was more closely associated with physical health and mental health than optimism.Conclusions:These results add to the literature suggesting that, in terms of older adults’ health and well-being, avoiding pessimism may be more important than being optimistic.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 677-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Collins ◽  
Bernadette M. Ward ◽  
Pamela Snow ◽  
Sandra Kippen ◽  
Fiona Judd

There are disproportionately higher and inconsistently distributed rates of recorded suicides in rural areas. Patterns of rural suicide are well documented, but they remain poorly understood. Geographic variations in physical and mental health can be understood through the combination of compositional, contextual, and collective factors pertaining to particular places. The aim of this study was to explore the role of “place” contributing to suicide rates in rural communities. Seventeen mental health professionals participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Principles of grounded theory were used to guide the analysis. Compositional themes were demographics and perceived mental health issues; contextual themes were physical environment, employment, housing, and mental health services; and collective themes were town identity, community values, social cohesion, perceptions of safety, and attitudes to mental illness. It is proposed that connectedness may be the underlying mechanism by which compositional, contextual, and collective factors influence mental health and well-being in rural communities.


2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tunac De Pedro ◽  
Ron Avi Astor ◽  
Tamika D. Gilreath ◽  
Rami Benbenishty ◽  
Ruth Berkowitz

Research has found that when compared with civilian students, military-connected students in the United States have more negative mental health outcomes, stemming from the stress of military life events (i.e., deployment). To date, studies on military-connected youth have not examined the role of protective factors within the school environment, such as school climate, in the mental health and well-being of military-connected adolescents. Given this gap in the research on military adolescents, this study draws from a large sample of military and non-military secondary adolescents in military-connected schools ( N = 14,943) and examines associations between school climate, military connection, deployment, and mental health. Findings show that multiple components of school climate are associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation and increased likelihood of well-being among students in military-connected schools, after controlling for student demographics, military connection, and deployments. The authors conclude with a discussion of school climate interventions for military-connected youth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hughes

Objectives The aim of the present study was to examine the health and well being of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, the health issues that concern them, the services they use and challenges accessing services. Methods This study comprised a survey of the health and well being of 312 LGBTI people aged 50 years and over in New South Wales. The survey included the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) measure of health-related quality of life, the Kessler 10 (K10) measure of psychological distress, and the three-item Loneliness Scale. Results Higher levels of psychological distress, lower mental health and greater loneliness were found among this sample than is typically found in the general population. Mental health was lower among carers and those not in a relationship, while psychological distress was greater among those living alone and those experiencing higher rates of loneliness. The most commonly accessed health service was a general practitioner (GP), with most respondents reporting that they were open about their sexuality to their GP and that they had a regular GP. Some reported difficulties accessing health services because of their gender or sexual diversity. Conclusions Although many older LGBTI people are well, both physically and mentally, they do appear to face increased risk of certain health issues compared with the general population. What is known about the topic? Overseas research indicates that older LGBTI people may be at greater risk of certain physical and mental health conditions than the general population. What does this paper add? This paper provides Australian data, using well-validated instruments, on the health and well being of older LGBTI people. It provides evidence of the health issues that older LGBTI people are most concerned about and the barriers they face in accessing services. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for health practitioners to be aware that older LGBTI people appear to be at increased risk of certain physical and mental health issues, such as loneliness and psychological distress. Providing opportunities for clients to identify their gender or sexual diversity may assist in monitoring risk factors and enable referral to promote healthy aging.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 785-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Wilson ◽  
Barry Drust ◽  
James P. Morton ◽  
Graeme L. Close

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255621
Author(s):  
Tarsila Lampert ◽  
Joana Costa ◽  
Osvaldo Santos ◽  
Joana Sousa ◽  
Teresa Ribeiro ◽  
...  

Introduction There has been growing interest in community gardens as an effective and affordable health promotion strategy. However, most available evidence is derived from qualitative studies, whereas quantitative research on this subject is limited. Objectives To synthetize the literature about physical and mental health outcomes associated with community gardening. Two main questions were addressed: a) is there evidence, from quantitative studies, that community gardening is associated to physical and mental health and well-being of non-institutionalized individuals? b) Does community gardening provokes any discomfort in terms of physical health, i.e., bodily pain, to their beneficiaries? Methods A systematic review of the literature was carried out following PRISMA guidelines by searching relevant electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). Empirical, quantitative studies published in English with no restrictions concerning the date of publication were considered eligible. The quality of the evidence was appraised using the tool developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Results Overall, 8 studies were considered eligible, of which seven studies were rated as having good methodological quality (one scored as fair). Community gardeners had significantly better health outcomes than their neighbours not engaged in gardening activities in terms of life satisfaction, happiness, general health, mental health, and social cohesion. Conclusion Community gardens are associated to health gains for their users, irrespective of age, being an affordable and efficient way of promoting physical and mental health and well-being. To encourage the design, maintenance, and prospective evaluation of supportive urban environments promoting healthy and, at the same time, sustainable lifestyles, is essential to achieve public health gains and environmental sustainability.


PLoS Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. e1003847
Author(s):  
Judi Kidger ◽  
Nicholas Turner ◽  
William Hollingworth ◽  
Rhiannon Evans ◽  
Sarah Bell ◽  
...  

Background Teachers are at heightened risk of poor mental health and well-being, which is likely to impact on the support they provide to students, and student outcomes. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial, to test whether an intervention to improve mental health support and training for high school teachers led to improved mental health and well-being for teachers and students, compared to usual practice. We also conducted a cost evaluation of the intervention. Methods and findings The intervention comprised (i) Mental Health First Aid training for teachers to support students; (ii) a mental health awareness session; and (iii) a confidential staff peer support service. About 25 mainstream, non-fee-paying secondary schools stratified by geographical area and free school meal entitlement were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 12) or control group (n = 13) after collection of baseline measures. We analysed data using mixed-effects repeated measures models in the intention-to-treat population, adjusted for stratification variables, sex, and years of experience. The primary outcome was teacher well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). Secondary outcomes were teacher depression, absence, and presenteeism, and student well-being, mental health difficulties, attendance, and attainment. Follow-up was at months 12 (T1) and 24 (T2). We collected process data to test the logic model underpinning the intervention, to aid interpretation of the findings. A total of 1,722 teachers were included in the primary analysis. Teacher well-being did not differ between groups at T2 (intervention mean well-being score 47.5, control group mean well-being score 48.4, adjusted mean difference −0.90, 95% CI –2.07 to 0.27, p = 0.130). The only effect on secondary outcomes was higher teacher-reported absence among the intervention group at T2 (intervention group median number of days absent 0, control group median number of days absent 0, ratio of geometric means 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.09, p = 0.042). Process measures indicated little change in perceived mental health support, quality of relationships, and work-related stress. The average cost of the intervention was £9,103 per school. The study’s main limitations were a lack of blinding of research participants and the self-report nature of the outcome measures. Conclusions In this study, we observed no improvements to teacher or student mental health following the intervention, possibly due to a lack of impact on key drivers of poor mental health within the school environment. Future research should focus on structural and cultural changes to the school environment, which may be more effective at improving teacher and student mental health and well-being. Trial registration www.isrctn.com ISRCTN95909211.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-14
Author(s):  
James B. Talmage

Abstract In 2011, the American Medical Association published the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Work Ability and Return to Work (AMA's Return to Work), Second Edition, which began with a review of consensus statements attesting that, in general, work is good for a person's health and well-being. Since publication of AMA's Return to Work, the Australian Royal College of Physicians has issued a consensus statement about the negative health consequences of becoming unemployed and the health benefits of returning to work. Key points include: for most individuals, working improves general health and well-being and reduces psychological distress; even musculoskeletal and mental health conditions attributed to work can benefit from activity-based rehabilitation and an early return to suitable work; long-term work absence is harmful to physical and mental health and well-being; the negative effects of remaining away from work include stress on the worker's families, including children. Of the potential consequences of unemployment in mid-adult life, the worst is premature death. In causation research, unlike medical treatment studies, individuals cannot be randomly assigned to a group that is forced to remain at work and a group that is forced to be unemployed. Even so, causation research has found strong evidence for a protective effect of employment on depression and general mental health. In performing evaluations, physicians must accurately assess work ability and recognize the healthy benefits of work.


Author(s):  
Tim Walker ◽  
Tamaryn Menneer ◽  
Catherine Leyshon ◽  
Michael Leyshon ◽  
Andrew James Williams ◽  
...  

Abstract In general, research demonstrates that deprivation, education, health, and well-being are determinants of volunteering, and that volunteering can play an important role in building stronger communities and provides many benefits for individual health and well-being. This study concentrates on the effects of physical and mental health and well-being as predictors when the aspect of socio-economic impact has been minimised. It utilises a unique data set from a UK Housing Association community with generally high levels of deprivation. Data were analysed using bivariate probit regression. In contrast to previous findings, physical health and mental health were not significantly related to volunteering. The key finding was that mental well-being was significantly related to informal volunteering.


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