Coetzee Bronwynè J, Gericke Hermine, Human Suzanne, Stallard Paul, Loades Maria
Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
School Ment Health. 2022;14(1):189-200. doi: 10.1007/s12310-021-09465-3. Epub 2021 Jul 13.
Children and young people are vulnerable to developing mental health problems. In South Africa, this vulnerability is compounded by contextual risk factors such as community violence and poverty. However, mental health services are scarce and costly, which precludes access for many. Universal school-based mental health programmes can prevent the onset of mental health problems in children and young people and have been implemented to good effect in high-income settings. We sought to understand stakeholder perspectives on what such a programme should focus on and how it could be implemented in practice within the South African context. We interviewed children and young people ( = 22), parents ( = 21), teachers ( = 17), and school mental health counsellors ( = 6) recruited from two schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. We generated three overarching themes: 'the value of a mental health and well-being programme', 'content and delivery', and 'practicalities and logistics'. Participants were optimistic about the potential value of such a programme. Developing content that was appropriate for group delivery, flexible and timed to fit within the school schedule was important. Finding ways to make activities meaningful for large classes was important logistically, as was determining to what extent leaners would feel comfortable participating alongside their peers. Participants felt that outsiders, as opposed to school staff, should deliver the programme and that parents should be involved where possible. Developing a mental health programme for children and young people in the South African context requires careful understanding of who the key role players in such an intervention will be and how exactly they want to be involved and, how the challenges associated with practicalities and logistics can be overcome.
儿童和青少年容易出现心理健康问题。在南非，社区暴力和贫困等背景风险因素使这种脆弱性更加复杂。然而，心理健康服务稀缺且昂贵，这使得许多人无法获得。基于学校的普遍心理健康项目可以预防儿童和青少年心理健康问题的发生，并且在高收入环境中已经得到了很好的实施。我们试图了解利益相关者对于这样一个项目应该关注什么以及如何在南非背景下实际实施的看法。我们采访了从南非西开普省的两所学校招募的儿童和青少年（n = 22）、家长（n = 21）、教师（n = 17）和学校心理健康顾问（n = 6）。访谈进行了录音，逐字转录并进行了主题分析。我们生成了三个总体主题：“心理健康与幸福项目的价值”、“内容与实施方式”以及“实际操作与后勤保障”。参与者对该项目的潜在价值持乐观态度。开发适合集体实施、灵活且符合学校日程安排的内容很重要。从后勤角度来看，找到让大班活动有意义的方法很重要，确定学生在与同龄人一起参与时会感到舒适的程度也很重要。参与者认为应由外部人员而非学校工作人员来实施该项目，并且应尽可能让家长参与进来。在南非背景下为儿童和青少年制定心理健康项目需要仔细了解这种干预措施中的关键角色是谁，他们具体希望如何参与，以及如何克服与实际操作和后勤保障相关的挑战。
