Lewandowska Aleksandra, Jankowski Mateusz, Gujski Mariusz, Andrzejczyk Agata, Teliga-Czajkowska Justyna, Silczuk Andrzej
Children Psychiatry Unit Specialized Psychiatric Health Care Centre in Lodz, 91-229 Lodz, Poland.
Department of Population Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 23;13(13):1498. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13131498.
Mental health issues among youth are a growing public health concern. Schools play a vital role in the early detection and prevention of mental health issues, with principals being central to the implementation of mental health initiatives. This study assessed the attitudes, preparedness, and practices of school principals regarding mental health promotion and prevention among school-aged children. A cross-sectional survey using computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) was conducted between March and April 2025. A 19-item questionnaire was sent to all 1564 primary and secondary school principals in the Lodz region. Data from 605 respondents (response rate: 38.7%) were analyzed. A total of 94.9% of the principals reported an increase in student mental health problems over the past five years. Over one-quarter of school principals (26.3%) declared a very good or rather good level of preparation for teachers to work with students diagnosed with a mental disorder. Moreover, 42.3% declared a very good or rather good level of preparation of teachers for conversations with parents about mental health problems observed in their children. Mental health education was conducted in 94.7% of schools, and teacher training in 73.2% of schools. Secondary schools more often offered such training (81.9% vs. 70.7%; = 0.01) and reported stronger support from specialist teachers (79.7% vs. 67.7%; = 0.01) than primary schools did. Rural schools rated teacher-parent communication more positively (47.0% vs. 37.7%; = 0.02) despite fewer training initiatives (68.7% vs. 77.7%; = 0.01). Suicide response procedures were implemented in 78.5% of schools. The findings confirm a marked rise in student mental health needs and reveal structural disparities in providing school-based support. Enhancing school leadership, expanding teacher training, and ensuring systemic support may facilitate mental health promotion interventions in schools.
青少年心理健康问题日益成为公共卫生关注的焦点。学校在心理健康问题的早期发现和预防中发挥着至关重要的作用，校长对于心理健康倡议的实施至关重要。本研究评估了学校校长对学龄儿童心理健康促进和预防的态度、准备情况及实践。2025年3月至4月间采用计算机辅助网络访谈（CAWI）进行了一项横断面调查。向罗兹地区的1564名中小学校长发放了一份包含19个条目的问卷。对605名受访者（回复率：38.7%）的数据进行了分析。共有94.9%的校长报告称，在过去五年里学生心理健康问题有所增加。超过四分之一的学校校长（26.3%）宣称，为教师与被诊断患有精神障碍的学生开展工作做好了非常好或较好的准备。此外，42.3%的校长宣称，为教师就其子女出现的心理健康问题与家长进行沟通做好了非常好或较好的准备。94.7%的学校开展了心理健康教育，73.2%的学校进行了教师培训。与小学相比，中学更常提供此类培训（81.9%对70.7%；P = 0.01），且报告称得到专科教师的支持更强（79.7%对67.7%；P = 0.01）。农村学校对教师与家长沟通的评价更为积极（47.0%对37.7%；P = 0.02），尽管培训活动较少（68.7%对77.7%；P = 0.01）。78.5%的学校实施了自杀应对程序。研究结果证实了学生心理健康需求显著增加，并揭示了在提供校内支持方面存在的结构性差异。加强学校领导、扩大教师培训并确保系统性支持可能有助于促进学校心理健康干预措施的实施。
