Introduction
When we describe school quality, what comes to mind are curricular standards, teachers’ performance and infrastructure. But another less discussed but just as important aspect of education is the effect on mental health. The relationship between school quality and mental health is also increasingly clear, particularly in longitudinal analyses encompassing time-course observations. In this post, I will discuss the importance of this correlation and the evidence from various studies about the impact of education on mental health at school and in later life.
What Defines Educational Quality?
There’s more to quality education than a high school grade or a good test score. It is the learning environment in general – syllabus, teaching, school atmosphere, students’ interventions etc. A good education teaches critical thinking, emotional intelligence and social well-being, all of which can lead to mental health.
Mental Health Education and its Promise The School of Education’s Promise.
Mental health is an essential part of learning and academic performance in a student. Healthy mental health allows you to focus better, think better and feel better. In contrast, poor mental health can also stand in the way of learning, for example, by making learning difficult, by losing your memory, or through stress and anxiety.
Educational Inclusion and Mental Health: The Relationship Between Educational Quality and Mental Health
What Does Educational Quality Have to Do With Mental Health?
Good schooling is about having an environment that is supportive and uplifting for the students’ mental and emotional health. If children are taught a curriculum that empowers them to be themselves, to think critically and to have emotional resilience, they are more prepared to endure stress, self-esteem and manage difficulty. And that, in turn, can equip them to deal with life’s stresses in a more healthy manner.
The Longitudinal Study: Keeping Up With the Relationship Over Time.
The longer-term effects of educational quality on mental health need to be studied over time. Such research is carried out over a very long period of time, and data is collected at different stages of life. By observing how these relationships, including grades, social interactions and psychometrics, correlate to other indicators of health, researchers can understand how educational experience impacts emotional development into adulthood.
Principal Findings from Decade-long Surveys of Educational Quality and Mental Health.
Lower Rates of Distress, Higher Educational Standards – Overall Better Mental Health Performance.
The evidence is consistent: people who are well-educated will be better off, mentally. In one research project that followed students for 20 years, for example, the most-educated students suffered less depression and anxiety as adults. The reason for this link is the sense of accomplishment and self-esteem that good schools offer.
School Environment and Long-Term Mental Health The Long-Term Effects of School Environment On Long-Term Mental Health.
Good school environments (ie, one with close teacher-student relationships, inclusion and emotional support) have been found to boost mental health. The more comfortable students feel in school, the more they have good coping skills and positive outlooks on life.
Education and its Effect on the Poor, and Other Vulnerable Populations.
Others are longitudinal studies that examine how quality education affects groups at risk – poor, mentally ill, for example. These experiments show how early, supportive education can protect against later mental illness. A good education gives these students the means to rise above tragedy and break the cycle of psychiatric disorders.
School Pressure and Depression: The Two-Sworded Sword Educational Pressure and Mental Health
Academic quality is generally healthy for mental health, but high standards do sometimes make us stressed and anxious. Students forced to excel might feel burnt out or scared of failure. The key message from long-term research is one of balance — attending to students’ mental health, but keeping up with course requirements.
The Importance of Teachers on Mental Health
Teachers as Mental Health Supporters
Those that can sense mental anguish in their students come first: teachers. Teachers in good schools are not only educated, they are equipped to detect and treat mental health problems. A teacher’s position as a guide, role model and emotional ally can have enormous implications for the mental health of a student.
Development for Teachers of Mental Health Knowledge Professional Development Educators Mental Health Information
The closer that education quality aligns with mental health, the more teachers need to know how to care for their students’ mental health. Teachers need regular professional development in mental health emphases to know when there is a potential for a mental health condition, and how to create a healthy environment for all students.
The Long-Term Effects of School Mental Health Services on Children School Mental Health Services Long-term Impacts of Schools Mental Health Support on Children’s Lives>Non-Staff Mental Health Services in Schools: Long-term Impacts
Observational research suggests that the more regular students are offered mental health interventions throughout their school careers, the better off they are going to be in the long term. The earlier that is intervened and emotionally bolstered at school, the less likely it is that more serious mental illnesses will occur later in life, which enhances both life satisfaction and performance.
Strategies to Improve Educational Standards and Mental Health
The Future of School Curriculum : A Mental Health-Skills Edge
Mental health education in school is absolutely essential. School needs to equip children with the knowledge about how to deal with their feelings, deal with stress and be able to speak. This gives students strength and long-term better mental health.
Creating Supportive School Environments
The priority for schools should be providing social and emotional inclusion. It can mean the difference in mental health between students and a smaller class size, access to counselling and wellbeing-related extracurricular activities.
Encouraging Family and Community Involvement
Education doesn’t impact mental health just on the schoolyard. Students can’t thrive without the support of families and communities. Schools need to bring families to mental health education and discuss feelings openly.
Conclusion
Education quality and mental health go hand in hand, no question. Longitudinal studies suggest that better education leads to improved mental health, in school and at home. If students are to flourish, then we need to make the school setting hospitable, welcoming and mentally hygienic. In promoting these conditions, we not only improve students’ grades, but we also provide them with the emotional resilience necessary for living well.
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