Can Implementation of a Resilience Program for Primary School Children Enhance the Mental Health of Teachers?

Abstract

This study investigated whether a mental health promotion program delivered by primary school teachers to prevent internalising problems in children had any impact on the teachers' job-related affective wellbeing. Teacher job-related anxiety and job-related depression were measured before teaching the Aussie Optimism program, and after implementation at 12 and 24 months. Schools and teachers were randomised to one of three groups: Aussie Optimism with Teacher Training; Aussie Optimism with Teacher Training and Coaching; or the Usual Care control group, which implemented the regular Western Australian Health Education Curriculum. In all three groups, teachers taught lessons to promote student self-management and interpersonal skills during the last two years of primary school. Teachers in schools in the control group received training in Aussie Optimism after the first year of intervention. Data was collected from 405 primary school teachers in 63 government primary schools. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed partial support for the hypotheses, with teachers in the Training and Coaching intervention group reporting significantly lower levels of job-related anxiety at the 12-month assessment and depression at both the 12- and 24-month assessments when compared to teachers in the Usual Care control group. There were no significant differences between teachers in the Training only group and the control group after intervention.

Quietly sharing the load? The role of school psychologists in enabling teacher resilience

“…Mandy and Hannah included implementing programs at a classroom or school level to address the needs of vulnerable children and families in their descriptions of how school psychologists support teacher resilience. Mandy led professional development for the PATHS® (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies; see PATHS® Education Worldwide, 2015) project and reported teachers as saying: ‘These skills are so great I am using them in my personal life’, reflecting research that learning to implement programs to enhance children’s resilience can develop teachers’ own knowledge and skills and thus support resilience (Tyson et al., 2009). When Hannah facilitated senior staff ‘reflection sessions’ focused on strengths and areas for improvement, ‘staff often commented that they found this process really helpful, and it reconnected them with what they enjoyed about teaching/their values around teaching’.…”

“…These ideas echo views that professional conversations with school psychologists can enhance teacher selfefficacy (Gibbs & Miller, 2014). (Tyson et al, 2009). When Hannah facilitated senior staff 'reflection sessions' focused on strengths and areas for improvement, 'staff often commented that they found this process really helpful, and it reconnected them with what they enjoyed about teaching / their values around teaching.'…”

“…For example, they play a major role in providing mental health services to schools as members of case management teams that develop programs for students with high support needs (De Jong & Griffiths, 2008). Programs such as Aussie Optimism (Curtin University, 2014) have been developed by psychologists to promote positive mental health outcomes for students, and when teachers were trained to implement such programs indirect positive influences on teachers' own wellbeing were also observed (Tyson, Roberts, & Kane, 2009). Anderson, Klassen, and Georgiou (2007) argued that school psychologists are ideally positioned to influence teacher beliefs and actions and to provide support regarding inclusion of students with disabilities.…”

The population cost-effectiveness of delivering universal and indicated school-based interventions to prevent the onset of major depression among youth in Australia

“…First, our study narrowly focussed on health benefits linked to the prevention of incident depression only. Current evidence suggests that school-based prevention programmes can have benefits across the continuum of internalising disorders (Stockings et al 2016) and lead to potential improvements in: education outcomes among students (Dix et al 2012); and mental health outcomes in teachers (Tyson et al 2009). Second, our study excluded evidence from RCT studies assessing continuous changes on depression symptom rating scales.…”

Teacher and Staff Wellbeing: Understanding the Experiences of School Staff

“…Sisask et al (2014) found that teachers with high wellbeing are more likely to assist children with mental health challenges. Similarly, other studies conclude that the preconditions for teachers to improve the mental health of their students include providing them with a good school environment, valuing the subjective psychological wellbeing of the teachers, and providing adequate training to fulfil their gatekeeper role (Opfer, 2016;Roffey, 2012;Salter-Jones, 2012;Sisask et al, 2014;Tyson, Roberts, & Kane, 2009). Unfortunately, despite the potential benefits of focusing on teacher and staff wellbeing, it is not seen as a central priority in most schools.…”