The role of mental health nurses in supporting young people’s mental health: a review of the literature

Abstract

Purpose -Adolescent mental health issues are on the increase, in particular depression, which is now a major public health concern globally. Mental health education is important and young people's awareness of mental health is potentially limited. This is one factor that creates barriers to seeking support. School nurses and educational professionals recognise that they do not necessarily have the required skill base to support emotional health concerns with young people. The purpose of this paper is to synthesise qualitative evidence related to the nurse's role in supporting adolescents. Design/methodology/approach -A literature review using a systematic approach was undertaken, predominantly through collection of primary qualitative research studies. In total, 22 published studies are included in this review, extracted from four databases -CINAHL, Embase, Medline and Scopus. Findings -This review shows that awareness of mental health is needed early in adolescence, while at school, to encourage young people to access support and have knowledge of their own emotional health. The need for further mental health education and provision is asserted. Practical implications -Young people benefit from someone who is accessible and familiar to them in schools so that they can access emotional support as and when needed. Careful involvement of families (including extended families) is noted. It is proposed that this role should be a mental health nurse role, who should be accessible within the school environment. Originality/value -This paper is original and adds to existing knowledge that mental health challenges are increasing, and more needs to be done in schools to promote mental health and reduce the stigma associated with seeking support.

Perceptions of School Nurses in Addressing Student Mental Health Concerns: An Integrative Review

“…The sense of worry described by Jönsson et al (2019) and Pryjmachuk et al (2011) recognizes that school nurses may not trust their knowledge or they may feel that they lack the emotional competence to manage students who are struggling or having an acute mental health need. In fact, a need for additional training or education in youth mental health assessment and care is well documented (Arnold & Baker, 2018;Bartlett, 2015;Ravenna & Cleaver, 2016). It remains critical to implement professional development programs that provide school nurses with evidence-based training on assessing and managing students with mental health needs, as well as programs that school nurses can deliver to students to prevent mental health problems.…”

Service organization protocol for coping with undergraduate students’ psychological distress: a collective construction

“…It was found, however, that professionals find obstacles to perform an effective service, especially in relation to the reduced team and the non-involvement of the university’s professionals to effectively recognize and face psychological distress. It is postulated that university management should pay close attention to key points that need to be rethought and discussed, both regarding physical infrastructure and organizational aspects and human resource quantity and qualification ( 3 , 6 ) .…”

“…For an effective approach to this mental health problem, it is recommended to ensure that students have opportunities to experience mental health promotion actions in the university context and, when seeking assistance due to the possibility of psychological distress, they are welcomed in an accessible and comfortable environment with duly trained and problem-solving professionals ( 6 ) .…”

Social support may prevent self‐cutting in adolescence: A 5‐year follow‐up study

“…In conclusion, good relationships with siblings and regular meetings with friends should be promoted among adolescents by parents and all other adults. It has also been suggested that adolescents benefit from the possibility of regular meetings with healthcare professionals such as school nurses or mental health nurses (Arnold & Baker, 2018). Mental health promotion by mental health nurses in comprehensive schools might be a good start for increasing positive mental health (Onnela et al, 2014).…”