Enhancing “Health-Promoting Schools” through Implementing Mental Health Program

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The implementation of social and emotional learning program Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program is considered to be a low cost, simple method, and efficient intervention that shows a promise in promoting students’ mental health (MH). AIM: We aimed to enhance “The Health-Promoting Schools” initiative through the implementation of a MH promotion program. METHODS: The study is a school-based non-randomized controlled trial, in purposively selected schools. It included 460 students with a mean age of 11 (± 0.7) years old, all are boys, and were divided into two groups; intervention group (n = 230) and control group (n = 230). The ten components of the health-promoting school were assessed in the intervention school using the CDC tool “The School Health Index,” which enables the school team to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their school’s policies and programs. As a result, a tailored SEL program was developed fitting the Egyptian culture and students’ needs, along with the recommendations and trends. RESULTS: The baseline assessment results for the intervention school were in the medium range percentages (20–80%). The social and emotional part had not been a major concern given for our students. The students who participated in the SEL program evidenced significant improvements in grit, growth mindset, self-management, social awareness, and school safety compared to the control group. According to the teachers’ perception scale, 70% of the teachers reported that the learning strategies of students have been improved. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that a relatively simple-to-administer SEL curriculum added to the regular school curriculum for a period of only 2–3 months can yield promising results as regard to positive behavioral and cognitive changes in students.