Abstract
There are growing concerns over young people’s mental health, the academic pressures they face, and the association between school-related stress and health. Given this, alongside the known benefits of physical activity for psychological health, the need for school-based interventions with a physical activity focus seems justified. This paper reports on findings from the evaluation of a pilot of ‘Get to the Start Line’, an innovative school-based programme designed to address adolescents’ school-related stress and anxiety. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach and a pre- and post- design. Six schools from the East Midlands, UK, and selected year 11 pupils (aged 15–16) identified as experiencing examination-related stress and anxiety, participated in the programme. The programme was coordinated by a school champion (a staff member), delivered by an athlete mentor, and comprised six workshops. Data were collected from school champions and athlete mentors via an online survey following each workshop, and via semi-structured focus groups and interviews with pupils and school champions, respectively, pre-, mid- and post-intervention. Schools also provided relevant pupil data. The findings revealed the programme to be positively received by most pupils and to result in positive outcomes such as reported reductions in examination-related stress and anxiety for some, and fewer pupil well-being referrals. However, various challenges and limitations of the programme were identified, and recommendations were made for its future development. Therefore, whilst some of the findings were encouraging, further research into the implementation and impact of this and other such programmes is needed.
Highlights
There are growing concerns over the psychological well-being of school-aged children and young people (Tymms et al, 2016) with data from developed countries revealing the mental health of many to be ‘less than optimal’ (Biddle et al, 2019: 146)
It is estimated that 10–20% of adolescents experience mental health conditions which account for 16% of the global burden of illness and injury in 10–19-year-olds (World Health Organization, 2018)
This paper focuses on the evaluation of a pilot of ‘Get to the Start Line’, a school-based programme designed to address adolescents’ school-related stress and anxiety, and in particular that associated with examinations
Summary
There are growing concerns over the psychological well-being of school-aged children and young people (Tymms et al, 2016) with data from developed countries revealing the mental health of many to be ‘less than optimal’ (Biddle et al, 2019: 146). The prevalence of poor mental health and emotional disorders amongst youth have reportedly increased in the last decade (Dale et al, 2019; Dore et al, 2016; NHS Digital, 2018) with depression and anxiety disproportionately affecting young people (Viner, 2005, cited in Biddle and Asare, 2011). The recent Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey (NHS Digital, 2018) revealed one in seven 11–16-year-olds had at least one mental disorder, with emotional disorders being most common and higher amongst older age groups. The survey reported an overall increase in the prevalence of mental disorders over time (from 9.7% in 1999 to 11.2% in 2017) This aligns with Public Health England’s (2014a) warning that children and young people’s well-being is in decline and 30% of adolescents are experiencing low levels of emotional well-being
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