Cultural construction of promoting resilience and positive school climate during economic crisis in Greek schools

The science of child and adolescent mental health in Greece: a nationwide systematic review

Evidence-based information is essential for effective mental health care, yet the extent and accessibility of the scientific literature are critical barriers for professionals and policymakers. To map the necessities and make validated resources accessible, we undertook a systematic review of scientific evidence on child and adolescent mental health in Greece encompassing three research topics: prevalence estimates, assessment instruments, and interventions. We searched Pubmed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and IATPOTEK from inception to December 16th, 2021. We included studies assessing the prevalence of conditions, reporting data on assessment tools, and experimental interventions. For each area, manuals informed data extraction and the methodological quality were ascertained using validated tools. This review was registered in protocols.io [68583]. We included 104 studies reporting 533 prevalence estimates, 223 studies informing data on 261 assessment instruments, and 34 intervention studies. We report the prevalence of conditions according to regions within the country. A repository of locally validated instruments and their psychometrics was compiled. An overview of interventions provided data on their effectiveness. The outcomes are made available in an interactive resource online [ https://rpubs.com/camhi/sysrev_table ]. Scientific evidence on child and adolescent mental health in Greece has now been cataloged and appraised. This timely and accessible compendium of up-to-date evidence offers valuable resources for clinical practice and policymaking in Greece and may encourage similar assessments in other countries.

What future are you talking about? Efficacy of Life Design Psy-Lab, as career guidance intervention, to support university students' needs during COVID-19 emergency

The pandemic increased world's uncertainty, and led to deep change in daily habits, generating disorientation, and inevitably affecting people life and professional plans. Young adults and students' future perspective and satisfaction with life were widely affected, especially for those facing school/ work transitions. Nevertheless, it was of primary importance for career guidance psychologists to intervene to support students despite having to navigate "on sight" and with little literature available. This paper will thus describe how the Life Design Psy-Lab, a career guidance service from Bicocca University (Milan, Italy) implemented a thematic online group intervention with 103 students enrolled. The intervention was based on the theoretical model of Life Design and was performed by career counselling psychologists. The intervention's goal was to foster students' development of skills and mindset to face complexity and unpredictability, shifting their time perception from an uncertain present to a more optimistic future scenario. The intervention's impact was assessed using pre and post online questionnaires. Results show how students increased their precepted level in a set of skills to face change and complexity after participating to the intervention. In more detail, students' precepted levels of career adaptability, courage, time perspective and resilience rose. Also, data show how the intervention strengthened students' life satisfaction. This paper will thus contribute to expand the growing yet still newborn set of knowledge about career guidance interventions in times of COVID-19 emergency, specifically addressing the issue of design interventions that can improve young adults' skills to visualize and project present and future for themselves, especially during uncertain times.

Assessing school community needs during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: Teacher, parent and student perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of adults and children worldwide. Schools were among the first settings to be influenced by this crisis. Home confinement and school closure were implemented as necessary preventive measures creating a new way of living based on web-based communication. The aim of the study is to explore school community needs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Greece. The study followed a mixed methods design, consisting of a teacher, a parent and an adolescent survey. The sample entailed 1,157 participants (414 teachers, 487 parents and 256 adolescents). Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected using open-ended questions to explore participants’ adjustment and needs during the pandemic. Parents and teachers showed high propensity for anxiety and high levels of resilient coping. Health and adaptation concerns were evident in all samples. Teachers, parents and adolescents described helpful coping practices, primarily related to social support. The findings highlight the importance of supporting all school community members to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety during the pandemic and to identify and make use of helpful personal and social resources.

Social justice principles as core concepts in school psychology training, research and practice at a transnational level

This paper presents social justice principles as core concepts in school psychology practice via a conceptual framework that combines theory, research, training, and practical applications. Focusing on the specific needs of Greece (i.e. economic recession, influx of migrant and refugee students, etc.), we discuss the inclusion of multicultural and international components of school psychology practice as well as implications for socially just practice. Specific examples of interventions and activities developed and implemented by the Laboratory of School Psychology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which emphasizes the application of social justice principles to practice, are also presented. Finally, we discuss specific guidelines for developing interventions that embrace social justice principles globally as well as explore transnational implications.

Adolescents’ perceptions of school climate: Exploring its protective role in times of economic recession

The aim of the study is to explore the way Greek junior high school students perceive school climate as a protective factor against the adversities due to the ongoing economic recession. The randomly selected sample consisted of 746 students from junior high schools (Gymnasia) in the broader area of Athens. The California School Climate Survey (2009), the Questionnaire of Subjective Well-Being/Youth Form (Grob et al., 1991) and the Economic Crisis Difficulties Questionnaire ( LSP, 2011 ) were used for data collection. The findings indicated the existence of statistically significant relations between the effects of economic recession, subjective well-being and school climate. School climate moderated the interaction between economic recession and students’ subjective well-being. Results provide a better understanding of adolescents’ needs during unsettling times contributing to the development of effective evidence-based intervention programs in school communities.