Beliefs about students’ mental health issues among teachers at elementary and high schools, Hail Governorate, Saudi Arabia

Awareness and Attitudes Toward Childhood Mental Disorders Among Primary School Teachers in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Background and aim Early detection and intervention can improve the treatment outcome of childhood mental disorders, and primary school teachers may play an important role in referring suspected cases to mental health facilities if they have good awareness and attitudes toward these disorders. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and attitudes of primary school teachers toward childhood mental disorders in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted among classroom teachers in primary schools in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was conducted during the period from 2022 to 2023 in both public and private schools. An anonymous, self-administered, online questionnaire was used to assess participants' awareness and attitudes toward pupils with mental health issues. The collected data were analyzed using the chi-square test to examine the associations between various categories and the ANOVA test to compare means. Results The study included 417 teachers, 63.5% of whom were males, the mean of their ages was 39.59 years (SD±8.66), and the mean of their work experience was 12.8 years (SD±8.02) in different teaching specialties. Among participants, 60.2% claimed that no pupils had mental health problems in their classes, 80.1% had not referred any pupils to mental health facilities, and 88.5% did not receive any training related to childhood mental health problems. A humble percent (12.2%) of the participants claimed a good awareness of the signs and symptoms of childhood disorders. Only 54% of teachers advise visiting a psychiatric clinic in case of psychiatric problems, and a similar percentage of teachers believe that psychiatric drugs cause addiction. The male gender, being specialized in humanitarian subjects, having relatives or friends with childhood mental disorders, and receiving training related to childhood mental health were significantly associated with teachers' better awareness. Conclusion Primary school teachers generally lack awareness of childhood mental health and have underestimation and poor recognition of cases of mental disorders. There are many teachers who also have unfavorable attitudes toward psychiatric disorders, patients, and treatments, which requires much effort to improve their awareness and attitudes toward childhood mental disorders.

Attitudes and beliefs of Tunisian High-School teachers about schizophrenia: The impact of vignette gender

BACKGROUND

Teachers have a crucial active role in provision of mental health services to students and fighting against mental health stigma in schools, hence their attitudes and beliefs toward mental illness should be assessed.

METHOD

We carried-out a cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sample of 304 higher secondary school teachers. We used a structured questionnaire in which a vignette describing an individual with schizophrenia was presented, and was followed by a series of stigma-related questions.

RESULTS

A substantial proportion of teachers endorsed stressful life events (79.6%) as a cause of schizophrenia, elicited feelings of discomfort (41.4%) and incomprehension (41.1%) with the person displaying symptoms of schizophrenia, and agreed that the person's condition will deteriorate even more (45.4%). Teachers perceived that the person described in the vignette is dependent on others, lacks will, is different from others and is unpredictable in 65.1%, 59.2%, 55.6%, and 49.7% of cases, respectively. In addition, 38.5% and 34.2% of teachers recommended turning to traditional healers and to a Sheikh or an imam of a mosque, respectively. Regarding gender effects, females with schizophrenia were regarded as more likely to be unable to make her own decisions and to be dependent on others than males, and were less likely to be recommended for seeking help from a family physician or to consult a psychiatric hospital than males.

CONCLUSION

In the light of our findings, raising awareness of teachers of the impact of mental health issues on students should be prioritized in high schools in Tunisia.

Mental health in higher education: faculty staff survey on supporting students with mental health needs

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how faculty staff on health and social care programmes support students with mental health issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative survey design to gain in-depth information on faculty staff experiences. Seventy-one faculty staff at two universities in the South East of England out of an eligible population of 115 staff responded to an anonymous online questionnaire which were thematically analysed.

Findings

The findings indicated that faculty staff faced uncertainties in providing support to students with mental health needs. They reported tensions between their academic, professional and pastoral roles. There was a wide recognition that supporting students was physically and emotionally demanding for faculty staff and especially challenging when their roles and expectations were unclear. This was compounded by lack of explicit guidelines and an apparent severed connection between faculty staff and student support services.

Practical implications

A need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities for faculty staff in supporting students with mental health needs including a review of their pastoral role were identified. The study reinforces the need for effective collaborative arrangements and collective decision making and clearer procedures in the planning and implementation of students' personal support plans. A concerted effort into adopting a transpersonal approach which incorporates mental health staff awareness training, restorative spaces for reflection and supportive pathways for faculty staff are recommended.

Originality/value

This paper provides rare empirical evidence of faculty staff views on their role in supporting students with mental health needs on health and social care programmes.

Teachers' knowledge about type 1 diabetes in public female elementary schools in Northern Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Saudi Arabia ranks the 4th country in the world in incidence rate of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), which is usually diagnosed in children and teens. Managing T1D at school is important for children's short- and long-term health. Little is known about how much teachers are compatible to support students with diabetes in schools in northern Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to assess factual knowledge about T1D among teachers in public female elementary schools.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 18 elementary schools in Hail region, during October 16, 2019 to January 23, 2020. A structured self- administered questionnaire approached all school teachers and other school staff caring students (n = 600).

RESULTS

A total of 504 questionnaires received completed (84.0% response rate). Overall, 220 (43.7%) teachers reported having had or currently having a student/s with T1D. Only a small percentage (10.8%) who stated that they had received training to support students with T1D. Participant attained an overall fair knowledge score (13.20 ± 3.81 on 20-point scale; 66.0%), however, only 27.3% who attained good score (≥ 80%) compatible with being an effective support person for students with diabetes. The multivariate logistic regression model, revealed that: (1) received training [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR: 3.38; p < 0.001); (2) have/ever had diabetic student/s (aOR: 2.02; p = 0.002); (3) teacher himself is diabetic or have a near contact diabetic person (aOR: 2.35; p = 0.001); (4) family history of diabetes (aOR: 1.84; p = 0.015); and (5) teacher's capacity to inject insulin (aOR: 1; p = 0.003), were factors that predicted teacher's good knowledge.

CONCLUSION

Teachers in female elementary schools in our region need to improve their knowledge about diabetes in children, especially recognizing and management of diabetic emergencies. Training programs are crucially needed to empower teachers with knowledge and self-confidence in helping students with diabetes.