Researching mental health promotion and its importance in schools

We should be paying more attention to mental health promotion in schools, according to Bergljót Gyða Guðmundsdóttir, associate professor at the UI School of Education, and Jóhanna Birna Bjartmarsdóttir, undergraduate student studying  education sciences and health promotion at the University of Florida. They have recently completed the first stages of a scoping review analysing thousands of studies about mental health promotion in schools, working together with Jóhanna Birna’s supervisor, Ragnhildur Bjarnadóttir, assistant professor at the University of Florida, and Brittany Kester, library and information scientist at the same institution.

Many studies have been done in this area and the four researchers believed it would be worthwhile to compile a summary of the state of knowledge. They reviewed a total of 7,500 studies that met certain requirements and were published between 2013 and 2024. 

According to the literature review, research frequently indicates that it is important to put more emphasis on mental health promotion in schools. Systematic implementation of mental health initiatives supports positive child development and can prevent a wide range of problems. Mental health promotion is not only important for individuals, but also an investment that benefits society as a whole. The team hopes that this review will encourage further development and implementation of mental health promotion in schools as a preventative measure and also to improve general mental health in our communities.

They hope their work will be a step towards making mental health promotion a standard part of the school system, in the same way that children are taught maths and Icelandic, for example. “Our goal is to improve children’s health literacy so that they can make informed decisions, live healthy lives, overcome adversity and develop good social and communication skills,” says Jóhanna Birna. “This could also encourage increased cooperation and problem-solving in the context of bigger global challenges, such as the climate crisis and international conflict,” adds Bergljót Gyða.

Value of literature reviews for policy and development

The findings of the literature review will shortly be presented in an article published in a peer-reviewed journal. The article will summarise the main results of the studies reviewed, what conclusions we can draw from them about mental health promotion in schools based on the data available, and what questions remain unanswered. This article should help other academics, professionals, and policymakers working in this area.

Author of the article: Stefanía Silfá Sigurðardóttir, BA-student in journalism.