Mental Health Struggles in School-Aged Children: Leading Causes & Coping Mechanisms
Approximately one in six children suffer from a mental health condition — such as depression or anxiety — yet only half of those receive any type of treatment.
Overwhelming evidence shows that early treatment for adolescent youth is effective and helps set up children for success in school. In addition, the earlier proper treatment begins, the lesser the financial burden is later on.
Children spend an average of 40 hours per week in school, so their teachers and administrative staff play a vital role in observing behavior and personality changes — changes that parents may not always be able to notice themselves.
Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for those aged 10 to 34. School-based mental health services and resources are critical in ensuring that our children are getting the right treatment, at the right time.
For some children, they may be more open to expressing their feelings at school; whether it be to a teacher, counselor, or friend, making it even more pertinent for our school staff to be trained in identifying warning signs and addressing concerns, as deemed appropriate. (1)
What Contributes to Poor Mental Health in School-Aged Children?
Although anyone’s mental health struggles can be brought on by a variety of factors, there are a few leading causes that we see being perpetuated within schools.
Below are 3 known triggers:
1. Bullying
Thinking back on your own childhood, you most likely can remember at least one instance where you felt bullied. And now, with widespread access to social media and tech, cyberbullying has become an increasingly serious issue.
Bullying behavior can cause feelings of rejection and isolation leading to acute stress disorder and even post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (2)
2. Violence
With the recent uptick of violence in schools — including aggression, use of weapons, and criminal acts — fear has now become an additional mental obstacle for many students to overcome.
Because children’s brains are not fully developed yet, traumatic events can cause their brains to switch over to “survival mode.” This can lead to problems with their concentration, control of emotions, and physical health.
In fact, according to a 2019 survey, children who have experienced some form of school violence are at a higher risk of developing the following mental and physical health conditions:
Attachment disorders
Substance abuse
Eating disorders
Heart disease
Cancer (3)
3. Social Isolation
The social isolation brought on by the COVID pandemic was detrimental to the mental health of many school-aged children.
Findings in a recent study conducted by researchers last year, social isolation creates higher levels of cortisol leading to:
Anxiety & depression
Trouble with concentration and memory
Difficulty sleeping
Headaches
Weight gain (4,5)
Teaching Coping Mechanisms within the Classroom
Despite the widespread plea from teachers to help the mental health crisis plaguing many students across schools in the United States, their outcries have largely been ignored.
A school’s mandate is to educate students, so naturally, we should expect to see some sort of pushback when it comes to broadening their scope of responsibilities.
Without having a specific lesson plan, here are 5 interventional — or psychosocial — topics that teachers can naturally incorporate within their curriculum to help their students with crucial life skills:
1. Responsibility & Integrity - Societal expectations and moral courses of action
With the diversity of our country, we see a multitude of races, religions, sexual orientations, identities, and political alignments. There comes a point in every child’s life where they need to learn to be respectful of the people around them, regardless of their own — or their family’s — beliefs.
This does not mean that our school teachers should be required to present lessons or influence beliefs. However, a brief understanding of how we all are different from one another may help alleviate any bullying, especially in younger children who do not fully grasp that many of our peers are different from us.
2. Self Esteem - Self-determination and competence
By understanding what motivates them, children can begin to understand what builds up their confidence and, in turn, create a sense of self-determination. This may be through art and creativity, book learning, or physical activity.
Moreover, learning and finding value in their physical and mental health can be a boost to a child’s self esteem. When you feel good about yourself, you no longer feel the need to belittle others in order to draw negative attention away from you.
3. Temperament - Emotional stability and responsiveness
Coping mechanisms to keep one’s emotions in check help to alleviate any behavioral actions that may cause us to act out. This includes manifestations of nasty attitudes, bullying, and violence.
We want our children to learn how they can appropriately react under stress. This is especially beneficial once they become teenagers and need to begin managing a work-life balance.
4. Safe Behavior - Peer pressure, drug awareness, and sexual practices
Peer pressure can play a large role in shaping who our children are when they are young and can follow them to adulthood. From personality changes to shifts in their whole attitude and behaviors, it can be highly influential.
Once a child learns who they are as a person and what their set of moral values are aligned with, they can begin to learn coping skills and mechanisms to help themselves with overcoming peer pressure, including safe sex practices and the consequences of drug and alcohol use.
5. Social & Working Relationships - Social awareness, communication skills, critical thinking, empathy, respect, and boundaries
There is no “too early” when it comes to setting our children up for success. As they grow into young adults and begin applying for colleges and building careers, having a solid foundation of exhibiting respect and empathy for others is an integral part of becoming a successful citizen down the road.
Learning communication skills and thinking on their feet begins in the classroom. So does setting boundaries with others to prevent being taken advantage of. (6)
Incorporating MHT into Pediatric Medical Practices
For primary care clinicians, the MHT cloud-based platform makes it easy and convenient to identify, diagnose, and treat patients suffering from mental health conditions.
Within the pediatric scope of practice, you have the option to send assessment results directly to parents, teachers, and other professionals on behalf of your adolescent patient, helping you ensure your patient receives the care and treatment they need in order to be successful.
Not only do you improve quality of care through fast transmission of results, but you also:
Remove manual processes of entering data into the patient’s records
Receive automatic referrals to appropriate professionals accepting the patient’s insurance
Stay up to date with subsequent test results through referral sources
If you would like to talk to our knowledgeable team about starting your free 30 day trial, contact us today.
We look forward to hearing how MHT can help you.