MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS OF

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

RESEARCHER- MADAAN SNIGDHA

YEAR -2014
BASIC ASSUMPTION

• The study rest on the assumption that

various factors in the school and home
environment affect children and significantly
influence the mental health of children. The
presence of someone with whom they can
share their concerns, issues, anxieties ,
stressors and dilemmas is likely to help
children maintain positive mental health.
INSIGHTS DRAWN FROM
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
• Children need to be looked at as active beings that are
affected by the environment in which they are living.
Their contexts are significant in influencing their mental
health.
• There is a need to move from an illness perspective to a
wellness perspective where problems, needs and
concerns of children need to be looked at within their
unique familial, social, and economic contexts.
• The school can play a significant role in promoting
mental health of school children.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• What are the factors that affect the mental health of a

child studying at the elementary school level?
• What is the influence of these factors on the child's
mental health?
• In specific, what are the influences of teacher's
behaviour and peer relations on the mental health of
children at the elementary school level?
• What are the views and perceptions of teachers and
principal on mental health of children?
• How do school life experiences interface with the
students' needs and interests?
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• To identify the mental health concerns of elementary
school children.
• To explore the influence of teacher's behaviour and
peer relations on mental health of elementary school
children.
• To find out the views and preceptions of teachers and
principal on mental health of children.
• To examine the interface between child's school life
experiences and their needs and interests.
Sample size -
100 students from class 6th , 7th and 8th ,
3 teachers and principal.

RESEARCH TOOLS
• Observations
• Focus-group discussions
• Semi-structured interviews with school
students
• Interviews with school teachers and principal
DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
• The study was limited to only elementary school
children of one government school. So findings
can't be generalised.