Supporting early primary grade children’s mental health in the classroom: a study of teacher’s perceptions

Abstract

Healthy upbringing of children and early detection of mental health issues among them go a long way in raising responsible adults and improving overall mental health of the society. Besides parents, early primary grade teachers have opportunity to effectively detect mental health issues among children and support them in overcoming those. With a view to better understanding the desired role that teachers can play in the classroom, this paper explores, through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, perceptions of early primary grade teachers about mental health issues among children, the way teachers deal with it, and the challenges they face in the process. It is found that, teachers in general have limited knowledge about mental health issues that prevail among their students and required skills necessary to address those issues in the classroom. While in many schools the systems remain largely skeptic to these needs, some teachers try to assist their students, mostly out of common-sense. Yet many teachers remain unclear about their role. Capacity enhancement of teachers through structured training and relevant awareness-building programmes, as well as developing committed institutional support systems involving professionals and parents would be conducive to maintaining sound mental health among children at early age.