Article Text
Abstract
Background Peer interactions and social situations significantly impact pupils’ well-being, and research into these can help us to understand how to minimise negative effects. Our SOCial sITuational Systems (SOCITS) approach to measuring and modelling influences on adolescent mental health is one that can be undertaken in schools by researchers and practitioners. SOCITS facilitates a whole school approach in which everyday interactions and routines through collaborative efforts involving staff, teachers, and children can be investigated and ameliorated. The central research question posed in the study was, ‘Which situations throughout the school day are associated with stress, loneliness and mental health stigma?’
Methods We conducted 13 remote walking interviews at two Scottish secondary schools (eight in School 1, five in School 2). At each school we also carried out pupil-teacher system workshops. Remote walking interviews, a form of visual methodology, utilized photographs and video to generate discussions and gather information. These innovative interviews provided visual dimensions that allowed probing into aspects of the environment and their impact on experiences. The systems workshops identified places, people, contextual features, and sentiments that collectively shape school experiences for pupils.
B: The interviews revealed that the most stressful places were identified as corridors and stairwells, which were hotspots for crowding and resulted in negative interactions such as pushing, shoving, and bullying. Few places were identified as lonely except for restricted areas where younger pupils were not permitted. Quieter times such as the end of the day were periods where some pupils felt lonely. There was mental health stigma attached to the location of guidance classrooms and being seen making your way to one as this was associated with telling on other students. The workshops highlighted how an interplay of institutional factors (e.g. rules), environmental factors (e.g. unpatrolled spaces) and social factors (e.g. strained staff-pupil interactions) was affecting the well-being of pupils. They also provided an opportunity for teachers to gain insights into the perspectives of students and vice versa, resulting in interactive suggestions for improvement.
Conclusion The walking interviews and workshops were especially effective in illuminating low- or no-cost interventions to improve pupil well-being such as school repairs, pupil-led anti bullying campaigns, or addressing gender differences in enforcement of uniform rules. These findings can be used to design quantitative, situated methods such as surveys and agent-based models that measure influences on adolescent mental health in schools.