TY - JOUR
T1 - Complete mental health in elementary school children
T2 - Understanding youth school functioning and adjustment
AU - Arslan, Gökmen
AU - Allen, Kelly
PY - 2020/2
Y1 - 2020/2
N2 - Complete mental health is characterized by the presence of well-being and the absence of psychopathological symptoms. Studies on the influence of complete mental health on general school functioning and school adjustment among youth is limited, but existing literature has shown its potential positive effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate how complete mental health status influences school functioning and adjustment among elementary school children. The study included 362 grade 5–8 students (10–14 years of age) from a public school in an urban city of Turkey. A series univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to investigate the differential effects of mental health status on youth school functioning and adjustment. The largest proportion of the participants was classified into the complete mental health group (n = 246, 68%), followed by vulnerable, troubled, and symptomatic–but–content groups. Post hoc comparison results showed that the complete mental health group felt greater connection to their school, had better academic functioning, showed more prosocial behaviors, and reported less bullying and victimization in school than the other groups. These results suggest that identifying both psychological distress and wellbeing is integral to understanding the overall adjustment and functioning of students in school settings.
AB - Complete mental health is characterized by the presence of well-being and the absence of psychopathological symptoms. Studies on the influence of complete mental health on general school functioning and school adjustment among youth is limited, but existing literature has shown its potential positive effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate how complete mental health status influences school functioning and adjustment among elementary school children. The study included 362 grade 5–8 students (10–14 years of age) from a public school in an urban city of Turkey. A series univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to investigate the differential effects of mental health status on youth school functioning and adjustment. The largest proportion of the participants was classified into the complete mental health group (n = 246, 68%), followed by vulnerable, troubled, and symptomatic–but–content groups. Post hoc comparison results showed that the complete mental health group felt greater connection to their school, had better academic functioning, showed more prosocial behaviors, and reported less bullying and victimization in school than the other groups. These results suggest that identifying both psychological distress and wellbeing is integral to understanding the overall adjustment and functioning of students in school settings.
KW - Complete mental health
KW - Positive psychology
KW - School adjustment
KW - School functioning
KW - Youth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078915569&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12144-020-00628-0
DO - 10.1007/s12144-020-00628-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85078915569
JO - Current Psychology
JF - Current Psychology
SN - 1046-1310
ER -