Historically, Hispanic/Latino (H/L) students have been under-referred, under-identified, and under-served by the U.S. Special Education (SPED) system, particularly under the emotional behavioral disturbance (EBD) category. This finding is alarming given that numerous federal sources report that H/L students continue a disturbing trend of struggling academically as well as being at a higher risk for poor mental health outcomes such as elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidality when compared to their peers. Unfortunately, the existing mental health and education literature on H/L students provides limited guidance in understanding the disproportionate underrepresentation of H/L in the EBD category of the SPED system; an underrepresentation well-documented in the report to congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Using survey methods, the purpose of this study was to shed light on the possible mediating role teachers' perceptions have on the SPED referral and identification decisions by looking at teacher ratings of risk for EBD-like behaviors of students across behavioral conditions (i.e., internalizing versus externalizing types of behaviors) and across ethnic/racial groups (i.e., White, African Americans, and H/L students) using a response-to-intervention framework. Using the Qualtrics software, an online survey tool, 114 self-selected pre-service teachers were surveyed; data was collected and analyzed using a One-way Analysis of Variance. Two main effects and two interaction effects were explored: does the students' ethnic/racial background moderate the teachers' at risk score (ARS) regardless of the behavior displayed?; does the type of behavioral expression moderate the ARS regardless of ethnic/race?; is there an interaction effect between H/L students exhibiting internalizing behaviors that systematically results in a lower ARS and AA students exhibiting externalizing behaviors that systematically results in a higher ARS? Results indicated that (a) when compared to White, Hispanic/Latino students are indeed less likely to be perceived by the pre-service teachers as exhibiting EBD-like behaviors regardless of the behavior (externalizing, internalizing, or neutral) displayed, (b) externalizing behaviors was the strongest predictor for perceiving someone as at-risk for having EBD-like behaviors, and (c) no interaction effects were found.

This work presents the topic of well-being, also called mental health, in connection with the school education in the primary school. Well-being is becoming more and more current topis as it is turning out that well-being in school can affect students' attitude to learning and school in general, even their school results. In the theoretical part, the term well-being is introduced from more different perspectives, definitions are being introduced used for different purposes and focusing on diverse aspects of well-being. Researches investigating well-being particularly in the primary school are presented, also programs promoting well-being by children and the connection of well-being with behaviour of students' feelings, school results and the teacher's attitude. Further the role of well-being in children's education and taking it into consideration in curriculum of different countries is presented and the situation of involving students' well-being in the practice at the primary school. The practical part presents results of a questionnaire survey, aimed at comparison of the degree of well-being in three classes of fifth graders at the primary school with a different approach of the teacher to teaching and managing the class. At the same time, relationship between well- being and school results of...

The goal of this study was to discover the contributing factors to depression in adolescents leading to hospitalisation to a psychiatric hospital. The study was conducted in a Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, Nigeria. The study population was adolescents (between 11-19years of age) both males and females who were diagnosed of depression admitted between the year of 2017-2018 at Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, Nigeria. A qualitative descriptive research was done. Participants were chosen by purposive (non-probability) sampling methods. Data was collected through face-to face individual interviews method. The study’s findings showed that factors contributing to depression in adolescents are related to biological, psychological and social causes. It would further be useful to help the health professionals in their care of adolescents’ psychiatric patients with depression having known the contributing factors. The study recommended early detection and treatment that could reduce incidence of depression and hospitalisation in the psychiatric units. / Health Studies / M. P. H. (Public Health)

Reports on the escalation of violence in South African schools have been a cause for concern. The Media have reported a high incidence of adolescent anger towards and fights with peers, family members and school teachers. Alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behaviours and gang related activities are also noted as a concern among school-going adolescents. These behaviours are precursors to mental health problems among school-going adolescents and prompted the researcher to carry out an investigation on how high schools promote the mental health of their learners. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to explore the experiences of school-going adolescents, school teachers and school health nurses in dealing with social and emotional problems in high schools. An event history calendar was used to collect both the quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was used with school going adolescents, whereas, qualitative data in the form of focus groups was used with school nurses and individual interviews was used with school teachers. Qualitative individual interviews were also used with a subset of school going adolescents to augment the quantitative results. The two sets of data were analysed independently and only at interpretation of findings were they collated and integrated. Quantitative data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics whilst content analysis and thematic analysis were used with qualitative data. Major findings of the study revealed that adolescents’ problems manifested themselves as inappropriate handling of emotions which resulted in drug and alcohol abuse, risky sexual behaviours and gangsterism which adversely impacted on the adolescents’ social-emotional well-being and mental health. A universal prevention and promotion programme through social and emotional learning to address the social and emotional ailments of adolescents that impede mental health promotion in high schools was proposed. The “TEAM” intervention proposes the promotion of positive peer relationships through the use of positive gangs in a safe, caring and cooperative school climate. The intervention would also capacitate adolescents with prosocial skills and values that would yield positive outcomes for greater academic and life successes generally. The study recommends the use of the proposed ‘TEAM’ intervention in schools for mental health promotion. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)