Exploring Mechanisms And Contexts in a Peer Education Project to Improve Mental Health Literacy in Schools in England: A Qualitative Realist Evaluation
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| Title: | Exploring Mechanisms And Contexts in a Peer Education Project to Improve Mental Health Literacy in Schools in England: A Qualitative Realist Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | E. L. Curtin (ORCID |
| Source: | Health Education Research. 2024 39(1):40-54. |
| Availability: | Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Secondary School Students, Mental Health, Peer Teaching, Health Education, Information Literacy, Health Materials, Peer Relationship, Modeling (Psychology), Student Empowerment, School Culture, Course Content, Help Seeking |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: | 10.1093/her/cyad026 |
| ISSN: | 0268-1153 1465-3648 |
| Abstract: | Poor adolescent mental health calls for universal prevention. The Mental Health Foundation's 'Peer Education Project' equips older students ('peer educators') to teach younger students ('peer learners') about mental health. The peer-led lessons cover defining good and bad mental health, risk and protective factors, self-care, help-seeking and looking after one another. While previous pre-post evaluations have suggested effectiveness, the mechanisms through which the intervention improves mental health literacy remain unclear. We purposively recruited seven secondary schools across England from 2020 to 2022 and collected data through five observations, 12 staff interviews and 15 student focus groups (totalling 134 students; 46 peer educators aged 14-18 years and 88 peer learners aged 11-13 years). Our realist analysis adopted retroductive logic, intertwining deductive and inductive approaches to test the initial programme theory against insights arising from the data. We developed Context - Mechanisms - Outcome configurations related to four themes: (i) modelling behaviours and forming supportive relationships, (ii) relevant and appropriate content, (iii) peer educators feeling empowered and (iV) a school culture that prioritises mental health support. Our refined programme theory highlights key mechanisms, contexts conducive to achieving the outcomes and ways to improve training, recruitment and delivery to maximise effectiveness for similar peer-led initiatives. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1414314 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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