Izlaganje sa skupa
MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS DELIVERED BY MEDICAL STUDENTS IN CAMBRIDGE SECONDARY SCHOOLS: AN EVALUATION OF LEARNING
Chloe Bentham
; Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
Anna Daunt
; Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
Stephanie Taylor
; Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
Meinou Simmons
; The Croft Childrens’ Unit, Ida Darwin Hospital, Fulbourn, Cambridge, UK
Sažetak
Aims: For a group of medical students to design and deliver a mental health workshop in Cambridge secondary schools.
Subsequently, to evaluate any improvements in pupils’ knowledge of mental health issues, including knowledge of common mental
illnesses, stigma and where to access help with mental health problems.
Method: A group of three medical students undertook a five week Student Selected Component to develop a mental health
workshop in Spring 2013. The workshop was designed to include interactive components, such as role play, models and video. It was
delivered to eight classes of 12-13 year old pupils across two local secondary schools, a total of 230 students. Questionnaires were
completed before and after each workshop to test knowledge acquisition of mental health issues, stigma and where pupils could get
help with mental health problems. Comparisons between data from the pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were made to assess
learning.
Results: The responses from the questionnaires showed a global improvement in knowledge of mental health. This is highlighted
by the increase in awareness of the prevalence of mental health problems amongst young people from 47.0% before the workshops to
97.8% after the workshops. The ability to identify symptoms of anxiety rose from 21.7% to 44.8% and the ability to identify
depression rose from 29.0% to 53.5% respectively. Whilst only 15.2% pupils disagreed with a stigmatising statement about mental
illness before the workshops, 61.3% pupils disagreed afterwards. The students were also better informed about how to access help
and identified areas that they found useful to learn about.
Conclusion: Comparison of the pre- and post-workshop questionnaires indicate that medical student-led workshops are an
effective method for improving knowledge of mental health topics amongst 12-13 year old school pupils, as well as encouraging
positive attitudes towards mental health. The project highlights a demand for mental health education in schools and brings to light
topics that could be covered in future sessions or similar projects.
Ključne riječi
mental health; education; secondary schools
Hrčak ID:
266568
URI
Datum izdavanja:
26.8.2013.
Posjeta: 555 *