Files and links (2)
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Attitudes towards teachers supporting student mental health in rural contexts: a pilot study examining community perspectives
Frontiers in psychiatry, Vol.16, pp.1-10
27/10/2025
Appears in Recent Faculty of Education Publications
Metrics
7 Record Views
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Abstract
Introduction: While the prevalence and burden of mental health issues continues to rise, access to mental health support services for children and adolescents is under resourced, particularly in rural settings. Consequently, school teachers are increasingly being positioned to assume mental health support roles to address this problem, which the Australian Government Productivity Commission has referred to as a community expectation.
Methods: This pilot study aimed to investigate community expectations regarding teachers supporting student mental health in rural contexts, employing a cross-sectional, mixed-methods design using a brief survey. Fifty-seven participants including parents and caregivers, community members, mental health practitioners, and teachers completed the survey.
Results: The results did not consistently support the idea that teachers should be expected to do mental health work to support students in rural schools, but clearly supported the view that teachers are not adequately trained to perform mental health work with students.
Discussion: Although the study provides some support for the community expectation that teachers have a role in supporting student mental health in schools, this is not a consistently held community view. Further clarification of this, with particular reference to defining the teacher's role in mental health services in schools is needed.
Details
- Title
- Attitudes towards teachers supporting student mental health in rural contexts: a pilot study examining community perspectives
- Creators
- Brian Moore - University of WollongongSarah Redshaw - Charles Sturt UniversityNicole Masters - Charles Sturt UniversityErin Mackenzie - Western Sydney UniversityRoberto Hernan Parada - Western Sydney UniversityLena Danaia - Charles Sturt University
- Publication Details
- Frontiers in psychiatry, Vol.16, pp.1-10
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media S.A.; LAUSANNE
- Grant note
- This work was funded by a grant from the Commonwealth of Australia, represented by the Department of Health (Grant Activity 4-DGEJZ1O/4-CW7UT14).
- Identifiers
- 991013328719702368
- Copyright
- © 2025 Moore, Redshaw, Masters, Mackenzie, Parada and Danaia.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article