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Using health and well-being data to support improvements in mental health in schools
Welcome to the SHINE November 2023 Newsletter
- HBSC - new data browser for the international mental health and wellbeing data
- SHINE teachers' panel review new resource to be released in the New Year
- New resources for schools
- Trauma Council UK resources for young victims of war, conflict and violence
- Junk food marketing to young people & inequalities - new video
- Zero Tolerance gender-based violence briefing paper
- Invitation to participate in SHINE affiliated research projects
- National evaluation of the Equally Safe at School programme
- Clock off! - reducing night-time use of interactive electronic devices
- Other events and research opportunities for school communities:
- "Eyes Wide Shut" photovoice project for young people and schools
- "Create for Confidence" Art and mental health in schools
- Understanding prevention and intervention strategies for self-harm and suicide study
- E-cigarette & Vaping Webinar - register for 12th December
HBSC international data browser
The HBSC study’s data browser is a newly developed digital tool designed to facilitate user access and interaction with data from our international surveys. It allows users to explore, compare, and share data from the 2021/22 survey and offers access to comparable figures from 2013/14 and 2017/18 surveys where possible.
The data browser aims to provide researchers, policymakers, and educators with a simplified and efficient method of navigating through the extensive data, encouraging more widespread use of the HBSC study’s findings and research data in policy and practice around adolescent health and wellbeing.
Thank you to the SHINE teachers' panel
SHINE Teachers' Panel workshop:
Thank you to the 2023-24 SHINE teachers' panel which held its first meeting on 15th November to review a new resource for the network. The new classroom resource is designed to support teachers to confidently share mental health and wellbeing data with young people to gain feedback which can be used for school improvement planning. Thanks to the insights, perspectives and experiences shared by the panel, the resource will be ready to be launched in the New Year.
New resources for schools
New resources from the UK Trauma Council (UKTC)
The UKTC, a project of Anna Freud, launched this week a short, animated film entitled Childhood trauma, war and conflict to support young people (aged 12-21) affected by long-term trauma after war and conflict.
The film, available in multiple languages, uses storytelling to help inform young people about common physical and emotional responses to trauma and is accompanied by a short, written resource.
The UKTC have also produced two toolkits, Childhood trauma, migration and asylum, for staff and volunteers, working in education or the wider community in the UK with children and young people who have sought refuge and asylum, often as a result of war and conflict.
To access and share these resources please follow this link
New video capturing young people's experiences of junk food marketing and related inequalities
Researchers from the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Marissa Smith, Caroline Vaczy and Shona Hilton worked with the Scottish Obesity Alliance on a Cancer Research UK-funded project to capture young people's experiences of junk food marketing. A short video - 'Adverts, Adverts Everywhere' - presents the findings in young people's own words.
Click on the picture to watch the video.
Zero Tolerance have published a new briefing on Gender inequality and violence against women and girls in Scottish schools. It highlights that almost 70% of pupils in Scotland experienced sexual harassment in the previous three months and 34% experienced unwanted sexual touching. It draws on the work of Equally Safe at School, and references this paper co-authored by Julie Riddell, Carolyn Blake and Kirstin Mitchell from the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow. See below the opportunity to be part of the Equally Safe at School national programme evaluation.
Invitation to participate in SHINE affiliated research projects
Trial a new intervention, evaluate a programme or test a new method of collecting data. An opportunity to work with researchers in your school to find solutions to YP HWB challenges.
If you would like to discuss this opportunity, please contact the Principal Investigator: kirstin.mitchell@glasgow.ac.uk . Kirstin will be delighted to walk you through what's involved for schools.
Invitation to join the National Evaluation of the Equally Safe at School (ESAS) programme in secondary schools.
Many Scottish schools are dealing with the fall-out from misogynistic influencers such as Andrew Tate, or are struggling with an increase in disclosures of sexual harassment. ESAS is designed to help schools build a positive culture in which staff and students work together on these issues. Designed by Rape Crisis it takes a whole school approach, strongly complements MVP, and is free to schools. ESAS involves a self-assessment, staff training, a student-led action group and curriculum and policy review.
The national evaluation is being run by a research team at the University of Glasgow. Schools across Scotland have been joining up but there are still a few spaces left. The benefit of being part of the national evaluation includes that the research team at University of Glasgow will collect the student self-assessment data on your behalf; they will support you in getting started and staying involved in ESAS and you'll be part of a larger cohort of schools undertaking ESAS. For more information click here.
Introducing Clock Off!
An 8–10-week school-based programme to reduce the night-time use of electronic interactive devices (e.g. phones/tablets) to improve mental health among young people.
The research team at the University of Glasgow is now seeking to work with 4 schools in Central Scotland and their S1 year group. The CLOCK OFF programme, scheduled to start Spring 2024, will involve:
- Online Sleep Survey and Peer Supporter Surveys to be completed by the S1 year group.
- Customised Teacher-led Classes on Sleep (based on survey results). Teachers will undergo one training session and then deliver 3 evidence-based knowledge sessions to the S1 year groups. Slides and teaching plans will be provided.
- Peer Supporters’ Training. Peer supporters, identified through online peer supporter surveys, will receive specialised one-day training to promote healthy night-time routines. Over the following 8-10 weeks, peer supporters will informally talk with their peers in the year group about the benefits of not using electronic interactive devices at bedtime.
At the end of the CLOCK OFF programme, we will conduct group discussions and interviews, inviting peer supporters, non-peer supporters, school staff, and parents/carers to share their experiences. All attendees will receive a £10-20 shopping voucher as recognition for their involvement.
CLOCK OFF aims to promote better sleep and mental well-being among young individuals. If you are interested in participating and would like more information, please contact us at Anne.Martin@Glasgow.ac.uk or Cassie.Wu@Glasgow.ac.uk.
Other research events and opportunities for school communities
Eyes Wide Shut Invitation to participate
Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives of Adolescent Sleep through Photovoice
Sleep is critical for adolescent health and wellbeing. However, growing evidence suggests that most young people struggle to get the recommended 8 – 10 hours of sleep each night. This is a growing public health concern as insufficient sleep can lead to poor academic performance, mental health difficulties, and poor physical health.
Catriona’s research aims to co-develop an intervention with young people, parents, teachers, and anyone interested in adolescent wellbeing to improve sleep and mental health in young people across Scotland.
Catriona is inviting two schools from Central Scotland to participate in a study using Photovoice and focus group/interview discussions to understand from adolescents, parents, and teachers what helps and hinders sleep during adolescence, and what will motivate young people to prioritise their sleep. Adolescents will create a school photography exhibition to share their experience of sleep and promote discussions about sleep and mental health.
To read more about the project click here. If you have any questions about this project or are interested in taking part, you can email Catriona at c.ewart.1@research.gla.ac.uk.
Create for Confidence Project: Art and Mental Health in Schools
(Paid Research Opportunity for art teachers and school mental health and wellbeing staff)
Could art help prevent anxiety and depression in young people? The Create for Confidence team want to hear your thoughts!
We are the Create for Confidence research team at the University of Bristol. We are developing an art and wellbeing programme (a series of creative sessions or workshops) for schools that could help prevent anxiety and depression in young people in S1. We are currently recruiting art teachers and school staff who support student mental health in UK secondary schools.
We want to hear from you to understand what is already happening in schools around art and mental health, and what an art and wellbeing programme should look like. The study involves sharing your views via an online survey that takes approximately 30 minutes (£10 voucher payment), and/or a video/phone interview lasting up to 1 hour (£25 voucher payment).
We believe that it is crucial to get staff who work in schools involved right from the beginning for any kind of school prevention programme. Staff taking part in this study will be able to make a real impact as the thoughts shared will directly inform key choices for the art and wellbeing programme we are developing.
For more information or to let us know you are interested in taking part, please visit: https://socs.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/registration-of-interest-for-school-staff or email us at create-for-confidence@bristol.ac.uk
Calling all headteachers, SENCO or safeguarding leads! We need your help to understand better the current prevention and intervention strategies for self harm and suicide used by secondary schools and FE staff across the UK.
If you are a Headteacher, SENCO, or Safeguarding lead, we would greatly appreciate your participation in this 20 minute online survey. Your input is invaluable to our research!
This piece of research, carried out in collaboration by 16 Universities, is helping us to understand the current prevention and intervention strategies for self-harm and suicide utilised by secondary school and FE staff across the UK. By completing this survey, you will help us gain valuable information about the current policies, processes and programmes of support provided to young people and adult leaders. Your response will help us to identify what schools need to better support students and will inform, recommendations for government and local policy. For further information about the study please go to the 4S webpage: https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/supportsystems/
Please note: we have ethical approval for our research. All responses will be kept confidential (GDPR-compliant) and used for research purposes only.
Link: https://exe.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e2KGzwdIyGgvH1k
Thank you for your time and input!
E-cigarettes & vaping webinar invitation: 12th Dec
Despite differences in opinion within the public health community regarding the value of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool for adults, there is broad consensus on the need to protect young people from this disruptive technology. While adults’ use of e-cigarettes appears to be fairly stable, evidence suggests that e-cigarette use among young people has increased. (See the BBC report incorporating the 2022 HBSC data here) Marketing content directed at young people both online and in person has a clear influence on their perceptions and use of these products. We aimed to give young people a chance to voice their opinions around e-cigarette marketing and the harms they perceive it to have.
The four-stage project, led by researchers at the University of Glasgow and funded by Cancer Research UK, worked with young people aged 11-16 to learn about their views on food and e-cigarette marketing, culminating in the co-production of a video for the purposes of educating other young people as well as Members of Scottish Parliament.
This online event will begin with a Q&A with Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, about e-cigarette use among young people in Scotland and what can be done about it, followed by a screening of the video co-created by young people from the Central Belt of Scotland.
All the best,
The SHINE Team
Dawn Haughton
Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE) Manager
E-mail: Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk
Web: www.gla.ac.uk/shine
Twitter: @ScotlandSHINE
