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Using health and well-being data to support improvements in mental health in schools
Welcome to the SHINE January 2024 Newsletter
Packed with new resources, events and opportunities for your school and/or your pupils to get involved with high quality health research for 2024!
- Register for SHINE Webinar 11. Tues 19th Mar 2024 16.00 -17.00pm : "What Works in Responding to School Non-attendance: Examples from 2 Scottish local authorities"
- Save the date! Thurs 2nd May 2024 SHINE National Network Conference 2024
- New video resources on vaping and unhealthy food marketing co-produced with young people: " Make Good Choices"
- New resource for members now available : Sharing SHINE MH data with young people
- Invitation to participate in SHINE affiliated research projects
- Crowdsourcing for Adolescent Health (new)
- AMBIENT-Teens sleep study
- Clock off! - reducing night-time use of interactive electronic devices
- National evaluation of the Equally Safe at School programme
- Other events and research opportunities for school communities:
- SOCITS: Socially Situated Systems approach to adolescent mental health
- Purrble: an intervention for LGBTQi+ young people over 16 yrs experiencing emotional distress
- Key stakeholders’ perceptions & attitudes of resistance training in Scottish secondary schools
SHINE Webinar 11 - registration now open
"What Works in Responding to School Non-attendance: Examples from two Scottish local authorities"
Tuesday 19th March 2024 16.00-17.00pm
We are delighted to welcome Alison White (Senior Educational Psychologist EBSNA, Glasgow City Council) and Chris Atherton (Senior Educational Psychologist, East Renfrewshire Council) to share their knowledge and expertise in the 11th webinar in the SHINE series in March. Alison works on the REACH (Respond, Engage, Ask, Connect, Hope) Service which is a Glasgow-based service supporting children and young people who find it difficult to attend school for a range of different reasons or are at risk of disengaging from school. There will be a presentation showcasing work from two local authorities responding to school non-attendance followed by a Q&A session. We hope to see you there!
SHINE National Network Conference 2024
SHINE National Network Conference 2024
Thursday 2nd May 2024 10.00am -15.30pm
Clarice Pears Building, School of Health and Wellbeing, 90 Byres Road, Glasgow G12 8TB
We look forward to hosting the 2024 in-person conference at the School of Health and Wellbeing. An opportunity to network with health researchers and fellow educational practitioners to support the use of health and wellbeing data for improvement planning in the school setting. Programme and registration details coming soon in February
New video resources for schools on vaping and unhealthy food marketing
A new video about vaping and making healthy choices has been co-produced with young people by a research team from the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit.
As part of the same project, the young people also co-produced a video on unhealthy food marketing. The video was developed in partnership with the Scottish Obesity Alliance (SOA).
The videos can be used to promote discussion as part of PSE delivery.
New resource for members now available : Sharing SHINE MH data with young people
SHINE school members can now access the new guidelines and power-point template resource to support sharing the SHINE mental health data from their school reports with pupil groups. This can be found in the members' area of schools' digital folders in the RESOURCES folder. The SHINE teachers' panel reviewed and helped to shape this resource by sharing their experiences of sharing MH data with their students. Based on the findings from Anna Freud Centre and work undertaken with Mercers’ Company associated schools and colleges to provide a resource to support sharing HWB survey findings with students, we have adapted this resource to suit the SHINE mental health and wellbeing survey used in Scottish schools.
Invitation to participate in SHINE affiliated research projects
Trial a new intervention, evaluate a programme or test a new method of collecting data. Work with researchers in your school to find solutions to YP HWB challenges.
Crowdsourcing for Adolescent health : Using app technology to connect young people with their health data (and support research and improvement planning) – citizen science and crowdsourcing.
Research is needed to help us understand what behaviours change our health for better or worse, and what influences those behaviours. Some behaviours are easier to measure, e.g. technology in our phones can count how many steps we do each day. However, other behaviours are more difficult to measure, they might be embarrassing or harder for people to explain because they relate to feelings.
Why might young people provide health data for research?
This research project from the University of Edinburgh is based around the idea that providing data for research is a behaviour. Therefore, we need to learn what would encourage young people to provide health data. We are testing two approaches which we think might encourage data collection through an app:
Citizen science = members of the public become scientists by helping to collect and make sense of data. Eg. the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - people submit data about the birds they see in their garden during 1 week to help us understand bird populations.
Crowdsourcing = when lots of people submit information to help each other solve a problem or raise awareness of an issue. Eg. Lego have a platform for people to suggest new kits, other people then vote on which kits should be produced.
Within the new crowdsourcing app we want to:
- make sure the data collected are useful to young people.
- take a crowdsourcing approach to sharing information about what affects young people’s health, to help bring about improvements.
How can young people get involved?
In February/March 2024, you could:
- Join a workshop to explore with other young people how citizen science and crowdsourcing might work in the app (up to 2 hours)
- Share your ideas with experts in health and design during the workshop
In Autumn 2024 you could:
- Trial the first working version of the app
- Take part with your school or as part of a project to test the developed app
For further information about how to sign up, contact Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk
An Inter-disciplinary Learning (IDL) opportunity for young people to explore their sleep
Bringing together technology, design, science and health & wellbeing in one Inter-Disciplinary Learning opportunity for young people. Your school is invited to take part in the AMBIENT-Teens Study .
Take a look at the website to find out more and/or pin this poster up on the school noticeboard.
The study involves 4 weeks of sleep data collection using a novel contactless sleep sensor that is placed in the bedroom of young people aged 8-18. There will be two cohorts of study participants from schools with 6 young people per month completing their 4 week data collection in one of the six slots from April-June or September-November.
Participating young people will have the opportunity to collaborate with the researchers as citizen scientists and product reviewers, learning new skills and knowledge as part of a real-world experiment, and achieving the C for E outcome: I have explored the role of technology in monitoring health and improving the quality of life. SCN 3-12b.” Young people can sign up individually or in a school group of 6 to participate. There will be opportunities for learning to be shared with the wider school community via assemblies supported by the research team
To begin in April, registrations of interest should be received by 23rd February 2024
Contact Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk or genscot_sleep@ed.ac.uk for further information.
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.
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.
Other research events and opportunities for school communities
Who, what, where & why of stress and loneliness in schools. Invitation to join SOCITS.
The SOCITS project (a Socially Situated Systems approach to adolescent mental health) aims to find out which places, interactions and social situations in school are associated with stress, loneliness, and poor mental health. This information can inform whole school approaches to mental health.
Using novel survey measures, SOCITS will ask questions such as: Which situations in school cause the most loneliness? Do certain groups of students find specific situations more or less stressful? Do peer groups amplify or reduce exam stress?
Participating schools invite all students from the same year group (e.g. all S1, S3 or S6) to fill in an online survey in a single period. Two follow up surveys will explore the causes of stress and loneliness in more detail as well as looking at changes in mental health.
SOCITS schools will receive individual reports, and the SOCITS team can facilitate staff-student workshops in your school to discuss study findings and inform health improvement plans.
‘Purrble’ (a socially assistive robot which provides in-the-moment emotion regulation support) as an intervention for emotional distress in young people who experience self-harmful thoughts.
Researchers at King’s College London, University of Glasgow, Stanford University and University of Nottingham are testing ‘Purrble’ (a socially assistive robot which provides in-the-moment emotion regulation support) as an intervention for emotional distress in young people who experience self-harmful thoughts.
Researchers at King’s College London, University of Glasgow, Stanford University and University of Nottingham are testing ‘Purrble’ (a socially assistive robot which provides in-the-moment emotion regulation support) as an intervention for emotional distress in young people who experience self-harmful thoughts.
Why is this study important?
Young people who struggle with self-harm often have difficulties with emotional regulation. Therefore, having extra in-the-moment support for emotional distress could be useful in aiding their regulatory abilities and support their mental wellbeing.
In our pilot studies with Purrble in this population, we found that Purrble helped some young LGBTQI+ people feel better able to ground themselves, reflect on their emotions, self-soothe, and distract themselves during distress. This was associated with a decrease in symptoms of anxiety and self-harmful thoughts across a 3-week period.
The current study uses a randomised controlled trial design to explore these effects more widely in young LGBTQI+ people.
A major benefit of Purrble is scalability. It is an accessible and inexpensive device (~£55). It requires no training
We are looking for LGBTQI+ people aged 16-25, who have had thoughts of self-harm to take part in a randomised control trial (Purrble vs. waitlist) of Purrble. You may wish to provide students in your school with this information sheet to find out more.
Participants:
- All receive their own Purrble to keep! (one group receives their Purrble at the start of the study, waitlist, receives after 3 months)
- Are asked to complete an online survey about their emotional wellbeing, mental health, and experience of Purrble 13 times.
- Receive £5 for each survey completed (complete total: £65).
- Maybe invited to take part in an optional online interview.
For more information, contact Seonaid.cleare@glasgow.ac.uk, or visit tinyurl.com/Purrbleinfo
Key stakeholders' perceptions and attitudes of resistance training in Scottish Secondary schools. Registrations of interest in this project are welcomed from secondary schools in Glasgow, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian Councils, where permissions have been granted by the Local Authority for school participation. Ethical approval has been granted by the Medical and Veterinary, Life Sciences College Ethics Committee at the University of Glasgow. Register interest at 2832215H@student.gla.ac.uk with David Hartley.
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
