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Embedding mental wellbeing in learning is a priority for the UK Higher Education sector, as increasing numbers of students disclose mental health difficulties, challenges and conditions. Technology-enhanced, distance and blended learning is uniquely positioned to make a change for good in the sector; it can provide alternatives to traditional education models, support hard-to-reach students and make positive changes to practice. However, to make positive change, it needs to address the barriers to mental health that are inherent throughout education, and embed student wellbeing throughout its practices, cultures and digital environments. The Positive Digital Practices project aims to scale up existing work on mental wellbeing in technology-enhanced learning, creating resources to support practitioners in three focus areas: "Positive Learner Identities"--supporting students' emotional awareness, reflection, resilience in adversity and wellbeing literacy; "Positive Digital Communities"--supporting students' sense of belonging and facilitating meaningful connections that do not rely on a campus environment; "Positive Digital Pedagogies"--creating and sharing pedagogical practices that support mental wellbeing. In this paper, we present baseline data from staff and students on perceptions of barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing, and we explore examples of positive practice from the "Positive Learner Identities" work area. We present the participatory co-creation methodologies used, the resources created, and we discuss how these can be applied by practitioners. These resources are a call to action for post-secondary practitioners to work together to enhance student mental health and wellbeing, and make education a more inclusive, equitable experience.

Even though distance education from the home environment has seemed comfortable and economic for students with disability in formal higher education during the pandemic, insufficiency in their academic self-efficacy, satisfaction and an increasing tendency to drop out were observed. This quantitative research is based on development of the scales and hierarchical regression analyses to determine the resources of academic self-efficacy, satisfaction and the tendency to drop out of students with disability in higher education beyond physical accessibility. The hierarchical effect of sub-dimensions of academic self-efficacy on satisfaction and the tendency to drop out and hierarchical predictor roles of socio-demographic characteristics (gender, rate of personal disability, type of disability, and four fields of study) were analysed. Some of the important findings are; self-efficacy in training, emotional well-being, technique and communication are determined as the sub-dimensions of academic self-efficacy. Self-efficacy in emotional well-being is the most effective sub-dimension of academic self-efficacy on satisfaction. Hierarchically, fields of study (social science and health sciences), rate of disability and types of disability (chronic illness and hearing disability) are effective on academic self-efficacy. The results support the decision makers to increase the quality of more inclusive higher education by considering differences based on education fields, types of disability and rate of (personal) disability and gender.

This article casts light on informal caregiving, an essential aspect of the international postgraduate researcher (PGR) experience, but which is often invisible in literature and discourses on international education. Drawing from qualitative semi-structured interviews with international PGRs in a British university, it highlights their dual role as care recipients and lesser known caregivers across transnational and local spaces. It gives insights into the forms and dynamics of care that they give to and receive from family, friends and others, uncovering the emotional and affective aspects of undertaking a postgraduate research degree overseas which impact on their mental wellbeing. The findings have implications for the improvement of university support for international PGRs which has relevance for the wider international student community.

First-in-family (FiF) students experience significant barriers to university participation and are less likely to seek mental health help. This can contribute to increased dropouts when compared to non-FiF students. Using a mixed methods approach, we aimed to ascertain sources of mental health support and underlying factors for the preferences favoured by students from UK universities. Answers to the General Help Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) and to two open-ended questions were collected online. We found that FiF (n=194) students were more likely to seek help from friends relative to their non-FiF (n=134) peers. Trust was particularly important for FiF students, while for non-FiF students, the perceived benefit of talking to anyone about mental health was more relevant. Attitudes towards mental health discussion were influenced by background. Stigma and perceived burdensomeness negatively affected help-seeking among all students. Our findings suggest FiF students derive more benefits for their mental health concerns from friendship circles, implicating the importance of social integration programmes at university. Future work would benefit from evaluating mental health help-seeking intentions of students with more specific characteristics (e.g., race, gender), to better understand determinants influencing preferences and help institutions plan more fitting provisions to support students.

This paper explores the self-tracking information literacy practices of LGBTQ+ students, how the practices connect to LGBTQ+ identities, and whether these practices are perceived as empowering. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who identified as LGBTQ+ self-trackers. Four previously discovered dimensions of IL in self-tracking framed the design. Collaborative thematic analysis revealed participants find it useful to monitor their physical health and tracking supports mental health, which is experienced as empowering. The heteronormative assumptions of apps influenced their perceived usefulness. There was some distrust about how apps used data, but this risk was accepted, typically because the convenience of the app outweighed privacy concerns. Data sharing took place--restricted due to self-consciousness or fear of judgement--and embraced when there was a feeling of working towards a shared goal. IL in this landscape is related to developing critical awareness of when and how self-tracking can support health goals; the limitations of apps and devices, particularly for those undergoing transition; privacy implications; and the nuances of social sharing.

The Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model (PSDM) and the Existential Model of Perfectionism and Depressive Symptoms (EMPDS) are promising models of perfectionism and psychopathology. However, research examining suicide ideation within the PSDM is scarce, and no research has examined suicide ideation as an outcome in the EMPDS. Moreover, tests of the PSDM and EMPDS have been conducted separately and most research has examined the PSDM and EMPDS using cross-sectional or two-wave longitudinal designs, which do not provide a satisfactory test of mediation. In the current study, we addressed these limitations by testing whether perfectionism confers vulnerability to suicide ideation via feelings of mattering and anti-mattering (from the PSDM) and via difficulty accepting the past (from the EMPDS) in a three-wave longitudinal design in two independent samples of undergraduate students and community adults. Participants completed measures on three occasions over 6 weeks. Findings revealed that socially prescribed perfectionism indirectly predicted suicide ideation via difficulty accepting the past in both samples. In addition, in the undergraduate sample only, socially prescribed perfectionism indirectly predicted higher suicide ideation via anti-mattering, and self-oriented perfectionism indirectly predicted higher suicide ideation via mattering. Based on our findings, we advocate for future research to include suicide ideation in the PSDM and EMPDS, to integrate explanatory models, and to examine a mattering-specific EMPDS.

Background: Parental anxiety and over-involved parenting behaviour are consistently associated with an increase in child anxiety symptoms. Primary school aged children also often develop a strong and influential relationship with their class teacher and how educators respond to anxiety therefore warrants investigation. Preliminary research has shown that educators use anxiety-promoting techniques, such as avoidance. However, there has been little empirical investigation of the factors that influence the management of anxious children by primary school educators in the classroom setting. Objective: This study investigated the relationship between the anxiety literacy of primary school educators, anxiety symptoms experienced by primary school educators and the management of anxious children by primary school educators. Methods: A total of 73 primary school educators in the United Kingdom completed an online survey. The survey measured participant anxiety and anxiety knowledge, as well as utilising vignettes of hypothetical scenarios to measure the use of anxiety-promoting and autonomy-promoting responses. Results: Educator anxiety literacy predicted a reduced likelihood of using anxiety-promoting responses but did not predict increased use of autonomy-promoting responses. Educators' anxiety was not found to predict anxiety-promoting or autonomy-promoting responses when managing anxious children. Conclusions: The findings suggest that promoting anxiety literacy in primary educators may reduce the frequency with which educators use anxiety promoting responses with anxious students. The findings highlight the importance of further clarifying the quality and forms of anxiety mental health knowledge and training which educators receive. This type of data may be useful in developing ways to equip educators with the skills to respond and manage anxiety in the classroom.

Primary schools are key settings for social-emotional and mental health promotion. Reviews have assessed the effectiveness of primary school interventions delivered universally to all pupils for improving child social-emotional and mental health outcomes. This is the first study to review economic evaluations of such interventions and their value for money, which is key for informing policy. Peer-reviewed English language publications were systematically searched from database inception dates until 17 October 2022. We included economic evaluations of universal primary school interventions, or interventions with a universal component, to improve social-emotional and mental health outcomes in primary school children--regardless of evaluation methods or location. Key data and results were extracted from included studies for descriptive and narrative synthesis. Extracted costs were converted to International Dollars (Int$) and inflated to the year 2021. The reporting quality of included studies was appraised using the 2022 CHEERS checklist. Our review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020190148) and funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ES/T005149/1). A total of 25 economic evaluations were included for analysis in our review. Full economic evaluations combining both costs and outcomes comprised 20 of the 25 evaluations, of which 16 used comparable outcomes. The remaining five economic evaluations were cost analyses (partial). Study quality varied substantially and was higher amongst full economic evaluations. Evaluated interventions consisted primarily of programmes and curricula (n = 9) and universal interventions combining a targeted component (n = 5), amongst other intervention types such as teacher practices (n = 3). Average annual costs per child varied substantially (Int$18.7-Int$83,656) across intervention types. Universal interventions combining a targeted component were the least costly (Int$26.9-Int$66.8), along with an intervention designed to improve school operational culture (Int$46.0), and most of the programmes and curricula evaluated (Int$21.4-Int$396). All except for one of the 16 full economic evaluations using comparable outcomes found interventions were cost-effective (cost-saving-Int$25,463/QALY) relative to country cost-effectiveness thresholds or yielded positive returns on investment (Int$1.31-11.55 for each Int$1 invested) compared with usual practice. We identified several low-cost interventions that likely provide good value for money and should be considered by policymakers in high-income countries. However, there is a need for more economic evaluations in low- and middle-income countries, and a need to improve study reporting quality and better value outcomes more generally.

Understanding changes to student wellbeing on design modules in a distance higher education setting is difficult. Previous research suggested that environmental, study and skills-related barriers impact the wellbeing of learners at a distance. This study sought to understand the experiences of barriers and what enabled distance design students' wellbeing. It identifies avenues to balance tensions between conflicting experiences of studying design and maintaining wellbeing that our participants disclosed in a longitudinal, qualitative study using repeat interviews, experience sampling and a diary study. The findings provide insights from the learners' perspectives. Students reported strategies on how to deal with open-ended design projects and how to cope with feedback. They revealed how they currently seek and receive support for design work and wellbeing. We uncovered how learners keep to deadlines and how they approach social learning. The study also exposed enabling study rhythms to facilitate creative flow and how creative environments are set up in the learners' homes. Our findings suggest that educators and designers of hybrid and distance design education should pay attention to three key aspects: dealing with uncertainty, learning satisficing and managing creative flow, to enable design students' wellbeing.

Informal Student Carers (ISC) are students across the UK who provide unpaid care to a friend or family member needing support. We explored the lived experiences of ISCs and the challenges they faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. A scoping review, questionnaire-based survey and volunteer interviews were undertaken to identify the themes which predicate ISC's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research showed that a combination of financial concerns, time constraints, and the lack of visibility of student caregivers all contributed to this student group's poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational institutions have an obligation to be informed and support the unique and varied needs of ISCs.

There is increasing interest in the role sports coaches are expected to play in supporting the mental health of elite and sub-elite athletes. This paper presents the first single-sport, mixed-methods, study of UK athletics coaches' mental health literacy (MHL). We extend previous quantitative survey-based UK studies by incorporating the qualitative lived experiences of coaches into the analysis. We explore coaches' knowledge of mental health and illness, experience of mental health training, and willingness to support athletes with mental illness. An online survey of 184 UK athletics coaches revealed that MHL was highest among women, younger coaches, and coaches with less experience. No statistical differences were found between MHL score and disability, sexuality or region in which coaches worked. Interviews held with a sub-sample of 25 survey respondents revealed a lack of clear consensus about what constitutes mental health and mental illness, and that coaches' everyday views of these did not always correspond with formal definitions or conceptualisations. Coaches' views were instead typically characterised by dominant psychological and psychiatric understandings of mental health and illness, while the significance of social relations and inequalities were often overlooked. There was a general willingness among coaches to support athlete mental health as an aspect of their duty of care, but most lacked the relevant training and understanding to do so effectively because such training was not implemented systematically within their organisational practice. Coaches' call for mandatory athletics-specific mental health training was one strategy thought to better enhance coaches' skills, knowledge and intentions to provide and seek mental health support. Important though MHL training and other sources of support is, we conclude that this is likely insufficient on its own and that there is a parallel need for multi-level, systems-wide, approaches in sport and wider society to better support the mental health of everyone.

There are conflicting theories about the best ways to support behaviour in schools. This paper captures the perspectives of UK primary school staff regarding the advantages and disadvantages of different behaviour support approaches, in addition to exploring the facilitators and barriers to adopting relational-based approaches. Virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 school staff across three mainstream primary schools. A reflexive thematic analysis identified nine themes. Participants commented on the approaches' flexibility, familiarity, positive long-term behaviour change and emotional wellbeing and relationships. Key facilitators to adopting relational-based approaches included: whole-school training and understanding; quality and type of training; and working together and feeling supported. Key barriers included: changing perspectives; ease of implementation and familiarity; scarcity of resources; and persevering in the face of difficulties. Themes are discussed in light of psychological research and implications for educational practitioners and future research are considered.

The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) programme is an evidence-based training with documented positive effects on teachers' classroom management strategies and pupil mental health. However, programme effectiveness alone does not ensure sustainability. This study explored teachers' views on the sustainability of the TCM programme. One year after attending the TCM training, 25 UK primary schoolteachers participated in three focus groups and ten individual interviews. Data were thematically analysed using the Framework Method. One year after the training, teachers were still using TCM strategies, adapting their use to their new cohort of pupils and still reported positive effects on children, teacher-parent relationships, and themselves. However, some school-level and educational policy changes hindered their intended use of TCM strategies. Teachers had shared the TCM strategies with their colleagues, with mixed responses from the latter. To ensure the sustainability of the programme, teachers endorsed refresher sessions and a whole-school training approach.

This paper considers the topic of student wellbeing using the lens of a different type of support mechanism -- 'dog borrowing' -- which builds on prior research about emotion work and human-animal interactions but in the context of student transitions and pastoral care in higher education. This novel study was about the experiences of students settling into their university life and how, through a facilitated opportunity for students to connect to a dog and community partners, universities can meet mental health standards for wellbeing support. The findings outlined in this paper provide new insight into; how the university ethos and environment can be viewed as more personalised and emotionally supportive, how different kinds of relationships can support emotion state regulation conducive to wellbeing and effective learning and the ways that a human-animal bond can enhance connection with the community and provide social support for university students who have moved away from home.

Increasing numbers of UK students now seek mental health support while at university. Clear evidence for the best configuration of student support services is lacking. Most service evaluations have focused on counselling -- with little evaluation of low-intensity support services such as non-clinical mental health and well-being teams or student accommodation welfare support. This qualitative study addresses that gap, examining student and staff experiences of new well-being advisers in academic departments and halls of residence at one UK university in 2018, marking a step-change in welfare support delivery. Using reflexive thematic analysis with data collected in 40 focus groups and interviews approximately 18 months after service launch, five themes were identified: Trusted Friend; Joined Up Approach; Proactive versus Reactive; Belonging; and My University Cares. The well-being advisers offered timely, low-intensity support as an accessible, approachable addition to academic, clinical and online provision. However, evidence showed operational challenges such as data-sharing between academic, professional and support service staff. The volume of students seeking support also appeared to compromise resource intended for preventative and community-building work, particularly in student accommodation. Concerns remained for students who do not seek help, with findings underlining the importance of issues of belonging, connection and representation in relation to well-being support. Notably, this highly visible well-being investment appeared to shift a negative cultural narrative which was undermining student and staff confidence to one of greater reassurance of support. Our conclusions have implications for student support service configuration and emphasise the importance of a whole university well-being approach.

Increasing rates of mental health difficulties for young people in the UK are often described, though seldom from young people's perspective or viewpoint. The Schools NorthEast Healthy MindED Commission works towards supporting schools to understand and mitigate the factors affecting young people's mental health, and through doing so enable better resilience. This research extends from the work of the commission. Utilising the World Health Organisation mental health definition, we supported schools to have conversations with young people about the factors that affect their mental health. Staff from regional schools were trained and supported to carry out focus group discussions and complete initial data analysis. Meta-analyses of findings were carried out to identify illuminative themes. Findings were fed back to establish face validity and so allow further action planning -- not reported here. Themes are considered against established theory and the wider literature. In addition to illustrating the usefulness of listening to young people in order to understand mental health in school contexts, crosscutting themes of relationships, agency, and rest and recovery were concluded as key to enabling mental health within school contexts.

This study examined the association between internalizing and externalizing mental health and prosociality across four developmental transitions. The effects of parent-child interactions on mental health and prosociality were also explored. The data from a community sample of 10,703 children on mental health, prosociality, child maltreatment, parent-child relationships, parental mental health, and socioeconomic status were derived from the Millennium Cohort Study to cover the developmental periods from early childhood to late adolescence (ages 5, 7, 11, 14, 17). Adjusting for covariates, latent trait-state-occasion and cross-lag modeling were deployed. The results indicated that internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms, and prosociality were more trait-like throughout adolescence. Only within-person increase in externalizing symptoms predicted decrease in subsequent within-person prosociality from middle childhood to late adolescence. Parent-child conflict and maltreatment had deleterious effects on children's prosociality and mental health. Mental health professionals should screen for both possible mental health problems and deficits in prosociality. Interventions aiming to improve the quality of parent--child relationships could be beneficial for the development of child mental health and prosociality.

University student mental health and wellbeing is a concern, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness and social isolation are drivers of student mental health problems, amenable to intervention. "Connecting People" was developed and piloted in health and social care services to support people to enhance their social connections. This paper reports results of a pre-post, single-group evaluation of training provided to 105 people supporting students in a UK university, and the feasibility of using a "Connecting People" adaptation to reduce student social isolation. Trainee confidence in supporting socially isolated students increased after training and remained high six months post-training. Positive feedback included students making new friends, and helping trainees to break down tackling loneliness and social isolation into manageable steps. Further evaluation is required to test effectiveness, but the model appears feasible to use at minimal cost, and may offer a suitable model to alleviate student social isolation.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted everyone in the United Kingdom when restrictions were put in place to prevent the spread of the disease. However, it is thought that children and young people (CYP) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) would be more affected than others due to existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. A scoping review methodology was used to ascertain what is known from academic literature about CYP with SEND in the United Kingdom. The findings indicate that existing inequalities for CYP with SEND and their families were exacerbated, with impacts on their mental health. Home-learning and home life was also challenging for many, resulting in difficulties with education and physical health. The majority say the experience was negative, but there was a minority who experienced positive impacts because of the restrictions. This minority voice is sometimes a sizeable minority so their views should not be overlooked. Even those who found it mostly negative reported some positives which are of interest. Participants were mostly parent/carers of autistic CYP, and the research did not reach great numbers of CYP with other diagnoses nor did it hear from many CYP directly due to the restrictions in place at the time.

Music students in tertiary education struggle with a range of health-related problems. We investigated students' self-referrals for counseling at a UK conservatoire to explore trends in students' attendance at counseling sessions over time and identify their reasons for seeking and continuing to attend counseling. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected from 645 students by two in-house counselors at the conservatoire between 2000 and 2016. We obtained analogous data on all students registered during the same period for comparison and conducted nonparametric tests of association between the groups. A total of 645 students attended a mean of eight (Mdn = 4) counseling sessions over the 16-year period: 63% were female, 79% were from the UK, and 72.5% were undergraduate students. The percentages of students attending counseling increased from 2 (1%) in 2000-2001 to 71 (13%) in 2015-2016. The presenting concerns of almost one in 10 students who sought counseling were related to self-esteem, self-confidence, ego strength, and coping ability. Their main reasons for continuing to attend counseling were also to do with self and identity, relationships, academic concerns, loss, abuse, and anxiety. Female students, postgraduate students, and those studying singing were most likely to attend counseling sessions.

Objective: This review summarizes evidence pertaining to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Materials and Methods: An electronic search was conducted using four major databases--PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Using an umbrella methodology, the reference lists of relevant papers were reviewed, and citation searches were conducted. The study included articles written in English between January 2020 and March 2021 that focused on the psychological health of autistic children and adolescents. Results: All eight studies included in the final review were cross-sectional. Three of the eight studies were conducted in Italy, two in Turkey, and one study each in Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, with a total of 1,407 participants. All studies used a mixture of standardized and non-standardized questionnaires to collect data. The total number of patients were 1407 at a mean age of 9.53 (SD = 2.96) years. Seven studies report gender; male 74.7% (657/880) and female 25.3% (223/880). The finding showed that behavioral issues in children and adolescents with ASD have significantly increased; 521 (51.9 percent) of the 1004 individuals with ASD presented with behavioral changes, including conduct problems, emotional problems, aggression, and hyperactivity. Some studies also found increased anxiety and difficulties managing emotions. Only one study reported clinical stabilization in children with ASD during COVID-19. Finally, 82.7% of families and caregivers of children with ASD (544 out of 658) faced challenges during COVID-19. Conclusion: Although the studies in this review suggest a general worsening of ASD children's clinical status, it remains difficult to draw definitive conclusions at this moment, with newer COVID-19 variants on the rise worldwide. During this difficult pandemic period, caregivers, families, and healthcare professionals are recommended to pay more attention to the ASD patients' health and care needs.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to contribute to the discussion of wellbeing within the university education system by outlining the key issues and benefits and recognising future research on digital well-being for students. The JISC Digital wellbeing paper highlights the many positive and negative impacts associated with digital wellbeing. This paper explores how some of these features have been considered within institutions within the UK and Vietnam and highlights the emerging research in one Vietnamese institution in relation to student wellbeing, where digital wellbeing was identified as a key concern. Design/methodology/approach: This is a technical review article which summarises key guidance for organisational digital wellbeing and then reflects on the application in the UK (a developed economy) and in Vietnam (one of the fastest growing economies). This is the first time a review has been conducted from the perspective of different countries. There are two aspects to digital wellbeing, individual and the social or organisational perspectives. Findings: The JISC Digital wellbeing paper highlights the many positive and negative impacts associated with digital wellbeing. This paper explores how some of these features have been considered within institutions within the UK and Vietnam and highlights the emerging research in one Vietnamese institution in relation to student wellbeing, where digital wellbeing was identified as a key concern. The context of digital wellbeing within higher education is then discussed drawing similarities between the UK and Vietnamese student experiences whilst acknowledging the limitations of current research within the field. Originality/value: Many institutions have seen a rise in the number of wellbeing challenges, and there are few examples of specific initiatives aimed at addressing digital wellbeing challenges for their stakeholders. Existing research on students' wellbeing is predominately focused on undergraduate students and does not differentiate between undergraduate and postgraduate students, nor between masters, doctoral and professional level students and does not explore the impact of digital wellbeing discretely; this is an area which would benefit from future research.

Concerns about mental health difficulties and reduced wellbeing in adolescents are on the rise in public discourses and the media. This study utilised data from the Millennium Cohort Study (Waves 6 and 7) to examine 17- year- olds' mental health and wellbeing in relation to gender and personality traits, and longitudinal differences in social and emotional difficulties and prosocial behaviour from mid to late adolescence. Across measures of mental health and wellbeing, the findings showed that adolescent girls fared much worse than boys, particularly in reporting psychological distress and self-harm. Longitudinal analyses showed that as young women moved from mid to late adolescence, they scored higher in psychological distress and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Also, compared to boys, girls rated themselves higher on neuroticism, a personality trait, which emerged as a strong predictor of psychological distress. The findings from this study have implications for young people's mental health and wellbeing and gender inequality. Given the current policy concerns about young people's mental health difficulties and self-harm, this study is hoped to contribute to an informed debate about wellbeing through gender and personality lenses while raising questions about current understandings of wellbeing and education and public health policy developments.

Headship (School Principal) is a challenging role within a complex and ever-changing policy climate. This article explores the factors which influence headteacher resilience and their mental health. Existing research focuses on teacher resilience but there is a paucity of literature exploring the factors which influence headteacher resilience. This study was conducted in the United Kingdom (UK). Headteachers (n = 16) participated in a semi-structured telephone interview. Participants were asked to categorize their mental health as either good or poor at the time of the interview in relation to the World Health Organization definition of mental health. Participants represented the primary and secondary phases of education and the research included those who were new to the role and those who were more experienced. Male and female participants were represented in the sample. Participants identified a range of factors which influenced their resilience and mental health. These included individual factors, social/relational factors, implementing actions, exposure to challenges, professional learning and systemic factors. Systemic factors included pressures of managing restricted school budgets and external inspections and policy priorities. Participants emphasized the importance of coaching and access to external professional supervision both to support resilience and professional development. Although external professional supervision is common in health and social care professions, it is less common in the education sector, particularly in the UK. A model of teacher resilience has been adapted to address the factors which influence headteacher resilience. In conclusion, the study supports the use of external professional supervision and professional coaching for head teachers to support both their mental health and resilience.

In this study, we review institutional and psychological predictors of university students' mental health help-seeking intentions, depression, anxiety, resilience, and perceived university support and structure. An online survey was completed by a convenience sample of 199 university students from the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe (age 18-56 years). A multiple regression analysis identified only depression and perceived university support and structure to be significant predictors of student help-seeking. Organisational structure and support facilities that may benefit student help-seeking and wellbeing are discussed.

UK depression prevalence is increasing. In this study we appraised the relationships between psychological factors of derailment, self-criticism, self-reassurance and depression, to identify individual differences within the UK general population indicating those at higher risk. Participants completed self-report measures regarding these constructs. Relationships were assessed using correlation and path analyses. Derailment and self-criticism predicted depression positively, whereas self-reassurance predicted depression negatively. Self-criticism mediated derailment's relation to depression. Self-reassurance moderated derailment's relation to depression, with low self-reassurance indicating greater depression, though self-reassurance was not found to moderate the effect of derailment-associated self-criticism on depression. In depression treatment therefore derailment should be considered as a target factor to be reduced, since derailment indicates a risk of depression for individuals with high self-criticism or low self-reassurance.

During crisis times, what children are playing and what grown-ups think their games signify can become a focus of adult anxiety. The Play Observatory, a COVID-19 research project, drew on folklore studies and cultural histories of childhood to collect, document and understand what children were playing and doing during extraordinary times, in ways which were meaningful to children themselves. This article discusses some of the children's and families' contributions, juxtaposed with children's contributions to the archive of childhood folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, to highlight and contest adultist interpretations around children's play during difficult times. We suggest that these interpretations are rooted in particular social constructions of the child, of childhood and of play that reflect themes of innocence, purity and vulnerability, and the need for adult protection from contamination, both material and symbolic. We introduce the idea of 'inflection' to suggest how habitual and perennial forms of play may be made to temporarily accommodate contemporary issues by the players as opposed to the play (and hence the child) being 'infected' with troubling or distressing themes which detract from idealised constructs of childhood.

This literature review systematically analyses publications and articles up to mid-2023 related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of HE, specifically identifying pressures that students are experiencing. The aim of the review was to identify insights into the tensions faced by students in HE following their experiences of educational interruptions due to COVID-19. Additionally, this review explored the literature relating to the personal, professional, academic and societal pressures experienced by HE students. Student engagement, sense of belonging, alienation and resilience in a post-pandemic context was also examined. Results suggest that the effects of COVID-19 have increased pressure on HE students in multifaceted and interconnecting ways. Post-pandemic, students' mental health and wellbeing is significantly reducing resilience. Issues facing the cohort of students currently at school will filter on into HE if not actioned. Therefore, Government and HEIs need to address the macro, meso and micro after effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, further focussed research is needed into post-pandemic HEI support systems and practical pedagogical strategies. HEIs could examine the effects of stress and anxiety resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and could apply conceptual tools and educational theories to influence future strategies to increase students' resilience, engagement, sense of belonging and thus academic resilience.

Technology integration in higher education (HE) has brought immense innovation. While research is investigating the benefits of leveraging, through learning analytics, the data created by the greater presence of technology in HE, it is also analysing the privacy implications of vast universes of data now at the fingertips of HE administrators. This paper argues that student privacy challenges linked to technology integration occur not only "within" but also "beyond" learning environments, namely at the enterprise level. By analysing the UK and US legal frameworks surrounding how HE institutions respond to parents demanding disclosure of their adult children's personal data in the event of mental health crises, this paper offers an example of real and complex privacy issues, often overlooked by interdisciplinary inquiry, that exist in the 'interstitial space' between HE technology and privacy law. The purpose of conducting a comparative analysis was to demonstrate that countries with different privacy regimes are similarly ill-equipped to address certain student privacy issues at the HE enterprise level, leaving HEIs exposed to potential litigation/regulatory risks. The contribution of this work is to invite greater interdisciplinary awareness of, and inquiry into, student privacy beyond learning environments.

The use of peer-assisted learning/mentoring (PALM) and translanguaging (TRL) as inclusive learning strategies to support students' transition into Higher Education and enhance their wellbeing in the post-Covid era has not been widely explored. Lecturers express their deep concern about the mental health issues and lack of confidence an increasing number of learners have faced lately in the UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of the present study, 80 undergraduate multilingual students were involved in PALM tasks during which they could use their first language through translanguaging and English, the target language, for one academic semester. The main goal was to ensure they had equal opportunities to develop their oral fluency while preparing group presentations. Paired T-tests were used to compare students' pre- to post-tests scores. In terms of this mixed-methods case study, the researcher also analyzed students' reflective reports and the anonymous feedback learners provided thematically to explore their attitudes. Findings indicated that these two approaches enabled students to improve their academic performance significantly although learners felt uneasy at the beginning. The combination of these two methods created a psychologically safe space as learners gradually developed a personal relationship with their peers. In response to the need for more information, as regards the use of PALM activities and TRL with multilingual learners, this study intends to contribute student voice since the inclusion of learner opinion has been minimal. Recommendations for the successful implementation of these two instructional approaches in undergraduate courses and suggestions for further research are provided.

COVID-19 presented a range of challenges to the delivery of school psychology services in countries around the world. The current study aimed to investigate the practices of school psychologists from the United States of America, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including changes to practice and exploration of the factors that supported the delivery of school psychology services during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 1,030 school psychologists and analyzed using a mixed methods, multiple case study design. Differing impacts of the pandemic on the working hours of school psychologists were reported across countries. Participants in all countries reported a shift to online working, with an increased focus on consultation and intervention and a reduction in psychoeducational assessments. School psychologists from all nations emphazised the importance of self-care strategies, social connections and physical activity and the role of support via supervision or professional networks. Access to appropriate technology and responsive workplace policies and procedures were also identified as important. Results have implications for the internationalization of the school psychology profession and can inform international school psychology planning in response to future crises.

Strengths-based approaches to autism are increasing in research and clinical practice. Such approaches suggest facilitating autistic people to increase the use of their strengths leads to positive outcomes (e.g. improved well-being). However, despite proliferation of strengths-based clinical and educational interventions, these approaches are grounded on several assumptions that remain uninvestigated. Little is known about the specific strengths of autistic people, nor their current knowledge and use of their strengths. Critically, no research has directly tested if autistic people's strengths knowledge and use is in fact associated with positive outcomes. Conducting an exploratory study, including the first well-powered comparisons of the self-reported strengths, strengths knowledge, and strengths use of matched autistic and non-autistic samples (N = 276), we found that autistic and non-autistic participants reported similar strengths. While autistic people reported lower strengths knowledge and use, strengths use in autism strongly predicted better quality of life, subjective well-being, and lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Thus, strength-based approaches and clinical interventions designed to increase strengths use may pose a valuable method for boosting well-being in autism. However, we suggest such approaches should focus on individuals' strengths more generally, rather than perceived autism-specific abilities.

Many autistic adults experience public stigma and some internalise this stigma with negative effects on their mental health. While efforts to reduce public stigma are paramount, change can be slow, and interventions to prevent internalised stigma may also be needed. Using a mixed methods online survey, we gathered the views of 144 autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic people in the United Kingdom on whether a stigma-related support programme for autistic adults is needed and, if so, what it should 'look' like. Quantitative data (summarised descriptively) showed that most participants felt it was important for autistic adults to have support in managing stigma and revealed diverse preferences in terms of programme delivery, underscoring the need for flexibility. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes were identified from the qualitative data: (1) 'We need to change society not autistic people'; (2) 'Stigma is difficult to manage alone'; (3) 'Focus on positive, practical support'; and (4) 'There is no one size fits all approach'. We discuss the important implications our findings have for how future interventions in this area are framed and delivered.

The UK government identified 'improving support within the criminal justice systems' as a priority for autistic people. There is a lack of quantitative research to enable policymakers to make evidence-based decisions on how to improve access to justice for autistic people. This study used a case-comparison design to compare the experiences of 145 autistic and 116 non-autistic adults who had been arrested at some point in their life. Autistic participants were nearly five times more likely to state that they were not given an appropriate adult even though they believed they needed one and felt less able to communicate with the police. Autistic participants felt less able to cope with stress, twice as likely to have experienced meltdowns and five times more likely to have experienced shutdowns because of their criminal justice involvement. We conclude that there are inequalities that autistic people face when navigating the criminal justice system and the degree to which they can participate effectively in the justice process. This has an impact on their mental health. Policy recommendations are discussed based on this evidence.

Autistic people experience more health conditions and earlier mortality. This study investigated views about a primary care health check for autistic adults to inform its design. Fifty-one people participated in consultation groups and interviews, comprising autistic adults (some with co-occurring intellectual disabilities), adults with intellectual disabilities, supporters and health professionals. Participants wanted the health check to cover physical and mental health and social functioning. They emphasised the importance of sharing information about individual needs and associated adjustments before the health check. They highlighted the need to change the way healthcare services communicate with autistic people, such as reducing phone contact and booking appointments online. They wanted individual choice in how the health check was completed, with video call or email offered alongside face-to-face. Participants raised the need for further training of primary care staff on autism, to highlight the diversity of experiences of autistic people and ways in which difficulties, such as pain, may present differently. Clinicians raised questions about the capacity of mental health and social care services to meet the additional needs potentially identified through the health check. This study represents a key step in the development and co-design of a UK primary care health check for autistic people.

Purpose: Children and adolescents who stutter may be at risk of elevated anxiety and depression symptoms, although studies have indicated variability in reported internalizing symptoms in this population. This study considers the association between anxiety and depression symptoms and stuttering, as well as child, family, and contextual factors that may affect this association. Method: Thirty-five school-age children who stutter completed the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale--Short Version. We fitted regression models to examine the association between anxiety and depression symptoms with bullying, stuttering severity, family history of adverse mental health, and age in children who stutter. Results: Family history of adverse mental health was found to significantly predict anxiety and depression scores. Age also predicted depression scores, with older children reporting higher scores. Conclusions: Family history of adverse mental health is associated with higher self-reported internalizing symptoms in children who stutter. The interaction between child, family, and contextual factors may change with age, and this requires further exploration in larger, longitudinal studies. The association between bullying and anxiety scores indicates the importance of anti-bullying initiatives in promoting psychosocial development in school-age children who stutter. This study also highlights the contribution of known risk factors for mental health, such as family history, to variability in symptom reporting.

Autistic people experience heightened rates of physical health problems but may also experience elevated levels of somatic symptoms (e.g. pain, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms) due to psychological factors which are common in autism. This online study sought to compare rates of somatic symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-15) in older adolescents and adults who were autistic (n = 51), non-autistic (n = 119) and who suspected they were autistic (n = 32), while controlling for health conditions. We investigated psychological risk factors that may predispose individuals to experience somatic symptoms, including alexithymia (General Alexithymia Factor Score), interoception (Body Awareness Questionnaire) and intolerance of uncertainty (Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale). Diagnosed autistic individuals had higher rates of alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty. We also found higher somatic symptoms in diagnosed autistic individuals, controlling for mental and physical health. However, hierarchical regression showed that somatic symptoms were predicted by physical and mental health conditions, female gender, alexithymia, and intolerance of uncertainty, regardless of autism status. The results suggest that autistic and non-autistic individuals experience more bodily discomfort in part due to gender, physical and mental health, alexithymia, and difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Implications for mental and physical health care in autism are discussed.

Autistic individuals are at particular risk of experiencing mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about personal characteristics that may underlie this vulnerability. This longitudinal questionnaire study with 149 autistic and 147 non-autistic adults investigated the association between perceived stress and anxiety and depressive symptoms, measured 4 months later. In addition, the moderating impact of intolerance of uncertainty and coping styles on this association was examined. Confirming previous studies, autistic adults reported poorer mental health than non-autistic individuals. Results demonstrated similar moderation models across individuals with versus without autism. Perceived stress at timepoint 1 was associated with anxiety and depression at timepoint 2. Across both participant groups, individuals with maladaptive coping strategies and higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty at timepoint 1 showed more internalizing symptoms at timepoint 2. The findings demonstrate the burden of the pandemic on the mental health of autistic adults, especially on those with high levels of perceived stress, maladaptive coping strategies, or intolerance of uncertainty. Interventions to support autistic adults during and after the pandemic might involve providing psychoeducation about the impact of stress, coping, and intolerance of uncertainty on internalizing symptoms, and teaching more adaptive ways to cope with difficult circumstances.

This study examined sleep and its cognitive and affective correlates in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD), utilizing UK Biobank data. There were no group differences in subjective sleep duration [n = 220 ASD; n = 2200 general population (GP)]. Accelerometer measures of sleep duration or nighttime activity did not differ by group, but sleep efficiency was marginally lower in ASD (n = 83 ASD; n = 824 GP). Sleep efficiency was associated with wellbeing and mental health, and pathways between accelerometer sleep measures and wellbeing and mental health were significantly stronger for adults with ASD (who also reported substantially poorer wellbeing and > 5 × likelihood of experiencing mental distress). These findings highlight the need to monitor sleep to maintain good mental health in adult ASD.

Caregivers of a child with a neurodevelopmental disability are more vulnerable to mental health difficulties. These difficulties are influenced by the child's challenging behaviours, and the caregiver's coping strategies; factors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. An online mixed methods survey was conducted on caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (n = 43) and children who are typically developing (n = 67). The results showed that presence of challenging behaviours related to neurodevelopmental disability, and caregiver coping strategies predicted caregiver psychological distress during lockdown. Themes that emerged included 'confusing messages and guidance', 'loss of freedom' and 'unsupported and forgotten'. The results demonstrate the pressing need for the implementation of appropriate support to protect the mental health of caregivers across the UK.

Student mental health is a growing concern for universities; increasing numbers of students are experiencing wellbeing issues, and distance learners are particularly at risk. Evidence indicates that triggers for mental health difficulties can reside within higher education environments, systems and study practices, implying that a proactive, inclusive design approach should be considered to complement mental health service provision. Student vignettes that illustrate experiences of mental health difficulties in study are a valuable learning design tool; they have potential to support more inclusive practice by informing learning design. This paper explores the role learning design can play in creating learning that supports student mental wellbeing, it shares vignettes created in the study, discusses a case study of their use, and gives examples of barriers students experience and learning design considerations that may address these. This method was found to be engaging and effective in illustrating barriers and in supporting practitioners to identify learning design considerations to mitigate these.

Occupational stress has been constantly rising among academics in universities globally, which affects their health and well-being. Although some studies reviewed occupational stress in academics, there has been less systematic evidence reviewed occupational stress of academic staff through the lens of the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TTSC). This integrative review aims to search, extract, appraise and synthesise recent evidence relating to occupational stress, coping strategies, health, and well-being of university academic staff. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) methodology provides a structure for searching and reporting the search outcomes. Primary studies relating to occupational stress, coping strategies, health, and well-being of academics in university published from 2010 onwards were selected from five databases, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Web of Science in June 2020. Keywords included "stress", "coping strategy", "health", "well-being", "academics" and "university" in various combinations. The boolean operators "AND" and "OR" were also used. 17 out of 682 articles were included in this review. Most studies reported academics experienced moderate to high level of stress, and the heavy workload was one of the main stressors. Both positive and negative coping methods were used by academics to cope with stress. Occupational stress can contribute to poor mental health and decreased well-being of academics. This review can help to understand the work phenomenon of university academics and improve their health and well-being, which in turn can contribute to satisfaction and productivity within the educational institutes.

The transition into higher education stretches students socially, academically and within their personal lives requiring adaptation and development of resilience. For many, such demands may lead to decreased mental wellbeing and, for some, mental ill-health. This project aimed to trial simple mental health awareness and well-being tasks with first year undergraduate students, and to determine whether students find these interventions beneficial and worthy of embedding as transition activities within the first-year curriculum. Four activities were trialled with 185 first-year students who reported the activities as beneficial. All activities caused an overall increase in student knowledge of how to maintain good mental well-being. In the light of this project's findings, such activities are recommended for embedding into the first-year curriculum and throughout higher education. [Note: The citation (v15 n1 2020) shown on the first page of the PDF is incorrect. The correct citation is v16 n1 2021.]

The number of university students experiencing mental health issues in the UK is increasing and a high number of students are dropping out of university as a result. Literature highlights a lack of knowledge regarding this topic and the significance in educating society. The aim of this qualitative study was to provide further insights as to why students are experiencing anxiety and into help-seeking behavior amongst university students. A thematic analysis was used to analyze a total of 118 blog entries of students discussing the impact of university on mental health. Findings highlighted three main themes: Balancing priorities, Fear of failure, and Critical incidents. These themes are discussed in terms of possible risk factors contributing to students experiencing anxiety while at university. Findings together with recommendations listed in this study offer higher education staff and institutions the opportunity to explore areas of focus and improve university students' mental health.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in schools are predominantly heterocentric. Consequently, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young people have reported feeling excluded. This exclusion results in feelings of being "different" and "other," which in turn leads to further disengagement in the sex education classroom, contributing to poor sexual health literacy, greater risk of abusive relationships, and higher rates of sexually transmitted infections. A rapid review was undertaken to identify the impact of non-inclusive sex education. The review makes recommendations for policy and practice, which includes the provision of training courses to school teaching staff with an emphasis on inclusive RSE, appropriate online resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people, as well as offering 1:1 emotional health support for LGBTQ young people as they begin to question their sexual orientation.