🌱💬 School environment and mental health: Discover the key interventions to strengthen social support and student participation, and their impacts on the well-being and mental health of 5-17 year olds. An essential summary for education and public health professionals.

Source: 📒 Social environment conducive to mental health in a school context: which interventions should be prioritised?📜🔗LINK

At the heart of the subject 

Analytical summary 

Context and issues: The school as a lever for mental health

School, as a central living environment for children and young people, plays a crucial role in promoting their mental health. Interpersonal relationships, an inclusive school climate, and active student participation are major determinants. However, despite a majority of young people perceiving themselves as having good mental health, surveys in Quebec and Canada reveal an increase in psychological difficulties, particularly a rise in anxious and depressive symptoms. This summary from INSPQ explores how interventions targeting social support and participation in school life can positively influence the mental health of students aged 5 to 17.

Operational contributions: Suggestions for action

The summary highlights that the most effective interventions are those that combine social support (caring relationships, anti-bullying efforts) and active student participation (involvement in decision-making, mentoring). However, the beneficial effects are often observed in specific contexts: inclusive schools with strong leadership and little bullying. The results also underscore the importance of the sense of belonging as a promising intervention target. Schools must adapt their actions according to their context and identified needs, complementing existing practices.

Key points to remember

• Social support and participation: All the interventions listed involve social support, with some also integrating student participation. None are limited to participation alone.
• Differentiated effects by age: In primary school, well-being indicators are prioritised, whereas in secondary school, studies focus on anxious and depressive symptoms.
• Limited but targeted effects: Few overall effects are observed, but significant benefits appear for specific groups (students with a low sense of belonging, active bystanders against bullying).
• Conditions for success: Interventions are more effective in schools where leadership is strong, inclusion is valued, and bullying is low.
• Sense of belonging: A key mediator between interventions and improvements in mental health.

Action points

1. Strengthen the sense of belonging: Use student-staff collaboration activities and mentoring programmes to create an inclusive school climate (p. 29).
2. Adapt interventions to the context: Analyse the specific needs of the school (bullying level, leadership, inclusion) before choosing an intervention (p. 28).
3. Train students as prevention actors: Involve students in roles as active bystanders or mentors to reduce bullying and improve well-being (p. 19-20).
4. Evaluate and adjust: Regularly measure the impact of interventions and adjust based on feedback from students and staff (p. 30).

Other references

1. ÉKIP Guide(Government of Quebec, 2024): Framework for promoting mental health in schools, including tools to strengthen relational climate and participation.Valid link

2. Quebec Survey on the Health of Secondary School Students (EQSJS, 2024): Recent data on the mental health of young people, useful for targeting interventions.Valid link

3. WHO resources on mental health in schools: International recommendations for health-promoting schools.Valid link

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Cross-sectional analysis

The benchmarks - 📜🔗LINK

Cross-sectional analysis according to the values of Health Practices

• Literacy: The document offers tools tailored to different levels of understanding, but could incorporate more visual aids for vulnerable audiences.
• Empowerment: Students are involved in certain interventions (policy review, mentoring), but their participation remains uneven depending on the contexts.
• Participation: Co-construction mechanisms are described, but their implementation heavily depends on school leadership.
• Community health: The holistic approach encourages alliances between school, family, and community, but their formalisation varies.
• Ethics: Cultural and social biases are rarely addressed, except in gender and socioeconomic status differentiated analyses.
• Human rights: Inclusion is promoted, but specific discriminations (racial, LGBTQ+) are not systematically addressed.
• Intersectorality: Partnerships with families and the community are recommended, but their operationalisation remains a challenge.
• Combating discrimination: The document mentions inequalities, but does not delve into strategies to reduce them.

Summary: This document partially meets the criteria for Health Practices, with strengths in participation and community health, but limitations in ethics and combating discrimination.

Assessment of the reliability of the resource

• Scientific relevance: Based on a systematic review of 16 studies, with a rigorous assessment of methodological quality (MMAT tool).
• Timeliness: Recent data (2019-2025) and well-documented Quebec context.
• Limitations: Few studies show significant overall effects, and results depend heavily on the school context.

Multiple choice questions

Part 1: Questions

Question 1: What is the main objective of interventions targeting the social environment in schools? a) To reduce only anxiety symptoms b) To improve social support and student participation c) To replace existing educational programmes d) To focus on struggling students

Question 2: According to the synthesis, what factor is a key mediator between interventions and the improvement of mental health? a) Reducing class hours b) The sense of belonging to the school c) Increasing homework d) Competition among students

Question 3: In what context are interventions most effective? a) Schools with weak leadership b) Inclusive schools, with little bullying and strong leadership c) Schools without parental involvement d) Schools with a high absenteeism rate

Question 4: What strategy is recommended to strengthen the sense of belonging? a) Increasing disciplinary sanctions b) Involving students in collaborative activities and mentoring roles c) Reducing interactions between students and staff d) Eliminating extracurricular activities

Question 5: Which group of students benefits the most from anti-bullying interventions? a) Students who are already popular b) Students trained as active bystanders c) Primary school students only d) Students who are regularly absent

Part 2: Commented correction

Question 1 : ✅ Correct answer: b) Improve social support and student participation 📝 Explanation: The synthesis highlights that all interventions aim to strengthen social support and, in some cases, student participation (p. 12-13).

Question 2 : ✅ Correct answer: b) The sense of belonging to the school 📝 Explanation: Several studies show that the sense of belonging acts as a mediator between interventions and the improvement of mental health (p. 29).

Question 3 : ✅ Correct answer: b) Inclusive schools, with little bullying and strong leadership 📝 Explanation: Beneficial effects are observed in schools where these conditions are met (p. 28).

Question 4 : ✅ Correct answer: b) Involve students in collaborative activities and mentoring roles 📝 Explanation: These strategies promote a positive school climate and a sense of belonging (p. 19-20).

Question 5 : ✅ Correct answer: b) Students trained as active bystanders 📝 Explanation: Students trained to act against bullying show a reduction in depressive symptoms and an improvement in well-being (p. 20).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the most effective interventions to promote mental health in schools?Interventions combining social support (caring relationships, anti-bullying) and active student participation (mentoring, involvement in decision-making) are the most promising, especially in inclusive schools (p. 12-16).

2. How can I adapt an intervention to the context of my school?Analyse specific needs (level of bullying, leadership, inclusion) and choose actions that complement existing practices (p. 28).

3. What role do students play in these interventions?Students can be trained as active witnesses, mentors, or involved in the review of school policies, which strengthens their sense of belonging (p. 19-20).

4. Do interventions have negative effects?Few adverse effects are observed, but it is crucial to monitor vulnerable groups (students with high initial symptoms) (p. 26).

5. How to measure the impact of an intervention?Use validated tools (well-being questionnaires, sense of belonging) and adjust based on feedback from students and staff (p. 30).

6. What are the implementation challenges?The complexity of the school context, the need for strong leadership, and adapting to the needs of students (p. 27-28).

7. Where to find tools to assess the school climate?The ÉKIP guide and surveys like the EQSJS provide useful tools and data (p. 32-33).

Easy to read and understand

Social environment conducive to mental health at school

A guide for professionals and volunteers

1. Title of the document

Social environment conducive to mental health in a school context: which interventions to prioritise?

Who wrote this document?TheINSPQ(National Institute of Public Health of Quebec).When?InNovember 2025.

2. What is the purpose of this document?

This document explains:

• Why school is importantfor the mental health of children and young people (5 to 17 years old).
• What actionscan help students feel good at school.
• How to ensurethat these actions really work.

It is aimed at:

• Teachers.
• Health professionals.
• Volunteers working with young people.

3. Why is it important?

School, a key place for mental health

• Children and young people spend a lot of time at school.

• Agood atmosphereat school helps students to:

  • Feelgood in their minds.
  • Haveself-confidence.
  • Bettersucceed in their studies.

Current issues

• Some young people feelstressed, sad or lonely.
• The number of students withpsychological difficultiesis increasing.
• School canhelp preventthese problems.

4. What does the document say?

Actions that work

To improve mental health at school, we need to: ✅Create connectionsbetween students and adults. ✅Combat bullying. ✅ Allow students to participatein decisions.

Examples of actions:

• Group activitiesto learn to know each other.
• Mentoring programmes: the older ones help the younger ones.
• Meetingswhere students give their opinions.

What works best

Actions work better if:

• The school is welcoming(no bullying, everyone respects each other).
• Adults listento the students.
• Students feel useful(they can suggest ideas).

5. Key points to remember

• All schoolscan take action, butnot in the same way.
• Students must be involved(e.g.: becoming "active witnesses" against bullying).

• The sense of belongingis very important:

  • To feelat homeat school.
  • To know that you areacceptedas you are.

Attention!

• Some actions do not work in all schools.
• It is necessary toadaptsolutions according to needs.

6. What to do concretely?

For teachers and adults in the school

• Organise activitieswhere everyone participates.
• Train studentsto help others (e.g.: against bullying).
• Ask students for their opinionson school life.

For health professionals

• Helping schoolsto choose the right actions.
• Training adultsto identify students in difficulty.

For volunteers

• Running workshopson well-being.
• Encouraging studentsto talk about how they feel.

7. Useful tools and resources

• ÉKIP Guide: ideas for a caring school. →Link to the guide
• Surveys on youth health: to understand their needs. →Link to the survey

8. Frequently asked questions

1. What actions help students the most?Actions where:

• Studentsfeel listened to.
• Everyonerespects each other.
• Adultssupportthe students.

2. How can we know if an action works?

• Ask the studentswhat they think about it.
• Observeif students are happier and less stressed.

3. Can all schools do this?Yes, buteach school must adaptthe actions to its reality.

4. Does it cost a lot?No, many actionscost nothing :

• Talking with students.
• Organising cooperative games.

5. Who can help?

• Theteachers.
• Theparents.
• Thelocal associations. locales.

9. In summary

• The school can helpstudents feel good.
• Simple actions(like listening to students) make a big difference.
• Everyone can participate: adults, students, volunteers.

Together, we can create a school where everyone feels good!