The Role of Schools in Early Adolescents’ Mental Health: Findings From the MYRIAD Study

MYRIAD Team

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.016

The Role of Schools in Early Adolescents’ Mental Health: Findings From the MYRIAD Study

MYRIAD Team

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: Recent studies suggest mental health in youths is deteriorating. The current policy in the United Kingdom emphasizes the role of schools for mental health promotion and prevention, but little data exist on what aspects of schools influence mental health in pupils. This study explored school-level influences on the mental health of young people in a large school-based sample from the United Kingdom. Method: Baseline data from a large cluster randomized controlled trial collected between 2016 and 2018 from mainstream secondary schools selected to be representative in relation to their quality rating, size, deprivation, mixed or single-sex pupil population, and country were analyzed. Participants were pupils in their first or second year of secondary school. The study assessed whether school-level factors were associated with pupil mental health. Results: The study included 26,885 pupils (response rate = 90%; age range, 11‒14 years; 55% female) attending 85 schools in the United Kingdom. Schools accounted for 2.4% (95% CI: 2.0%‒2.8%; p < .0001) of the variation in psychopathology, 1.6% (95% CI: 1.2%‒2.1%; p < .0001) of depression, and 1.4% (95% CI: 1.0%‒1.7%; p < .0001) of well-being. Schools in urban locations, with a higher percentage of free school meals and of White British, were associated with poorer pupil mental health. A more positive school climate was associated with better mental health. Conclusion: School-level variables, primarily related to contextual factors, characteristics of pupil population, and school climate, explain a small but significant amount of variability in mental health of young people. This information might be used to identify schools that are in need of more resources to support mental health of young people. Clinical trial registration information: MYRIAD: My Resilience in Adolescence, a Study Examining the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Training Programme in Schools Compared With Normal School Provision; https://www.isrctn.com/; 86619085.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1467-1478
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume	60
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.016
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

Keywords

adolescents
mental health
school climate
schools
well-being

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.016

Cite this

@article{89304bc6197947508598c2cd05229b5f,

title = "The Role of Schools in Early Adolescents{\textquoteright} Mental Health: Findings From the MYRIAD Study",

abstract = "Objective: Recent studies suggest mental health in youths is deteriorating. The current policy in the United Kingdom emphasizes the role of schools for mental health promotion and prevention, but little data exist on what aspects of schools influence mental health in pupils. This study explored school-level influences on the mental health of young people in a large school-based sample from the United Kingdom. Method: Baseline data from a large cluster randomized controlled trial collected between 2016 and 2018 from mainstream secondary schools selected to be representative in relation to their quality rating, size, deprivation, mixed or single-sex pupil population, and country were analyzed. Participants were pupils in their first or second year of secondary school. The study assessed whether school-level factors were associated with pupil mental health. Results: The study included 26,885 pupils (response rate = 90%; age range, 11‒14 years; 55% female) attending 85 schools in the United Kingdom. Schools accounted for 2.4% (95% CI: 2.0%‒2.8%; p < .0001) of the variation in psychopathology, 1.6% (95% CI: 1.2%‒2.1%; p < .0001) of depression, and 1.4% (95% CI: 1.0%‒1.7%; p < .0001) of well-being. Schools in urban locations, with a higher percentage of free school meals and of White British, were associated with poorer pupil mental health. A more positive school climate was associated with better mental health. Conclusion: School-level variables, primarily related to contextual factors, characteristics of pupil population, and school climate, explain a small but significant amount of variability in mental health of young people. This information might be used to identify schools that are in need of more resources to support mental health of young people. Clinical trial registration information: MYRIAD: My Resilience in Adolescence, a Study Examining the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Training Programme in Schools Compared With Normal School Provision; https://www.isrctn.com/; 86619085.",

keywords = "adolescents, mental health, school climate, schools, well-being",

author = "{MYRIAD Team} and Tamsin Ford and {Degli Esposti}, Michelle and Catherine Crane and Laura Taylor and Jes{\'u}s Montero-Mar{\'i}n and Blakemore, {Sarah Jayne} and Lucy Bowes and Sarah Byford and Tim Dalgleish and Greenberg, {Mark T.} and Elizabeth Nuthall and Alice Phillips and Anam Raja and Ukoumunne, {Obioha C.} and Viner, {Russell M.} and Williams, {J. Mark G.} and Matt Allwood and Louise Aukland and Tr{\'i}ona Casey and {De Wilde}, Katherine and Farley, {Eleanor Rose} and Nils Kappelmann and Liz Lord and Emma Medlicott and Lucy Palmer and Ariane Petit and Isobel Pryor-Nitsch and Lucy Radley and Lucy Warriner and Anna Sonley and Saz Ahmed and Susan Ball and Marc Bennett and Nicola Dalrymple and Darren Dunning and Katie Fletcher and Lucy Foulkes and Poushali Ganguli and Cait Griffin and Kirsty Griffiths and Konstantina Komninidou and Rachel Knight and Suzannah Laws and Jovita Leung and Jenna Parker and Pi-Sunyer, {Blanca Piera} and Sakhardande, {J. Ashok} and Jem Shackleford and Kate Tudor and Maris Vainre",

note = "Funding Information: This study was funded by Wellcome Trust Grants WT104908/Z/14/Z and WT107496/Z/15/Z and supported by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN). Prof. Dalgleish was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Grant Reference: SUAG/043 G101400 ). The Wellcome Trust and NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Funding Information: Disclosure: Drs. Crane, Taylor, and Montero-Mar{\'i}n, Mss. Nuthall, Phillips, and Raja, Mr. Allwood, Mss. Aukland, Casey, De Wilde, and Farley, Mr. Kappelmann, and Mss. Lord, Medlicott, and Pryor-Nitsch have reported affiliation with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Blakemore has received funding from the Jacobs Foundation, UK Research and Innovation , and University of Cambridge . Prof. Dalgleish has held grants from the UK Medical Research Council ( MR/P017355/1 ; MC_PC_17213 ) and the Economic and Social Research Council ( ES/R010781/1 ) not directly related to the current study. Dr. Ukoumunne was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. Prof. Kuyken is Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Ford, Dr. Esposti, Profs. Bowes, Byford, Greenberg, Viner, and Williams, Dr. Palmer, and Mss. Petit, Warriner, and Sonley have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Funding Information: This study was funded by Wellcome Trust Grants WT104908/Z/14/Z and WT107496/Z/15/Z and supported by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN). Prof. Dalgleish was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Grant Reference: SUAG/043 G101400). The Wellcome Trust and NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.Disclosure: Drs. Crane, Taylor, and Montero-Mar{\'i}n, Mss. Nuthall, Phillips, and Raja, Mr. Allwood, Mss. Aukland, Casey, De Wilde, and Farley, Mr. Kappelmann, and Mss. Lord, Medlicott, and Pryor-Nitsch have reported affiliation with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Blakemore has received funding from the Jacobs Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, and University of Cambridge. Prof. Dalgleish has held grants from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/P017355/1; MC_PC_17213) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/R010781/1) not directly related to the current study. Dr. Ukoumunne was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. Prof. Kuyken is Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Ford, Dr. Esposti, Profs. Bowes, Byford, Greenberg, Viner, and Williams, Dr. Palmer, and Mss. Petit, Warriner, and Sonley have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Funding acquisition: Ford, Byford, Williams, Kuyken. The MYRIAD Team comprises Saz Ahmed, PhD, of University College London, Susan Ball, MSc, of University of Exeter, Marc Bennett, PsyD, of University of Cambridge, Nicola Dalrymple, MSc, of University of Oxford, Darren Dunning, PhD, of University of Cambridge, Katie Fletcher, HSD, of University of Oxford, Lucy Foulkes, PhD, of University College London, Poushali Ganguli, MSc, of Kings College London, Cait Griffin, MSc, Kirsty Griffiths, MSc, of University of Cambridge, Konstantina Komninidou, BEd, of University of Oxford, Rachel Knight, MSc, of University of Cambridge, Suzannah Laws, BSc, of University of Oxford, Jovita Leung, MSc, of University College London, Jenna Parker, MSc, of University of East Anglia, Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer, MSc, of University College London, J. Ashok Sakhardande, BSc Hons, Jem Shackleford, MA, MSc, and Kate Tudor, PhD, of University of Oxford, Maris Vainre, MA, of University of Cambridge, and Brian Wainman, BEng, of Plymouth University. These individuals have worked across the MYRIAD strategic award “Promoting Mental Health and Building Resilience in Adolescence: Investigating Mindfulness and Attentional Control”; they are acknowledged as group authors in this article for their substantial contributions to the project development, in accordance with the MYRIAD Dissemination Protocol. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.016",

language = "English",

volume = "60",

pages = "1467--1478",

journal = "Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry",

issn = "0890-8567",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "12",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Role of Schools in Early Adolescents’ Mental Health

T2 - Findings From the MYRIAD Study

AU - MYRIAD Team

AU - Ford, Tamsin

AU - Degli Esposti, Michelle

AU - Crane, Catherine

AU - Taylor, Laura

AU - Montero-Marín, Jesús

AU - Blakemore, Sarah Jayne

AU - Bowes, Lucy

AU - Byford, Sarah

AU - Dalgleish, Tim

AU - Greenberg, Mark T.

AU - Nuthall, Elizabeth

AU - Phillips, Alice

AU - Raja, Anam

AU - Ukoumunne, Obioha C.

AU - Viner, Russell M.

AU - Williams, J. Mark G.

AU - Allwood, Matt

AU - Aukland, Louise

AU - Casey, Tríona

AU - De Wilde, Katherine

AU - Farley, Eleanor Rose

AU - Kappelmann, Nils

AU - Lord, Liz

AU - Medlicott, Emma

AU - Palmer, Lucy

AU - Petit, Ariane

AU - Pryor-Nitsch, Isobel

AU - Radley, Lucy

AU - Warriner, Lucy

AU - Sonley, Anna

AU - Ahmed, Saz

AU - Ball, Susan

AU - Bennett, Marc

AU - Dalrymple, Nicola

AU - Dunning, Darren

AU - Fletcher, Katie

AU - Foulkes, Lucy

AU - Ganguli, Poushali

AU - Griffin, Cait

AU - Griffiths, Kirsty

AU - Komninidou, Konstantina

AU - Knight, Rachel

AU - Laws, Suzannah

AU - Leung, Jovita

AU - Parker, Jenna

AU - Pi-Sunyer, Blanca Piera

AU - Sakhardande, J. Ashok

AU - Shackleford, Jem

AU - Tudor, Kate

AU - Vainre, Maris

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by Wellcome Trust Grants WT104908/Z/14/Z and WT107496/Z/15/Z and supported by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN). Prof. Dalgleish was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Grant Reference: SUAG/043 G101400 ). The Wellcome Trust and NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Funding Information: Disclosure: Drs. Crane, Taylor, and Montero-Marín, Mss. Nuthall, Phillips, and Raja, Mr. Allwood, Mss. Aukland, Casey, De Wilde, and Farley, Mr. Kappelmann, and Mss. Lord, Medlicott, and Pryor-Nitsch have reported affiliation with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Blakemore has received funding from the Jacobs Foundation, UK Research and Innovation , and University of Cambridge . Prof. Dalgleish has held grants from the UK Medical Research Council ( MR/P017355/1 ; MC_PC_17213 ) and the Economic and Social Research Council ( ES/R010781/1 ) not directly related to the current study. Dr. Ukoumunne was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. Prof. Kuyken is Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Ford, Dr. Esposti, Profs. Bowes, Byford, Greenberg, Viner, and Williams, Dr. Palmer, and Mss. Petit, Warriner, and Sonley have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Funding Information: This study was funded by Wellcome Trust Grants WT104908/Z/14/Z and WT107496/Z/15/Z and supported by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN). Prof. Dalgleish was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Grant Reference: SUAG/043 G101400). The Wellcome Trust and NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.Disclosure: Drs. Crane, Taylor, and Montero-Marín, Mss. Nuthall, Phillips, and Raja, Mr. Allwood, Mss. Aukland, Casey, De Wilde, and Farley, Mr. Kappelmann, and Mss. Lord, Medlicott, and Pryor-Nitsch have reported affiliation with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Blakemore has received funding from the Jacobs Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, and University of Cambridge. Prof. Dalgleish has held grants from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/P017355/1; MC_PC_17213) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/R010781/1) not directly related to the current study. Dr. Ukoumunne was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. Prof. Kuyken is Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Prof. Ford, Dr. Esposti, Profs. Bowes, Byford, Greenberg, Viner, and Williams, Dr. Palmer, and Mss. Petit, Warriner, and Sonley have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Funding acquisition: Ford, Byford, Williams, Kuyken. The MYRIAD Team comprises Saz Ahmed, PhD, of University College London, Susan Ball, MSc, of University of Exeter, Marc Bennett, PsyD, of University of Cambridge, Nicola Dalrymple, MSc, of University of Oxford, Darren Dunning, PhD, of University of Cambridge, Katie Fletcher, HSD, of University of Oxford, Lucy Foulkes, PhD, of University College London, Poushali Ganguli, MSc, of Kings College London, Cait Griffin, MSc, Kirsty Griffiths, MSc, of University of Cambridge, Konstantina Komninidou, BEd, of University of Oxford, Rachel Knight, MSc, of University of Cambridge, Suzannah Laws, BSc, of University of Oxford, Jovita Leung, MSc, of University College London, Jenna Parker, MSc, of University of East Anglia, Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer, MSc, of University College London, J. Ashok Sakhardande, BSc Hons, Jem Shackleford, MA, MSc, and Kate Tudor, PhD, of University of Oxford, Maris Vainre, MA, of University of Cambridge, and Brian Wainman, BEng, of Plymouth University. These individuals have worked across the MYRIAD strategic award “Promoting Mental Health and Building Resilience in Adolescence: Investigating Mindfulness and Attentional Control”; they are acknowledged as group authors in this article for their substantial contributions to the project development, in accordance with the MYRIAD Dissemination Protocol. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Objective: Recent studies suggest mental health in youths is deteriorating. The current policy in the United Kingdom emphasizes the role of schools for mental health promotion and prevention, but little data exist on what aspects of schools influence mental health in pupils. This study explored school-level influences on the mental health of young people in a large school-based sample from the United Kingdom. Method: Baseline data from a large cluster randomized controlled trial collected between 2016 and 2018 from mainstream secondary schools selected to be representative in relation to their quality rating, size, deprivation, mixed or single-sex pupil population, and country were analyzed. Participants were pupils in their first or second year of secondary school. The study assessed whether school-level factors were associated with pupil mental health. Results: The study included 26,885 pupils (response rate = 90%; age range, 11‒14 years; 55% female) attending 85 schools in the United Kingdom. Schools accounted for 2.4% (95% CI: 2.0%‒2.8%; p < .0001) of the variation in psychopathology, 1.6% (95% CI: 1.2%‒2.1%; p < .0001) of depression, and 1.4% (95% CI: 1.0%‒1.7%; p < .0001) of well-being. Schools in urban locations, with a higher percentage of free school meals and of White British, were associated with poorer pupil mental health. A more positive school climate was associated with better mental health. Conclusion: School-level variables, primarily related to contextual factors, characteristics of pupil population, and school climate, explain a small but significant amount of variability in mental health of young people. This information might be used to identify schools that are in need of more resources to support mental health of young people. Clinical trial registration information: MYRIAD: My Resilience in Adolescence, a Study Examining the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Training Programme in Schools Compared With Normal School Provision; https://www.isrctn.com/; 86619085.

AB - Objective: Recent studies suggest mental health in youths is deteriorating. The current policy in the United Kingdom emphasizes the role of schools for mental health promotion and prevention, but little data exist on what aspects of schools influence mental health in pupils. This study explored school-level influences on the mental health of young people in a large school-based sample from the United Kingdom. Method: Baseline data from a large cluster randomized controlled trial collected between 2016 and 2018 from mainstream secondary schools selected to be representative in relation to their quality rating, size, deprivation, mixed or single-sex pupil population, and country were analyzed. Participants were pupils in their first or second year of secondary school. The study assessed whether school-level factors were associated with pupil mental health. Results: The study included 26,885 pupils (response rate = 90%; age range, 11‒14 years; 55% female) attending 85 schools in the United Kingdom. Schools accounted for 2.4% (95% CI: 2.0%‒2.8%; p < .0001) of the variation in psychopathology, 1.6% (95% CI: 1.2%‒2.1%; p < .0001) of depression, and 1.4% (95% CI: 1.0%‒1.7%; p < .0001) of well-being. Schools in urban locations, with a higher percentage of free school meals and of White British, were associated with poorer pupil mental health. A more positive school climate was associated with better mental health. Conclusion: School-level variables, primarily related to contextual factors, characteristics of pupil population, and school climate, explain a small but significant amount of variability in mental health of young people. This information might be used to identify schools that are in need of more resources to support mental health of young people. Clinical trial registration information: MYRIAD: My Resilience in Adolescence, a Study Examining the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Training Programme in Schools Compared With Normal School Provision; https://www.isrctn.com/; 86619085.

KW - adolescents

KW - mental health

KW - school climate

KW - schools

KW - well-being

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107138821&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.016

DO - 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.016

M3 - Article

C2 - 33677037

AN - SCOPUS:85107138821

SN - 0890-8567

VL - 60

SP - 1467

EP - 1478

JO - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

JF - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

IS - 12

ER -

The Role of Schools in Early Adolescents’ Mental Health: Findings From the MYRIAD Study

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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