Research Paper Title

Current Situation and Comparison of School Mental Health in ASEAN Countries.

Background

School-based mental health interventions are considered to have potential for the promotion of mental health in developing countries.

The researchers held a workshop to discuss the promotion of mental health in schools in southeast Asian countries.

This review report aimed to summarise the current situation of school mental health in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries as reported by their representatives in this workshop.

Methods

To summarise the current situation of ASEAN countries in relation to school mental health, the researchers qualitatively analysed the content of the discussions from four perspectives:

1. Laws and regulations;
2. Mental health services;
3. Teacher training on mental health; and
4. Mental health education for students.

Results

With regard to school mental health laws and regulations, this report could not provide clear conclusions because the laws were reported through the personal understanding of the public officers.

The results show that mental health services in schools are centred on professionals such as guidance counsellors, although the coverage varied among the different ASEAN countries.

Conclusions

Only Singapore conducted mental health training for teachers in a comprehensive way, and the number of people who were actually trained in other countries was very limited.

Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand included mental health education for students in health education or life skills subjects.

Reference

Nishio, A., Kakimoto, M., Bermardo, T.M.S. & Kobayashi, J. (2020) Current Situation and Comparison of School Mental Health in ASEAN Countries. Pediatrics International: Official Journal of the Japan Pediatrics Society. 62(4), pp.438-443. doi: 10.1111/ped.14137.