Role of Teachers in Implementing School Mental Health Program: Perspectives and Challenges

Abstract

In this fast-paced and highly competitive world, children and adolescents, following in the footsteps of adults, are living in an increasingly stressful environment. This includes pressure in achieving academic success, physical appearance standards, disadvantages in family or social situations, the drive to overachieve and excel in many extracurricular activities, bullying, discrimination, violence, abuse or maltreatment, or even unexpected events. All these stressors are major threats to children's and adolescents' mental health and wellbeing (Y. C. Lai et al., 2022). Studies indicate that children and adolescents' exposure to cumulative risks is associated with increased adverse impacts on their mental health. Mental health refers explicitly to emotional, cognitive, and social well-being as opposed to the absence of a mental disorder; by adolescence, one in seven youths was diagnosed with at least one type of mental disorder. Mental health disorders impede developmental milestones and increase the risk of chronic physical diseases in older adults. Most adult mental health disorders began during childhood and adolescence, with half of the adult cases having an onset at the age of 14 or before.