How Mental Health Affects Education
Mental health challenges can have an impact on a student’s school performance. Fortunately, they are treatable.
Schools should be able to help students with their mental health issues in the classroom, so they can learn to manage their emotions and prevent them from spiraling out of control.
Mental health education can help reduce the stigma around mental illness and encourage children to talk about their feelings without feeling afraid or judged.
1. Social and Emotional Well-Being
Social and emotional well-being is the ability to interact positively with others and develop meaningful relationships. This includes positive emotions such as happiness, joy, contentment and excitement.
It also includes good physical health and the ability to have positive, meaningful social relationships and connections with friends, family and communities.
In addition to academics, schools have a strong role in supporting the mental and social health of students. This is particularly true for students from low-income and diverse backgrounds who often have more traumatic stressors to deal with.
This is why it’s so important to consider integrating social and emotional learning into the classroom. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), it can have a significant impact on student wellbeing and academic achievement.
2. Academic Performance
Students often need to demonstrate their ability to cope with course work and exam demands. Mental health challenges can hinder this. They may feel unable to contribute, take longer to understand, be distracted by other factors in their life or not perform as well as they should.
Studies have shown that mental health problems predict poor academic performance. These include low Grade Point Averages (GPA) and lower achievement levels in standardized exams. Research also shows that poor academic performance is associated with a higher risk of dropping out of school or college.
3. Attendance
Mental health is as important as physical health when it comes to your child’s ability to succeed at school. This is especially true if your child struggles with mental health disorders.
Often, a student who is struggling with their mental health will not want to attend class. This can impact their ability to get good grades and form good relationships.
Fortunately, there are ways to help students who struggle with their mental health by providing supportive messages and encouraging them to take advantage of the campus resources that are available. By doing this, your school can improve its overall student attendance.
4. Behavior
Many students experience mental health challenges that affect their ability to attend school. This may include issues with anxiety and depression, which can make it hard for them to focus and concentrate on their studies.
It can also impact their behavior and interactions with other students. For example, students with anxiety-related difficulties may be more likely to behave in aggressive or disruptive ways, such as excluding others or making physical threats.
In addition, students with severe mental health problems are more likely to experience lower academic self-efficacy and to have poor study progress. These factors can impact a student’s long-term learning and may have an impact on their career success later in life.
5. Self-Esteem
People with high self-esteem are happier, more active and in many ways better able to deal with the challenges they face.
They also work harder and are less likely to give up when faced with failure.
Having low self-esteem can make it hard for students to succeed in school and may lead to poor academic performance, behavior problems and poor mental health.
It can also cause students to have a negative impact on their peers. For example, they may be apprehensive about talking to people, avoiding social situations and not taking responsibility for their own behavior.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can learn to raise your own self-esteem and help your classmates. Try to be generous, be nice and do things that benefit others, such as tutoring a classmate, cleaning up your neighborhood or walking for a cause.
