Public school teachers’ perceptions about mental health

Soares, Amanda Gonçalves Simões; Estanislau, Gustavo; Brietzke, Elisa; Lefèvre, Fernando; Bressan, Rodrigo Affonseca

doi:10.1590/S0034-8910.2014048004696

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Sumário

Original Articles • Rev. Saúde Pública 48 (6) • Dec 2014 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2014048004696 copy

Public school teachers’ perceptions about mental health

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

OBJECTIVE

To examine public school teachers’ perceptions about general health and mental health, and the way in which they obtained this information.

METHODS

Qualitative research was conducted with 31 primary and secondary school teachers at a state school in the municipality of Sao Paulo, SP, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. The teachers responded to a questionnaire containing open-ended questions about mental health and general health. The following aspects were evaluated: Teachers’ understanding of the terms “health and “mental health,” the relevance of the need for information on the subject, the method preferred for obtaining information, their experience with different media regarding such matters, and perceptions about the extent to which this available information is sufficient to support their practice. The data were processed using the Qualiquantisoft software and analyzed according to the Discourse of the Collective Subject technique.

RESULTS

From the teachers’ perspective, general health is defined as the proper physiological functioning of the body and mental health is related to the balance between mind and body, as a requirement for happiness. Most of the teachers (80.6%) showed great interest in acquiring knowledge about mental health and receiving educational materials on the subject. For these teachers, the lack of information creates insecurity and complicates the management of everyday situations involving mental disorders. For 61.3% of the teachers, television is the medium that provides the most information on the topic.

CONCLUSIONS

The data indicate that there is little information available on mental health for teachers, showing that strategies need to be developed to promote mental health in schools.

Faculty; Mental Health; Self-Assessment; Perception; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Qualitative Research

1. What does the word health mean to you?
Category	%^a	DCS
A. Social, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being	58.1	“Health is physical, mental, and spiritual well-being existing together. It is being well disposed and healthy in every way, which leads a citizen to have self-confidence. It is when you are well both existentially and physically, in the most intimate and profound part of the human being. When you are healthy, you can have a complete harmony of physical and mental metabolism, as it’s possible to be healthy in every way.”
B. Balance	19.4	“Being healthy is being physically and mentally balanced. This does not mean not having an illness but rather having mental and social balance.”
C. Caring for mind and body	19.4	“Health is caring for body and mind in order to be able to do what you want, with no negative feelings. Being healthy is eating well, playing sports, and participating in daily activities without restrictions.”
D. Organism functioning	9.7	“Health is having perfectly working organs, i.e., it is synonymous with something that is working correctly or having a healthy body. It is a term used not only for the medical field but also to describe the status of various body processes.”
E. Quality of life	6.5	“The term health involves a set of actions such as leisure, living together in harmony, physical activity, i.e., having quality of life.”
F. Linked to happiness	6.5	“Being healthy requires minimal conditions to lead a life with dignity, which is necessary to be happy.”
2. In your opinion, what is mental health?
A. Mental and physical well-being	22.6	“Mental health is when you’re physically and mentally well. It’s when there is a good relationship between students and teachers and you can do whatever you want, without any negative feelings.”
B. Living well in society and overcoming difficulties	32.3	“Mental health is a condition that a person has when he or she exhibits positive thoughts about life and that they are capable of guiding the phenomena around them with autonomy and clarity. This doesn’t explain it, but I think it would be a person who has a non-traumatic relationship with the cultural and social environment, who knows how to have ethical and moral attitudes. It is thus possible to live with life’s difficulties, have positive thoughts, to overcome and know how to deal with adverse situations, in order not to suffer any illness.”
C. Balanced functioning of body and mind	41.9	“Mental health is the ability to be free of disorders that cause an emotional imbalance between what we have and what we desire, without letting emotional problems upset our daily life. It’s the mind functioning within the standards established by medicine for this area, i.e., the balance of brain functions, the nervous system, and nervous impulses throughout the body. Thus, mind and body work in harmony so that there are no negative feelings and we can overcome difficulties, without needing to use alcohol and drugs to overcome problems.”
D. Requirement for happiness	3.2	“Having mental health is a requirement for happiness.”
E. Mental illness	6.5	“Mental health refers to illnesses related to the mind and behavioral disorders.”
F. Awareness of one’s actions	3.2	“Mental health is being aware of your actions and thoughts.”
3. How would you like to receive information and guidance about mental health?
A. Lectures	54.8	“I would like to receive information through lectures and group discussions, directly from a medical specialist. I believe that verbal communication is still the best way to raise people’s awareness.”
B. Printed material	25.8	“I would like to receive printed information through handouts and brochures that exemplify situations scientifically, i.e., the difference between a phenomena and an existing problem.”
C. Multimedia material	19.4	“I would like to receive information through videos, containing documents and drawings that may facilitate understanding.”
D. Through the Internet	22.6	“I would like to receive information through email and would like to consult websites.”
E. Connected to reality	9.7	“I would like to receive information through a movie followed by reading some informative documents. The movie could awaken our attention to the reality of mental health issues, in a less formal and more lucid way, connecting the examples to reality.”
F. Courses	6.5	“I would like to receive information through courses.”
G. Dynamics	6.5	“I would like to receive information through dynamics.”
H. Mass media	6.5	“I would like to receive information through newspaper and TV ads.”
4. In your opinion, is using informative material important for learning about mental health? Why?
A. Yes, for better clarification on the subject	80.7	“Yes, informative material helps because usually information obtained through other media may be superficial, and thus, informative material can clarify what is a myth and what has been scientifically proven. It would be another way of orienting ourselves, since we have little knowledge about it and very often we do not know which course of action to choose because we feel insecure. We need to receive conceptual information about the subject in order to stay updated and know the ways in which to deal with it in our daily lives. Sometimes, we seek professional help because we lack information. Information through any media is important; the more information is available, the greater is the understanding of the illness. The informative material should be easy to read and comprehend. Moreover, the written material should serve as a research source.”
B. Yes, to improve communication	16.1	“Yes, because it makes my job easier. When something is spoken, it may not register at a particular instance at a particular time. Combining the structure of verbal communication is of utmost importance. The cause of this is an expansion of the field of speech coherent with images and other references, because only talking is too vague. You must have means and ways to use it, because you need to follow a line of work, a communication strategy for properly conveying the information.”
C. Yes, to help the students with mental health problems	9.7	“Yes, informative material helps us to understand a bit about mental health and in some way to help students who may have these symptoms, because we don’t know how to work with people who have such problems. Furthermore, this contributes to the development of a healthy relationship between teacher and student.”
5. Have you already received informative material about mental health? Where?
A. Yes, in Projeto Cuca Legal	12.9	“Yes, only here at Roldão through this project. Cuca Legal was the first.”
B. Yes, through courses	6.5	“Yes, only in the courses I have participated in. I took some courses at the Military Police of Sao Paulo State and the Universidade São Marcos.”
C. Yes, through a health professional or health center	6.5	“Yes, I already received some information through the psychologists who visited the school in past years and brochures at the health center.”
D. Yes, but without guidance	3.2	“I wouldn’t say something informative, but without guidance, habits and familiar customs.”
E. Did not receive	67.7
6. Have you watched a video or TV program that addresses mental health issues? What did you think?
A. Yes, superficially	12.9	“Yes, but I found it all too ridiculous; the sales policies and the programs aimed at their own interests, of promoting universities and selling books, mainly on TV and religious institutions. Once I watched a program that talked about depression and Alzheimer’s, which was interesting, but I thought it was a bit superficial. It’s always very generic and isolated from reality, from focusing on the problems that are causing the separation of mental illness from reality. On Globo Repórter I’ve seen issues related to mental health, but it was something depressing and very boring in nature.”
B. Yes, on TV Senado	3.3	“Yes, I watched something on TV Senado. A journalist discussed mental health and I thought it was very interesting for those of us who work in education.”
C. Yes, through the soap opera Caminho das Índias	12.9	“Yes, on the miniseries Caminho das Índias and I thought it was great, because through information provided by the TV I was able to understand some things that happened with a few students at workplace. The miniseries presented a complicated situation, which worsens because the family doesn’t accept it, and thus the diagnosis is delayed.”
D. Yes, TV Cultura	6.5	“Yes, on TV Cultura on the program Café Filosófico. I thought the approach was superficial and included cases that have already been proven. The subject was discussed by Flávio Gikovate.”
E. Yes, movie and television series	9.7	“Yes, I thought the series “Dr. House” was very enlightening and informative, because they talk about cases. I also recently watched the movie “O Solista.” I thought it was interesting because it didn’t categorize the mentally ill as someone to be pitied.”
F. No	38.7
7. Have you already listened to a debate or radio program that addressed mental health? How was the issue discussed?
A. Yes, about prejudice	6.5	“Yes, it was about prejudice within and outside the home.”
B. Yes, on CBN (radio)	3.2	“Yes, I was listening to CBN and the issue was discussed with listeners’ questions and responses from experts at Universidade São Paulo.”
C. Yes, on Jovem Pan (radio)	3.2	“Yes, I heard a debate on Jovem Pan and the subject addressed was schizophrenia.”
D. Yes, I thought it was superficial	3.2	“Yes, on some talk shows, but not on a specific subject, I thought it was superficial. The commentary, as usual, was subject to the program’s runtime.”
E. Yes, about gifted people	3.2	“I heard something about gifted and deaf people. The issue addressed was how to deal with some cases!”
F. No	80.7
8. Have you already researched or read something online regarding mental health?
A. Yes (without explanation)	16.1	“Yes.”
B. Yes, about Alzheimer’s	3.2	“Yes, I researched on Alzheimer’s.”
C. Yes, about depression	6.5	“Yes, I researched on depression for a while.”
D. Yes, about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)	3.2	“Yes, I researched on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).”
E. Yes, about schizophrenia	3.2	“Yes, I researched on schizophrenia.”
F. Yes, about dyslexia	6.5	“Yes, I researched on dyslexia.”
G. No	71.0
9. Have you already read articles about mental health in a magazine or newspaper? What did it address?
A. Yes, in the magazine Educação	3.2	“Yes, I read something in the magazine Educação.”
B. Yes, in the magazine Psychology	3.2	“Yes, I read something in the magazine Psychology and the theme was depression in young people.”
C. Yes, in Folha de São Paulo	3.2	“Yes, by a columnist who writes in Folha, Ferreira Gullar. It was about the psychiatric system and the hospitalization of patients, a familiar problem.”
D. Yes, about stress	3.2	“Yes, it was about stress.”
E. Yes, on self-help and dealing with current problems	9.7	“Yes, about aspects of how to turn things around and its relationship with the social phenomenon we are facing today and also human behavior when faced with passions (in the pathological sense), always connected to self-help.”
F. Yes, about depression	6.5	“Yes, I read something about symptoms of depression.”
G. Yes (without explanation)	9.7	“Yes.”
H. No	61.3
10. Do you believe the information conveyed by the media about mental health is sufficient? Explain.
A. Yes, the soap opera Caminho das Índias explained schizophrenia	3.2	“Yes, I think so. For example, the miniseries Caminho das Índias discussed schizophrenia, through the character Tarso.”
B. No, the information is superficial or misleading	29.0	“No, because it is always sensationalist, biased, and exaggerated. The information is not sufficient and needs to be clearer. The issue is always addressed very superficially. Currently, the media discusses mental illness when a crime or something serious happens in the ‘normal daily life’.”
C. No. The mental health issue is not addressed	16.1	“I don’t think so, because mental health is still seen as a taboo, something that shouldn’t be publically discussed. It is still believed that people with mental health problems should be removed from society. There has been a lot of talk lately about visual and hearing impairment, and the inclusion of people with these deficiencies in society and also about drugs, violence, and killing, but never mental health! I feel the absence of such communication and of groups like the UNIFESP group, conducting Projeto Cuca Legal.”
D. No, time and space are limited	22.6	“Of course not. It’s a complex issue and requires greater depth and these media don’t always have enough time, and the information is very restricted to certain time slots and channels. They normally broadcast at times when young people are not watching, and it’s very limited. As I already mentioned, the information is always subject to something larger than itself: time, standards, policy issues, and other factors. The media should provide more space to mental health information so that the majority of the population has access, such as, poor people, who suffer the most from psychological problems.”
E. No	32.3	“No.”

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[1] Correspondence
: Amanda G. S. Soares. Rua dos Coqueiros, 1291 apto. 196 Torre 4 Campestre. 09080-010 Santo André, SP, Brasil. E-mail: ammandasimoes@gmail.com