earticle

영어

Purpose: The leading cause of death among teenagers in Korea is suicide. Also, it is known that mental health ofKorean adolescents identified based on the levels of perceived stress or depression is very poor. The purpose ofthis study was to examine the current status of student mental health programs in Korea and the associated problemsand to explore ways to make the programs more effective. Methods: The subjects of the study were a total of 115school nurses and school counselors in elementary, middle and high schools. The study examined the current statusand the associated problems of school mental health programs as well as the needs for teacher training programsrelated to student mental health. Results: Few mental health programs other than counseling for at-risk studentswere being carried out. The problems associated with student mental health management were, in terms of management,‘accountability in case of incidents such as student suicide’ and ‘parents uncooperative in their kid’s mentalhealth management (visit to hospital, etc.)’ and, in terms of manpower, ‘unclear R&R between school nurses andschool counselors’ and, more fundamentally, ‘the lack of human resources.’ The needs for teacher training programsrelated to student mental health were very high and the content required most was ‘ways to manage stress of studentsand teachers themselves,’ followed by ‘interpersonal conflicts management & conservational skills,’ and ‘ways tomanage student mental illness.’ Conclusion: In conclusion, to increase the effectiveness of student mental healthprograms, we should move on from the current system which focuses only on early discovery and intervention toa more comprehensive system that includes preventive approaches, while having clearer R&R and more workforcededicated to student mental health programs and attracting more parental cooperation and support.