The feasibility of using life skills training in primary schools to improve mental health and academic performance: a pilot study in Kenya

There is no Kenyan evidence on the relationship between mental illness and academic performance. We aimed to determine the effect of life skills training on mental health and academic performance. We administered to 1848 primary school children a researcher designed socio-demographic questionnaire,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC psychiatry 2022-02, Vol.22 (1), p.131-131, Article 131
Main Authors: Ndetei, David M, Mutiso, Victoria N, Musyimi, Christine W, Alietsi, Rita K, Shanley, Jenelle R, Bhui, Kamaldeep S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Academic performance, Kenya
Adolescent
Aggressiveness
Care and treatment
Child
Children & youth
Curricula
Curriculum development
Educational aspects
Elementary schools
Feasibility Studies
Health aspects
Humans
Intervention
Kenya
Life skills
Life skills training
Management
Mental disorders
Mental Health
Parents & parenting
Pilot Projects
Primary school children
Psychiatry
Psychological aspects
Questionnaires
Schools
Skill development
Sociodemographics
Statistical analysis
Students
Study and teaching
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Summary:There is no Kenyan evidence on the relationship between mental illness and academic performance. We aimed to determine the effect of life skills training on mental health and academic performance. We administered to 1848 primary school children a researcher designed socio-demographic questionnaire, and the Youth Self Report (YSR) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to their parents, followed by eight sessions of life skills training. We extracted data from the individual records of each child on overall performance pre and post training separated by one year. We conducted descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, multivariate linear regression analysis and linear mixed model analysis to assess changing patterns of academic performance and any predictive characteristics. There was significant (p 
ISSN:1471-244X
1471-244X
DOI:10.1186/s12888-022-03781-x