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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1544199
A Qualitative Evaluation of a Whole-School Approach to Improving Resilience in Childhood and Adolescence
Provisionally accepted- 1 University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 2 Resilience Research Group, London, United Kingdom
Background: Worldwide, 10-20% of youth suffer from mental health problems. Research shows that high levels of resilience may increase resistance against mental and physical distress. In this, a ‘whole-school’ resilience intervention (Anchor Approach) can support children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to understand the intervention effects according to staff, parents and mental health services. Perceptions are explored through intervention sustainability, acceptability, efficacy, feasibility and flexibility and adaptability. Methods: Seven qualitative focus groups were conducted in six schools adopting the Anchor Approach intervention, with participants consisting of parents (N=4), school staff (N=12), and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS; N=4). Thematic analysis was conducted on the data by two researchers. Results: Four themes were revealed: 1) “Timeliness”, 2) “Impact of the Anchor Approach in the school setting", 3) "Engagement with the Anchor Approach", 4) "Working together". Participants felt the intervention was timely and changes towards emotion-focused care were found. Variations between schools in its usage resulted in differences in confidence, behavioural changes and care continuity. Dependent on environmental factors, concerns about feasibility were raised regarding implementation, resources and communication of support offered. Conclusions: The Anchor Approach was well utilised and accepted, positively impacting staff confidence, student behaviour and staff-student interactions. High levels of acceptability and utilisation (with variations) were identified across participants. Staff time and complexity of resources provided may impact intervention feasibility and sustainability.
Keywords: School, School children, resilience, intervention, qualitative research
Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 25 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zak, Rubens, Abbott and Mcgowan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jennifer Mcgowan, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.