The objective was to establish how stakeholders in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) conceptualize child mental health impact. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 stakeholders from disadvantaged urban communities in Kenya, South Africa, Turkey and Brazil. Participants represented education, welfare and health care agencies; as…

Caring for children with developmental delays or disabilities places significant stress on caregivers, which is often exacerbated in low-resource settings. The World Health Organization developed a caregiver skills training for families of children with developmental delays or disabilities, which includes a three-session caregiver well-being…

University students' mental health and wellbeing has been a global public health issue of increasing concern in recent years, with a growing body of empirical evidence suggesting university students are a 'very high-risk population' for mental disorders and psychological distress. Pre-existing mental health challenges among university students…

Objectives: To investigate associations between components of psychological distress and five facets of mindfulness (i.e. "observing"; "describing"; "acting with awareness"; "non-reactivity"; "non-judging"). Participants: Students from a university in South Africa (n = 174). Methods: This…

The lockdown the South African government implemented in 2020 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in school closures. During this time, and also when learners were allowed to attend school again, the focus was on the physical health and safety of the learners. However, in the process, schools might have neglected the psycho-social and mental…

Poverty is one of the factors contributing to lower achievements and completion rates among black students in South African higher education institutions (HEIs). The approach in addressing student poverty in HEIs is predominantly financial through funding disadvantaged groups. While the multifacetedness of poverty is well documented, the nature of…

The growing concern about the mental health and psychological distress of first-year students warrants a greater understanding of their well-being. This study explored the insights of 16 staff and service providers who engage with first-year students at a South African peri-urban campus and built on quantitative studies using the Job…

Purpose: The study explored whether an asynchronous short online course in mental health well-being and resilience for healthcare workers (HCWs) showed improved self-reported results among participants during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated the course outcomes…

Globally, mainstream teachers have been experiencing intense challenges of behavioural difficulties by learners in schools. For decades, scholars have intensified the relational impact of behaviour with regard to academic progression. However, there is limited knowledge on the experiences and coping strategies of teachers regarding these…

This qualitative descriptive study explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown on the emotional and social well-being of students enrolled at the Durban University of Technology, South Africa. A sample of students was selected across all levels of study (first, second and third years and postgraduates), using…

Students including health sciences at universities that appear to subscribe to neoliberal logic are at risk for social injustices and inequalities, anxiety, depression, academic demands and unethical activities. There has been little discussion about students' self-care and well-being in and beyond the neoliberal universities. This article…

The 2020 pandemic led to the immediate lockdown of schools and universities worldwide with far-reaching implications for educators and learners. Individual stories of lockdown and isolation are documented using direct quotations from discussion forums, emails, live chats, and structured journal entries from the Blackboard learning management…

Background: South Africa's primary school education system receives significant funding annually from public and private sources. Despite this, learners still grossly underperform. This means that learning interventions aimed at improving learning outcomes have been relatively unimpactful in primary schools. As such, it is crucial that we…

Unsafe and violent schools are a widespread problem in South Africa. This paper argues that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) contribute to this phenomenon. While various individual and community-level interventions to address ACEs have been reported on, the contribution of safe parks towards preventing school violence has not yet been…

Student counselling centres are struggling to meet the demand for mental health services, which has intensified in recent years. This challenge calls for innovative ways to address the mental health needs of students. During the COVID-19 pandemic the peer helpers at Emthonjeni Student Wellness at Nelson Mandela University facilitated innovative…