Evaluating the role of Positive Psychology in Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing in Northern Irish Primary Schools at Ulster University

Evaluating the role of Positive Psychology in Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing in Northern Irish Primary Schools

Dr Marian McLaughlin Monday, February 03, 2025 Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

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Coleraine United Kingdom Child Psychology Developmental Psychology Health Psychology

About the Project

The mental wellbeing of children in Northern Ireland (NI) is declining (ARK, 2023). Given this, implementing strategies to increase child wellbeing and resilience have become increasingly desirable (The Children’s Society, 2024). School based, positive psychology approaches have been identified as a potential pathway to achieving wellbeing outcomes (Taylor et al., 2023). To date however, most of this research comes from adolescent populations with a lack of substantial research in the context of primary school age children, particularly in NI. Further, multiple shortcomings have been identified in this research, including the lack of longitudinal evidence on the long-term effectiveness of such programmes, limited understanding on the mechanisms of action in bringing about improvements in outcomes and exploring teacher training and support needs. This PhD study will address these limitations.

The overarching aim of this PhD is to explore the effectiveness of school based positive psychology programmes in protecting and promoting child mental health and wellbeing. This will be addressed using a variety of research methods. Firstly, through a systematic review of the literature and secondly through an evaluation of an existing primary school-based wellbeing program (BeeMe). The specific research objectives are:

1. To conduct a systematic review to explore the effectiveness of primary school-based programmes for improving resilience and protecting mental wellbeing.

2. To evaluate the efficacy of a school based positive psychology programme in protecting and promoting mental health and wellbeing in Northern Irish primary school children using a longitudinal, cluster randomised control trial.

3. To explore the potential mechanisms of change in achieving wellbeing outcomes.

4. To seek teacher training and support needs for the delivery of the programme.

5. To identify ‘what works’ and develop best practice recommendations with regards school based EHWB interventions for children.

Please note: Applicants with a 2:1 degree in Psychology (or close to completion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

References

Austin, J. (2019) The “Ceasefire Babies”. Public Health Review, 2(1), pp. 1-5.
ARK (2023). Young Life and Times Survey: Health and wellbeing (Including mental health). [Online] Available at: https://www.ark.ac.uk/ylt/results/ylthealth.html.
BeeMe: Be The Real Me. (2024). Available at: https://therealmeacademy.com/about/
Carr, A., Cullen, K., Keeney, C., Canning, C., Mooney, O., Chinseallaigh, E. & Dowd, A. (2021) Effectiveness of positive psychology interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16 (6), 749-769, DOI:10.1080/17439760.2020.1818807
Department for Education (2021). Children & Young People's Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework. [Online] Available at: https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/children-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing-education-framework-final-version.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218
Kern, M. L., Waters, L. E., Adler, A., & White, M. A. (2014). A multidimensional approach to measuring well-being in students: Application of the PERMA framework. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(3), 262–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2014.936962
Seligman, M., Ernst, R. M., Gillham, J., Reivich, K., & Linkins, M. (2009). Positive education: Positive psychology and classroom interventions. Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), 293-311.
Seligman, M. (2011). Flourish: a new understanding of happiness and well-being. The practical guide to using positive psychology to make your happier and healthier. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Seligman, M. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333-335.
The Children’s Society (2024). The Good Children Report. [Online] Available at: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/professionals/resources/good-childhood-report-2024