Mental Health Smarties

Mental Health Smarties

Introduction

Mental Health Smarties (MHS) was sponsored and supported by Save the Children Hong Kong. The project aimed at lowering children’s and parents’ anxiety and depression levels, and raising the awareness of the importance of mental wellness of children and parents through a stepped-care service model.

Project period: August 2020 – October 2021

Target populations: Children aged 6 -12 years and their parents, social workers, and frontline workers.

Objectives: 

  • To encourage a family-friendly parenting approach and effective interaction styles for parents and their children.
  • To equip parents and their children with effective communication skills
  • To raise public awareness of the importance of mental wellness through building positive parent-child relationships.

 

Methods:

A series of activities were provided in this project. Validated questionnaires and scales [1-8] were used before and after the activities to assess the effectiveness.

Activities

Parents Online Talk 

  • Delivered by social workers, psychiatrists, and clinical psychologists
  • Three topics: “Start from loving ourselves” (由愛自己開始), “Parent-child communication without boundary” (親子溝通零距離), and “Co-create win-win parent-child communication” (創造雙贏的親子溝通)

Parents Support Group

  • Ten sessions to reduce parental distress

Play Interest Classes 

  • Twenty-five sessions with parent-child games and festive celebrations

Therapeutic Group 

  • Eight sessions delivered by psychotherapists using art, music, and drama 

Intensive Counseling 

  • Conducted by registered play therapists to improve child-parent relationships and reduce conflicts

Professional Training on Play Therapy

  • Two full-day trainings of play-oriented facilitation skills

Mass Event for Public: Episodes, schools, Facebook, and play tools

  • Eight child-parent positive mental health episodes target primary and secondary school students and parents in Wong Tai Sin and Eastern districts.
  • Promotion of mental well-being of children and parents through Facebook posts, WhatsApp stickers, and board games.

 

Results:

  • Significant decline in parental distress (p=0.007) after attending the parent support group.


 

  • Parents showed a significant decrease in psychological distress (p=0.006) and depression (p=0.014) after attending the therapeutic group.

 


 


 

  • Significant reduction in child-parent conflicts was found in parents (p=0.014) after receiving intensive counseling.
     

 

 

  • Significant improvement in overall understanding on play therapy (p<0.001), knowledge (p<0.001) and skills (p<0.001) of social workers and frontline mental health workers after professional training on play therapy.


 

  • In the focus group interviews, parents revealed that the therapeutic group and parent support group were helpful in relieving stress, learning effective parenting skills and gaining mutual support from other parents. Closeness and communication with their children were also improved. 

 

Conclusion:

This program helped reduced parental distress and depression, and child-parent conflicts significantly. The key message of the importance of mental well-being, as well as effective parent-child communication and parenting skills were disseminated to the participants and the general public via various program activities.  Similar activities can be further promoted to expand our services to children and parents.

 

References:

1.    Ngai, F. W., Chan, S. W. C., & Holroyd, E. (2007). Translation and validation of a Chinese version of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale in Chinese mothers. Nursing Research, 56(5), 348-354.

2.    Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S. L., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976.

3.    Driscoll, K., & Pianta, R. C. (1992). Child-parent relationship scale. Journal of Early Childhood and Infant Psychology.

4.    Karcher, M.J. (2007). The Hemingway – Measure of Adolescent Connectedness: A manual for interpretation and scoring. Unpublished manuscript, University of Texas at San Antonio. Retrieved from www.adolescentconnectedness.com

5.    Tam, K. K., Chan, Y. C., & Wong, C. K. M. (1994). Validation of the parenting stress index among Chinese mothers in Hong Kong. Journal of Community Psychology, 22(3), 211-223.

6.    Kao, S. C., & Landreth, G. L. (1997). Evaluating the impact of child-centered play therapy training. International Journal of Play Therapy, 6(2), 1.

7.    Moussa, M.T., Lovibond, P.F. & Laube, R. (2001).  Psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the short Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS21).  Report for New South Wales Transcultural Mental Health Centre, Cumberland Hospital, Sydney.

8.    Chorpita, B. F., Yim, L., Moffitt, C., Umemoto, L. A., & Francis, S. E. (2000). Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: A revised child anxiety and depression scale. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(8), 835-855.