Cognitive behaviour techniques to enhance mental health in children

Abstract

Promotion of child mental health is gaining importance as it is increasingly newlinerecognized that children in today s fast-paced world are getting stressed easily. In newlineIndia, limited energies are focused on prevention of mental disorders and scant newlineattention is given to child mental health promotion. There are very few programs newlinecatering to the needs of children. Research has shown Cognitive Behaviour newlineTechniques to be effective in prevention of problems in children but process of the newlinemodules is very rarely focused on. newlineThis research studied the use of Cognitive Behaviour Techniques to teach newlinechildren to change their thoughts and to learn to solve problems. The objective was to newlinecreate a model of change by using Cognitive Behaviour Techniques. The attempt was newlineto understand the process through which children adapt the learning to their everyday newlinelife and its problems. Fifteen 4th standard children from low to middle socio economic newlinegroup underwent 27 intervention sessions spanning a period of 8 months. The newlinesessions were video recorded and transcribed to understand the process and trajectory newlineof change seen in the children. newlineResults focused on aspects of the process considered important to help the newlinechildren with their expression before they could be taught the techniques. The thought newlinechange and the problem solving learnt by the children were also evidenced in their use newlinewith peers, family and for academics. The study highlighted the adaptation of the newlinetechniques used by the researcher and by the children. As the constant focus was on newlinechildren using the techniques and sharing it in the sessions with other participants, newlineexamples abounded and created excellent opportunities for all of them to learn with newlineage appropriate issues. newlineThe conclusions confirmed the existing research on use of age appropriate newlineskills to teach children.