A quasi-experimental controlled study of a school-based mental health programme to improve the self-esteem of primary school children

Abstract

Children’s mental health problems are associated with a low self-esteem. Harter has proposed that recognising competence in personal importance and social support would improve students’ self-esteem. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has examined Harter’s theory for primary school children. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the Treasure File Programme for improving primary school children’s self-esteem. The programme’s effectiveness was evaluated regarding the students’ self-esteem, physical well-being, emotional well-being, family relationships, friendships, and school performance. A total of 794 primary school students (aged 7–11 years) in the intervention group and 592 in the control group were recruited in a quasi-experimental study design. The intervention group indicated significant improvement in the self-esteem domain compared to the control group. However, no intervention effects were observed on physical well-being, emotional well-being, family, friends, and school. These findings indicate that this programme is effective in improving self-esteem in primary school students. Given the importance of self-esteem in children’s mental health, this programme may be helpful as a primarily educational programme option to address mental health problems in primary school children.