Classroom Environment May Affect Kids’ Mental Health (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) — First-grade classrooms with poor
environments — not enough resources, teachers who feel disrespected by
colleagues — have been linked to a higher number of mental health
problems in students, according to a new study.

The study doesn’t prove that classrooms that face more challenges
directly cause mental health problems in kids. However, “being in a
classroom with a lack of resources might adversely impact children’s
mental health because children are frustrated or disheartened by their
surroundings,” said study lead author Melissa A. Milkie, a sociology
professor at the University of Maryland.

“Teachers also may be more discouraged or harsh when they can’t teach
properly due to the fact that they are missing key elements,” she
explained in a news release from the American Sociological Association

Milkie said the study shows that schools and teachers play important
roles in children’s mental health. “I think parents care a lot about their
children’s mental health — their emotional and behavioral well-being —
but we as a society don’t tend to focus on that as an important
educational outcome nearly as much as we talk about and think about
academic outcomes,” Milkie said.

The study is based on interviews with

Read More from the Article Source: Full Article