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

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.