Understanding and Promoting Good Mental Health in Children and Young People

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month and last week was Mental Health Awareness Week 2026(Monday 11-Sunday 17 May 2026) with the theme for this year being”Every action counts for better mental health”.


On a personal level as a father and professionally as a mental health practitioner I chose to take action by looking into literature/research on what qualifies as good mental health in Children and Young People(CYP) and how we can help promote it.One of the main objectives of research is knowledge translation(sharing findings) and in this case my course of action was to create awareness regarding understanding and promoting good mental health in CYP.


Research revolves around answering questions and as such that was my start point and regarding this topic i ended up with multiple.


What is good mental health means in children and young people?how it can be recognised and promoted?How does good mental health relate to but is distinct from mental illness?Is good mental health similar or different from resilience, flourishing, and positive mental health?


The core attributes of good mental health include positive coping skills, hope, identity formation, autonomy and agency, social contentedness, health-promoting behaviours, and interpersonal skills.

CYP with good mental health should demonstrate good problem solving skills needed to cope,should be able to self regulate,be able to self regulate,optimistic and motivated to face setbacks,have self awareness,confident with good self esteem,demonstrate help seeking behaviour and be physiologically nourished(exercise,sleep and healthy eating).


Antecedents(Conditions/environments/relationships) that support good mental health to develop include social relationships, belonging, balanced environments, adult role-modelling, access to information and support, everyday opportunities to practise skills and even having pets.


In summary, good mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness but it exists across a spectrum.Practices/conditions that promote it(antecedents) on one side and the characteristics/attributes of good mental health on the other.Commonly used terms like resilience and flourishing although synonymous with good mental health should not be confused with good mental health because they represent outcomes that extend beyond it. 


It is also equally important for everyone to think of practical everyday examples of how families, schools, and communities can create conditions that allow children and young people’s mental health to grow and strengthen.



References:

https://acamhlearn.org/Learning/Defining_Good_Mental_Health_in_Children%3a_Insights_from_a_Concept_Analysis/3004797d-fe00-406a-a846-a57b01642580?utm_source=Subscriber&utm_campaign=88e8490389-ACAMH_Learn_2_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-06bb231b69-642340713












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