Examination of the effectiveness of Neuroscience-Informed Child Education (NICE) within Japanese school settings

A school-based intervention programme to prevent anxiety and depression among Chinese children during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Given that no SEL interventions on children’s mental health have been evaluated in China, comparisons can be made with studies conducted in other East Asian countries. Two SEL programmes among primary school children in Japan reported conflicting outcomes- one found it was helpful for children’s resilience and mental health (Yamamoto et al [ 44 ]), while the other did not improve children’s psychological well-being (Matsumoto et al [ 23 ]). Our quantitative findings suggested there was no change in children’s anxiety and depression after the intervention.…”

“…However, these studies have taken place predominantly in Western countries, especially the US [ 11 ], Australia [ 2 , 3 ], and Europe [ 27 , 29 ]. There are much fewer SEL programmes in non-Western settings, including a quasi-experimental study in Japan [ 23 ], implemented over eight weekly sessions among 63 six- to seven-year-olds, and the other in South Africa [ 26 ], which conducted across 10 weekly sessions among 46 twelve-year-olds.…”

Effectiveness of school-based brief cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness in improving the mental health of adolescents in a Japanese school setting: A preliminary study

“…Schools are a major venue for delivering mental health services to children ( Rones and Hoagwood, 2000 ), and may provide the ideal context for implementing evidence-based interventions ( Eiraldi et al, 2015 ). Recognizing the prevalence of mental health problems (which include school-related mental health problems) as a serious social threat that thwarts the healthy development and well-being of children has led to Japanese educators’ heightened interest in mental health prevention programs ( Matsumoto et al, 2020 ). However, while the necessity of universal preventive programs in Japanese school settings has been recognized, it has not been systematically implemented due to the lack of psychoeducational programs in the school curriculum ( Yamazaki, 2013 ).…”

“…They reported three issues: costly and time-consuming training for instructors, the need to devise a program that is adapted to the actual educational situation in Japan, and the need for accumulating research evidence on the effectiveness of MBIs in Japan. Adapting mental health prevention programs to the Japanese educational environment is especially important in terms of their implementation, as the cultural context is different from that of Western countries, where many mental health prevention programs have been developed and studied ( Matsumoto et al, 2020 ). Stallard et al (2012) , in a meta-analysis, revealed that the effectiveness of school-based programs was not consistent across different settings.…”

“… Stallard et al (2012) , in a meta-analysis, revealed that the effectiveness of school-based programs was not consistent across different settings. This can be attributed to the various components and delivery protocols of programs delivered in specific social-cultural contexts ( Matsumoto et al, 2020 ). Therefore, developing MBI programs adapted to the Japanese educational environment and accumulating research evidence on the effectiveness of MBIs in Japan can contribute to the advancement of psychological prevention programs in Japanese schools.…”