Environment –A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Mental health is an integral part of an individual’s overall health. Since mental health in children also depends on family environment it is important to examine the child mental health problems in the context of prevailing family environment. The study aims at understanding the mental health issues of elementary school children and their family environment as perceived by the Headmasters of Government elementary schools of Bangalore. The study is conducted using qualitative research method. Head masters from 40 schools were selected using simple random sampling design for an in-depth interview from the list of 709 schools. In-depth Interviews were used to study the perception of Head Masters on the mental health status and needs of children and their family environment. Themes were drawn based on the problems and symptoms that were most frequently mentioned.