In the 21st century, mental health problems among young people constitute a major public health concern, placing substantial responsibility on school nurses, for whom mental health support is often one of the most complex and challenging aspects of daily practice.
The aim of this integrative review was to systematically examine and synthesize the literature on school nurse strategies for promoting mental health among students, and to use the findings to identify evidence-based approaches to guide school nursing practice and school systems in strengthening and standardizing mental health promotion interventions.
An integrative literature review in accordance with Whittemore and Knafl was conducted. Literature searches were conducted in CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PubMed. The final sample consists of 11 articles.
The analysis revealed one overarching theme, school nurses’ strategic approaches for promoting mental health and five categories, present and visible, visual and digital means, person-centered health promotion, mindful and cognitive support strategies, and assessing sleep as a dimension of well-being.
A process-oriented approach for school nurses emerged from the review, comprising Establishing Presence, Person-Centered Encounter, and Tailored Interventions, which can serve as a strategy or manual to guide efforts to promote students’ mental health.
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