Browsing by Author "Virta, Henna"

Majority of Finnish youth use social media several hours every day. Because social media usage is common among students, teachers should be aware of the positive and negative effects it may have. The purpose of this study is to address these effects from the aspect of mental health by considering positive effects that using social media has on mental health. Additionally, this study aims to clarify the role teachers have as a part of mental health promotion conducted at schools in Finland. The aspect of mental health is valuable in school context, as about 15 to 25 percent of Finnish youth aged 12 to 22 show symptoms of mental disorders. Promoting the well being of all students is also an important part of Finnish education system. This study was conducted as a descriptive literature review in a time period from January to March 2017. Databases concerning behavioral sciences, health sciences and medical sciences were used to conduct the study. The literacy which was chosen to be part of this study was grouped in themes according to the protective factors of mental health. Teachers’ role in mental health promotion formed its own theme group. In addition, important part of this literature re-view is defining social media and mental health precisely. These definitions were used while screening the literature. As a result of this literature review it can be said that social media has various positive effects on mental health. Using social media effected positively on how accepted individuals felt themselves, how well they were able to build, maintain and terminate relationships, how much opportunities of self-expression they had and how their self-esteem was developing. The positive effects of using social media also included social support, experiencing equality and experiencing possibilities to be heard and to have an influence on their own surroundings. On teachers’ role in mental health promotion it was stated that teachers’ most important function is to enable learning for all students. Also their role in noticing and interfering in alarming situations, teaching socio-emotional skills and acting as a part of multi-professional workgroup is significant in the aspect of mental health promotion in schools.