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ABSTRACT
Child and adolescent mental health is an important public health issue within the UK. Providing support to young people to help them cope with everyday life is a key aspect of the school nurse's role. Yet there is a paucity of published research within the UK and internationally about how this support is provided. Using a narrative inquiry approach this study set out to address the following research question, 'How do school nurses provide support to young people?' Stories were gathered from 11 school nurses identified through purposive sampling to explore their experiences of providing support to young people. Poetic representations were used to tell the stories of individual school nurses; an approach seen to be innovative within school nursing research. Spatiality theory was used as a framework to explore different spaces used when providing support to young people. This study extends the current school nursing literature about what it means to provide support. The importance of regular support and building trusting relationships is identified. Yet challenges exist in terms of the amount of emotional investment required by the nurses, as well as a lack of workforce capacity and organisational demands.
KEYWORDS
School nurses, support, young people, narrative inquiry
INTRODUCTION
Many children and young people require support for a variety of reasons as they attempt to deal with particularly difficult situations, such as peer pressure, parental expectations, family conflict, bullying, low self-esteem, depression, abuse and sexual exploitation (The Children's Society, 2014). Within the UK one In 10 school age children and young people will experience a mental health problem (The Children's Society, 2014). Indeed, It has been Identified that half of those who have a lifetime mental health problem will have exhibited symptoms before the age of 14 (DH, 2011). Palfrey et al (2005, p.1121) suggest that mental health and emotional Issues within young people have now become so prevalent that they can be described as the "new millennial morbidity".
School nurses play a vital and Important role In providing emotional support to school-age children and young people and helping to reduce the development of potential mental health issues (DH/DCSF, 2009; DH, 2012). They are often the people to whom young people choose to disclose a wide range of issues and can facilitate...