Exploring Mental Health Issues among Primary School Students: A Qualitative Study

Understanding the real of mental health issues suffered by school students is a good effort. Unfortunately, no study has been done until now. Therefore, the study aim is to explore mental health issues among primary school students. Purposive sampling technique was used in the study. A total of 73 participants from 4 countries of the Peninsula of Malaysia participated in this study. The sample selection criteria were primary school students and teachers, educational counselors, and administrators of the Institute of Teacher Education. The data was obtained online semi-structured through in-depth interview and focus group discussion with study participants during the Movement Control Order from 1st September to 30th November 2021. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach, and six themes emerged: (1) lack of resilience, (2) disciplinary, (3) personal identity, (4) lack of attention from family, (5) constraints from poor family, and (6) stress during studying. To address the validity and reliability of the data, triangulation, member check, audit trail, and peer checking methods were utilized. The study is significant as it has contributed rich data regarding the field, which is crucial to formulate a greater approach to minimize the negative impact of mental health issues among the target group. Therefore, the present study is one of the important areas that should be focused on in primary schools.