About the project

As part of our study "InSel," we wanted to develop a tailored training program for teachers focused on identifying internalizing symptoms in students. Internalizing symptoms, such as social withdrawal or feelings of sadness and anxiety, often go unnoticed in children. Recognizing the symptoms of a potential mental disorder is essential to provide children with early help.

Children often lack the ability to attribute symptoms such as sadness or insomnia to mental health issues. They depend on their caregivers to recognize the presence of internalizing symptoms and assess if further investigation is needed. As parents, you spend the most time with your child and witness their development from birth. This gives you the opportunity to notice behavioral abnormalities and identify potential warning signs early.

As a Teacher, you play a vital in identifying internalizing symptoms, as some symptoms manifest primarily in the school context. Due to your daily interaction with many children of the same age, provide a broad basis for comparison,allowing you to realistically assess symptoms.

Therefore, our primary aim was to determine the extent to which teachers' judgments, in addition to children's self-assessment and parental assessment, contribute to the identification of internalizing symptoms. We also examined which factors, such as school or class size and the child's gender, influence the development of internalizing behavior and how these factors affect teachers' assessments.

Based on these findings, we are now developing a training program to help teachers recognize internalizing symptoms at an early stage and to provide them with knowledge on how to respond appropriately.

Present status

The project has been successfully completed. The development of the training course is currently in progress, which will enable you the opportunity to deal intensively with internalizing symptoms in pupils in a school context. This training program is based on the findings of the study and is designed to meet the individual needs of the pupils. It teaches how such symptoms can be recognized, how affected pupils should be addressed and what support measures are available both inside and outside of school.