Big Talks for Little People, an innovative child mental health support program, has helped alleviate bullying that had been reported by students in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), according to a new study conducted by Flinders University researchers.
Dr Yu Takizawa, a Mental Health lecturer from Flinders University's College of Human Sciences and Culture, led research into the effects of this revitalised program that has provided OSHC staff with better mental health education to better identify and assist students affected by bullying, and the changes have delivered impressive results.
The Big Talks for Little People mental health education program for primary school students was developed and trialled in 2021 led by Flinders University Professor Phillip Slee. A significant finding from this initial trial was a 25% reduction in self-reported instances of bullying following the completion of the program.
The program moved ahead in 2022, led by Professors Shane Pill and Phillip Slee, with the Big Talks program modified and trialled in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) settings.
A study from this OSHC trial found many surprising outcomes, identifying that OSHC students were less happy at school and had less friends at school than students from the total primary school population. The OSHC students also reported twice the level of victimisation than a comparison primary school student group who were about average in terms of being bullied ''once a week or more often''.
