A Slovak study on children’s mental health may also be relevant for other countries, as the international scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology published research validating a school-based mental health screening tool called “Pohodomer.” The findings were reported by Stanislava Knut from the Mental Health League, highlighting the growing importance of student well-being in education.
According to experts, children’s and adolescents’ mental health has become one of the key issues in schools in recent years, as well-being affects learning, relationships, and classroom atmosphere. The “Pohodomer” tool was developed to help schools better understand how students feel, and the study focused on adapting internationally used mental health screening tools to the Slovak school environment so that children can understand the questions and respond more accurately about their experiences.
“Publication in this journal is a sign that Slovak experience has a place in international scientific discussion and can contribute to how mental health in children is understood in other countries facing similar issues,” said Lenka Janík Blašková from the Institute of Applied Psychology at Comenius University in Bratislava. The research involved 108 primary and secondary school students in Slovakia, who completed questionnaires and later participated in discussions explaining how they interpreted the questions and what they felt was missing or unclear.
One of the most notable findings, according to the authors, was how differently children think about questions regarding emotions and relationships. “Children are not small adults, and questionnaires cannot work for them in the same way. When we give children space, they can very precisely say what makes sense to them and what does not,” said Janík Blašková.
School psychologist Kornélia Ďuríková added that “Pohodomer is not just measurement. It is a way to give children a voice. It is a tool through which we ask in schools how children really are.” Experts also emphasized that schools can play a key role in identifying early signs of psychological distress and providing targeted preventive and support measures.
Source: TASR
