Voces y Silencios. Revista Latinoamericana de Educación

Voces silec. rev. latinoam. educ. | eISSN 2215-8421

Mental Health in Childhood: What Do Children Say About It at School?

No. 1 (2026-03-13)
https://doi.org/10.18175/VyS17.1.2026.3

Abstract

Mental health has been the subject of multiple investigations in different fields of knowledge. While there are definitions framed in laws and models, there is no consensus. In recent years, research on mental health has noted the increasing number of disorders and needs among children. However, it was only recently that studies began to focus on what constitutes mental health in childhood. However, in this discourse on mental health in childhood, children have often been rendered invisible by an adult-centric narrative that attempts to make the best decisions for them. In this context, the research that frames this article aimed to contribute to the conceptualization of children’s mental health in the school setting, taking as its main element the meanings that children have constructed about it. Using a qualitative methodology with a narrative design, the meaning of mental health in childhood was examined in children, teachers, and parents. As a result, a theoretical approach to the research phenomenon was constructed, which primarily reflected children’s voices. It is concluded that the meaning of mental health in childhood includes relationships with others, emotions, and physical and personal care activities. The potential for research with children is enriching, given the breadth of their personal and social constructs, for any type of discussion that concerns them.

Keywords: basic education, childhood, meanings, mental health, narratives, voices

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