Mental health of children and adolescents with emotional and social development disabilities
Current findings on the prevalence of psychological stress show that children and adolescents with a focus on emotional and social development (FSP EsE) have a very high level of stress (Hanisch et al., 2023; Hennemann et al., 2020). In the projects of the PEARL working group, schools and university representatives work together to develop training and support measures for teachers based on a description of the needs of students with high levels of psychological stress, which are suitable for supporting students with particularly high levels of stress and expand existing educational interventions with even more specific measures. These interventions are supplemented by the monitoring and analysis of school development processes.
The interdisciplinary working group is led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Hennemann (Educational support and social-emotional developmental support, University of Cologne), Prof. Dr. Charlotte Hanisch (Psychology and Psychotherapy in Curative Education and Rehabilitation, University of Cologne) and Prof. Dr. Tatjana Leidig (Pedagogy with a focus on emotional and social development, Europa-Universität Flensburg). In addition to the respective teams, other partners from science, practice and school administration are involved in the individual projects.
The following sub-projects are currently being implemented:
The initial PEARL project was set up in 2018 in an exchange between school practice and the university against the backdrop of the perception described by school administrators of a significant increase in massive aggressive impulse breakouts and a reduced suitability of the educational measures used to date. The project investigates the central questions,
(1) which mental abnormalities are present in which intensity in pupils at special schools with the FSP EsE,
(2) whether the support and support measures offered to date are suitable for this target group and
(3) which strategies can be used to expand the existing repertoire of action.
Following a detailed analysis of the students' mental health problems and their access to youth support and therapeutic services, a qualification and support measure (PEARL-QUALI) consisting of several training modules, coaching sessions and job shadowing was developed, implemented and evaluated, which is currently being adapted in the other PEARL projects in line with specific needs. The PEARL schools are currently continuing the project in the form of PEARL specialist units, while those involved in the project are also working with other stakeholders in the Participation Working Group to raise awareness of the need for continuous, low-threshold interdisciplinary support in the area of emotional and social development.
Project partners: Förderschule Berliner Straße, Waldschule Alfter, Heinrich-Böll-Schule Frechen, Pestalozzi-Schule Brühl & district government of Cologne, Prof. Dr. Helma Koomen (University of Amsterdam), Prof. Dr. Manfred Döpfner (University of Cologne), Prof. Dr. Gino Casale (University of Wuppertal)
Duration: since 10/01/2018
Project-related publications:
- Hanisch, C., Vögele, U., Leidig, T., Döpfner, M., Niemeier, É. & Hennemann, T. (2023). Psychische Auffälligkeiten von Kindern und Jugendlichen an Förderschulen mit dem Förderschwerpunkt Emotionale und soziale Entwicklung. Empirische Sonderpädagogik, 15, 21–37. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:27182
- Hennemann, T., Casale, G., Leidig, T., Fleskes, T., Döpfner, M. & Hanisch, C. (2020). Psychische Gesundheit von Schülerinnen und Schülern an Förderschulen mit dem Förderschwerpunkt Emotionale und soziale Entwicklung (PEARL) – Ein interdisziplinäres Kooperationsprojekt zur Entwicklung von Handlungsempfehlungen. Zeitschrift für Heilpädagogik, 71, 44–57.
- Leidig, T., Hanisch, C., Vögele, U., Niemeier, É., Gerlach, S. & Hennemann, T. (2021). Professionalisierung im Kontext externalisierender Verhaltensprobleme – Entwicklung eines Qualifizierungs- und Begleitkonzepts für Lehrkräfte an Förderschulen mit dem Förderschwerpunkt Emotionale und soziale Entwicklung. Wissenschaftliche Jahreszeitschrift Emotionale und Soziale Entwicklung (ESE) in der Pädagogik der Erziehungshilfe und bei Verhaltensstörungen, 3, 88–98. https://doi.org/10.35468/5903-07
- Leidig, T., Hennemann, T. & Hanisch, C. (2024). PEARL – Psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Förderschulen mit dem Förderschwerpunkt Emotionale und soziale Entwicklung. In J. König, C. Hanisch, P. Hanke, T. Hennemann, K. Kaspar, M. Martens & S. Strauß (Hrsg.), Teachers and their teaching matters – Auf die Lehrperson und ihren Unterricht kommt es an. 10 Jahre empirische Forschung im IZeF der Universität zu Köln (S. 191–210). Waxmann. https://doi.org/10.31244/978383099876
In cooperation with schools and youth welfare facilities of the Caritas-Jugendhilfe-Gesellschaft, the project aims to support the development of the participating children and adolescents in the social-emotional area and in learning and working behavior through targeted and individual support measures based on a precise description of the target group. Many students in the participating schools are also linked to CJG youth welfare facilities, so that the cooperation between teachers and caregivers is the conceptual focus of the Pearl Plus qualification. In the long term, this should improve the emotional-social skills and psychosocial health of the children and adolescents and support the teachers and caregivers in their cooperative, educational work.
Project partners: Caritas Jugendhilfe GmbH
Duration: 08/01/2022 to 07/31/2025
Project-related publications:
- Müller, P. M., Behr, J., Yada, T., Eells, R., Leidig, T. & Hennemann , T. (2024). Collective teacher efficacy in context of students’ externalizing behavior problems: A systematic review. International Journal of Special Education, 39(2). https://doi.org/10.52291/ijse.2024.39.27
- Müller, P. M., Leidig, T., Schottel, M., Hanisch, C., & Hennemann, T. (2025). Psychische Auffälligkeiten von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Förderschulen der Jugendhilfe – Beurteilungsübereinstimmung von Lehrkräften und pädagogischen Fachkräften. Zeitschrift für Sozialpädagogik, 23(1), 3–57.
- Müller, P. M., Hennemann, T., & Leidig, T. (2025). Strukturelle Kooperation in der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Förderschule und Jugendhilfe – eine Konzeptanalyse im Kontext intensivpädagogischer Förderung. Wissenschaftliche Jahreszeitschrift Emotionale und Soziale Entwicklung (ESE), 7(7), 210–220. https://doi.org/10.35468/6178-14
Based on a description of the target group and the qualification of multipliers at the various locations, PEARL specialist units are designed and implemented at the support centers in the district of Mettmann. The implementation of the PEARL specialist units is intended to ensure the participation in education and participation of pupils with a focus on emotional and social development (§4 AO-SF NRW) and intensive educational support needs (§15 AO-SF NRW) as well as the long-term further qualification and support of teachers.
Project partners: District of Mettmann & support centers in the district of Mettmann
Duration: 08/01/2023 to 07/31/2026
The PEARL-QUALIDüsseldorf research project is being carried out in cooperation with elementary school, special schools and comprehensive schools in the administrative district of Düsseldorf (city of Oberhausen, district of Viersen, district of Wesel). It focuses primarily on qualification and support measures and is aimed at teachers and specialists at special schools and schools for joint learning. Based on a differentiated description of the individual starting situations with the help of a differentiated condition analysis for selected target children and target adolescents and the focus on the teacher- student relationship, evidence-based interventions are derived that are suitable for supporting troubled students and the respective learning group and extend previous (special) educational interventions. In the long term, the results of the project are to be transferred to other schools in the regions through regional network structures.
The objectives of the four-year project are:
- at the level of the students: to increase their sense of self-efficacy, resources and emotional-social skills as well as to improve their psychosocial health in conjunction with a reduction in behavioral problems,
- at the level of teachers and educational professionals: the expansion of professional competence in educational work, especially with pupils with externalizing behavioural problems
- at school level (in the region): a participation-oriented approach to dealing with pupils with externalizing behavioural problems and the development of regional networking structures.
Project partners: Prof. Dr. René Schroeder & Team (Didactics of the inclusive classroom, University of Cologne), district government of Düsseldorf (higher school supervision), city of Oberhausen, district of Wesel & district of Viersen (lower school supervision), Primary, special and secondary schools in the city of Oberhausen, the district of Viersen and the district of Wesel
Duration: 01/01/2024 to 07/31/2027