Positive mental health among children 11 years and under in Western countries: a scoping review to inform Canada's public health surveillance

BackgroundThe Public Health Agency of Canada developed the Positive Mental Health Surveillance Indicator Framework (PMHSIF), which is used to monitor positive mental health (PMH) and its determinants in Canada. While adult and youth versions of the PMHSIF were released, additional research is needed to identify relevant and age-appropriate concepts of PMH among children. MethodsA scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted to examine how PMH is conceptualized and measured among children (< 12 years). Online academic databases were searched up until January 31, 2023. Grey literature sources were conducted up until October 3, 2023. Data on study characteristics were extracted and some were tallied and explained. Measures of PMH were categorized as self- or other-rated. ResultsA total of 636 documents were identified through the search strategies. Of these, 65 documents from the grey literature and 39 peer-reviewed papers were included in this review. Many of the articles (74%) mentioned at least one theory in the introduction/background. The PMH concepts that emerged included: hedonic well-being (n=77), psychological well-being (n=41), social well-being (n=30), and social emotional learning and/or positive development (n=19). Various risk and protective factors were extracted. ConclusionThe findings support the use of the existing Canadian PMH conceptual framework for children, albeit with small modifications to ensure that child-relevant pieces are reflected. Additional work is needed before these results can be used for national surveillance. This review addresses a gap in the literature, encourages routine reporting of child PMH across Canada, and better informs public health policy.