Participants
Five focus groups were conducted with 25 school children (aged 8–9; 12 girls and 13 boys). These
children attended five primary schools across three districts in a county in Northern England. Each
focus group consisted of five children with a mix of genders. All participants were white British.
Year 4 children were chosen, as little information is available on how British children younger than
10 years old view and understand mental health problems, despite the prevalence of mental health
problems in children as young as 5 (ONS, 2005).3