health competency. These skills enable children to make informed decisions about their
health and to act on these decisions in a social context.1,2 Enhancing PSS can yield a variety
of additional benefits. Excessive emotional arousal inhibits learning and academic
performance.3,4 Learning to recognize and effectively cope with emotional distress using
PSS can contribute to general academic success. In addition, PSS can help promote positive
mental health.5 Among children ages 10 to 14, an increase in suicide rates has been
observed.6 One model of childhood depression identifies deficits in social PSS as precursors
to social isolation, which contributes to depression.7 The current mental health system
is not reaching most children who need help.8 Enhancing PSS has been suggested as a
primary prevention strategy for depression and suicide.6 Designing school-based coping interventions can help to fill the gap in inadequate mental health services. Clearly, PSS
can make a variety of contributions to child health as part of the school health education
curriculum. PSS interventions are especially important for the age group between 10 to
14 years because developmentally this is the most important risk period for negative outcomes
stemming from emotional distress