Participatory Stitch: the ways in which inclusive, group, hand-stitched textile projects can preserve or enhance wellbeing and good mental health in secondary school pupils in England

The academic literature that discusses the benefits of participatory, inclusive, hand-stitching projects in relation to mental health and wellbeing has, to date, focused on the benefits in adult communities. Studies have celebrated the value of those creative responses; citing improvements in wellbeing as a result of learning new skills and with participants achieving an enhanced sense of belonging and raised self-esteem as consequences of the calming, shared process of stitching together, and the approval garnered from a finished product.

Such interventions have not been replicated in secondary schools in England who are now charged with identifying and supporting a growing number of pupils struggling with their mental health and wellbeing; a situation that was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2020 – 2023). Furthermore, beneficial creative opportunities in schools have been diminished because of national curriculum changes in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.

This research uses pragmatic, qualitative methodology viewed through the lens of critical realism, to interrogate the potential for similar outcomes with school pupils (aged 11 – 16) who have been identified by their school as vulnerable in respect of their mental health. Questioning whether hand-stitching interventions can preserve or enhance the wellbeing of those groups, the study contributes to knowledge on the value of such creative activity to the under-theorised demographic of children and young people.

The research findings evidence that pupils can benefit socially and emotionally from participation in hand-stitching activities with others, and that it is possible to replicate in school the positive outcomes that might have been initially regarded as incidental in some adult-focused settings. The research also contributes to the understanding of inclusive participation through two models that build on previous research, focusing on participation and the need to embrace different levels of individual progress. Additionally, the researcher has generated a representation of mental health and wellbeing, contextualised for schools, that offers clarification of the relationships between key elements; a valuable congruence being noted between wellbeing and mental health, participation, and inclusion.