Disparities in the Implementation of School-Based Mental Health Supports Among K–12 Public Schools

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Psychiatr Serv
• Personal Author:
  Moore, Shamia ; Timpe, Zach ; Rasberry, Catherine N. ; Hertz, Marci ; Verlenden, Jorge ; Spencer, Patricia ; Murray, Colleen ; Lee, Sarah ; Barrios, Lisa C. ; Tripathi, Tasneem ; McConnell, Luke ; Iachan, Ronaldo ; Pampati, Sanjana
• Description:
  Objective:
  
  The authors sought to explore the availability of mental health supports within public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic by using survey data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. K–12 public schools collected in October–November 2021.
  
  Methods:
  
  The prevalence of 11 school-based mental health supports was examined within the sample (N=437 schools). Chi-square tests and adjusted logistic regression models were used to identify associations between school-level characteristics and mental health supports. School characteristics included level (elementary, middle, or high school), locale (city, town, suburb, or rural area), poverty level, having a full-time school nurse, and having a school-based health center.
  
  Results:
  
  Universal mental health programs were more prevalent than more individualized and group-based supports (e.g., therapy groups); however, prevalence of certain mental health supports was low among schools (e.g., only 53% implemented schoolwide trauma-informed practices). Schools having middle to high levels of poverty or located in rural areas or towns and elementary schools and schools without a health infrastructure were less likely to implement mental health supports, even after analyses were adjusted for school-level characteristics. For example, compared with low-poverty schools, mid-poverty schools had lower odds of implementing prosocial skills training for students (adjusted OR [AOR]=0.49, 95% CI=0.27–0.88) and providing confidential mental health screening (AOR=0.42, 95% CI=0.22–0.79).
  
  Conclusions:
  
  Implementation levels of school-based mental health supports leave substantial room for improvement, and numerous disparities existed by school characteristics. Higher-poverty areas, schools in rural areas or towns, and elementary schools and schools without a health infrastructure may require assistance in ensuring equitable access to mental health supports.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Humans Mental Health Pandemics Poverty Schools Students
• Source:
  Psychiatr Serv. 75(1):17-24
• Pubmed ID:
  37312505
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10719411
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  75
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1f1e89266340162f87c74b58ba149b40611cb6ecc4aa02ee5e9174ef3a3aaef2c6a1c4ce7af68092a0acf423b5c4fac006845ed5f8443a2041da81e1b7d1a2e0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/137347/cdc_137347_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 191.90 KB ]