Schools have become a primary context for assessing and addressing social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in response to the youth mental health crisis. However, traditional paper-based assessments are often hindered by time constraints and rater bias, limiting their effectiveness for early identification and intervention. Technology-mediated assessments, such as...
To inform the use of universal social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) screening in secondary schools, we examined the functioning of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener–Student Rating Scale (mySAEBRS) across three occasions (fall, winter, and spring) in a sample of secondary students (Grades 6–12). With consideration for the frequency and timing of...
There has been long discussion in educational psychology about the individual factors that promote pupils’ sense of school belonging during secondary education. However, the literature on the school factors associated with these outcomes seems to be less informed. By utilising an ecological-systemic approach, the present study aimed to consider the predictive role of a range of...
The role of feelings of belonging at school in adolescents’ academic and psychological functioning is well established. This study aimed to validate the School Connectedness subscale from the Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools (MDS3) School Climate Survey for secondary school students in Spain. This subscale encompasses the three key dimensions traditionally associated with...
In early care and education settings, children who display challenging behaviors tend to have higher rates of conflict with their teachers than children without such problems. This proof-of-concept study examines the extent to which early childhood teacher’s classroom management self-efficacy is associated with conflictual teacher–child relationships with children who have been...
Programming aimed at promoting positive student mental health and reducing or preventing mental-ill health is common within schools in Ontario. A brief, valid, and scalable measure was needed to assess the organizational conditions, or the capacity, readiness, and resources of schools to successfully implement and sustain this programming. In partnership with School Mental Health...
In 2021, the Welsh Government introduced new statutory guidance for schools titled ‘Framework Guidance on Embedding a Whole School Approach to Emotional and Mental Wellbeing’. This document outlined new responsibilities for educational settings to work towards incorporating a whole school approach, with regard to the Framework in action planning, service delivery and policy in...
This qualitative case study used artifacts (e.g., youth activities), archival records (mentor logs), and individual interviews to understand 12 Black youths’ experiences of an electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) program that was designed in partnership with a local Black church to address subclinical mental and behavioral health challenges that impacted K-12 students’ academic...
School maladjustment results in greater emotional and academic distress and reduces subjective well-being among adolescents. It is therefore important to identify the variables that contribute to school adjustment problems in order to enable interventions designed to improve or mitigate them during this developmental period. The aim of the present study is to use structural...
The daily report card (DRC) is a commonly used behavioral intervention in which teachers rate child performance on target goals and parents provide home rewards based on the child’s performance. The current study investigated associations between child externalizing problems, empathy, and specific components of the DRC: (1) types of DRC goals that are chosen, (2) teacher and...
Youth involved in the U.S. child welfare system (CWS) are at risk for mental health problems, including suicidal ideation (SI). However, the relationship between preteen suicidal ideation and academic outcomes has not been considered. This study uses data from two nationally representative longitudinal surveys of CWS-involved youth to examine the association between preteen...
Implementation science has grown considerably in school mental health over the past decade, driven by the persistent gaps between knowledge about “what works” to promote student well-being and what is typically delivered in schools. In 2014, Owens and colleagues outlined an implementation research agenda for the field of school mental health, emphasizing professional development...
Teacher interventions play a crucial role in fostering a more inclusive school climate amidst homophobic bullying incidents. However, the strategies employed by teachers and the influencing factors are understudied. This study explored individual and contextual factors associated with teachers
Adolescents present high risk of developing mental health problems. Different school-based programs have been designed to prevent and treat the psychological distress that they often experience with disparate results. In this study, we tested the efficacy of a school-based program framed into the “Escuelas Despiertas” initiative that teaches adolescents mindfulness and compassion...
Notwithstanding the multiple descriptions and principles associated with trauma-informed schools (TIS), the field lacks a well-defined operational definition of TIS. This scoping review aimed to characterize TIS intervention components and implementation strategies described in published studies of TIS. This review also examined the extent to which published examples of TIS had...
Disordered eating refers to a range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder. It includes behaviors, such as binge eating, restriction, and purging. Youth with disordered eating often have complex needs and may require psychological support, medical care, and academic accommodations to be successful at school. However...
Supporting students returning to school after a mental health crisis often involves more training than many school staff members receive. With the increase in youth mental health diagnoses, there has also been an increase in the number of youth requiring psychiatric emergency department visits and hospitalizations. As such, this study employed a basic qualitative design to gather...
Very limited research exists regarding the beliefs and practices of student support teams (SSTs), sometimes called child study teams or IEP teams, in settings with non-expulsion policies for young children with severely challenging behaviors. Previous research examined teacher and administrator beliefs and practices and found that they engage in practices related to soft...
Disasters are distressing and disorientating. They often result in enduring community-wide devastation. Consequently, young people may seek support from trusted adults to scaffold their emotional responses and to support their psychosocial recovery. An important non-familial adult in a student’s life is their teacher. However, few studies have examined teachers’ perspectives on...
There is growing interest in the integration of social–emotional learning (SEL) and equity approaches in schools, yet systematic research on how to blend these two frameworks is limited. In this article, we describe the process by which a research-practice partnership (RPP) collaborated to iteratively co-create a multi-component equity-focused SEL preventive intervention in the...
The rising prevalence of mental health challenges among youth has created a pressing need for effective, feasible, equitable, and contextually relevant interventions. Educators and school mental health professionals face critical challenges in helping students overcome such barriers to school success. This makes the need for school-based intervention development research...
This commentary examines the critical importance of intervention development and adaptation research in school mental health, as highlighted by the studies in this special issue. We discuss two primary reasons for advancing this field: increasing the use of evidence-based practices and enhancing intervention benefits by adapting to unique needs. The paper emphasizes the...
The current youth mental health crisis has highlighted a substantial unmet need for effective, accessible, culturally sensitive mental health services and interventions. Schools have the potential to address this gap through the provision of evidence-based mental health interventions and services that meet the needs of their diverse student bodies. The National Institute of...