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ERIC Number: EJ1476663
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: EISSN-1866-2633
Available Date: 2025-03-27
Self-Reported Problems of Adolescents Seeking or Referred to School Mental Health Services
Eric J. Bruns1; Kristine Lee1; Michael D. Pullmann1; Freda Liu1; Janine Jones2; Courtney A. Zulauf-McCurdy1; Melissa Serafin3; Rosemary Reyes1; Casey Chandler1; Elizabeth M. McCauley1
School Mental Health, v17 n2 p336-351 2025
Examining self-reported problems of students receiving school mental health (SMH) services holds promise for informing strategies across all tiers of school support. However, no prior research has investigated students' self-reported needs. The current study coded open-ended youth problem statements (N = 1212) from a diverse sample of 455 students (37.4% white) receiving SMH services in 52 high schools across three states. Problem statements were coded against 120 items of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL, Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and 24 additional problem domains not found in the CBCL. Most frequently cited problems were poor schoolwork (n = 190, 43.0% of all students), family problems (n = 90, 20.4%), and anxiety (n = 89, 20.1%). Thirty-three percent of students identified problems that loaded on the CBCL internalizing scale only, 24.0% identified problems from the externalizing scale only, 19.5% identified both internalizing and externalizing problems, and 21.3% of youth-identified problems did not fit either scale. Exploration of differences by race/ethnicity found Latinx students were significantly more likely to report problems in school, White and Latinx students more likely to report internalizing problems, and Black students more likely to report problems coded to the externalizing scale. However, item-level analysis showed this difference was driven by a small number of specific items that may represent teacher bias in referrals, cultural differences in expression of problems, and/or limitations of the CBCL coding system. Results suggest SMH strategies are needed that address academic and family problems and that are responsive to needs of youth from diverse backgrounds.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Child Behavior Checklist
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A160111
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: 1University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA; 2University of Washington College of Education, Seattle, USA; 3Wilder Research, Saint Paul, USA