The roles of student gender, race, and psychopathology in teachers' identification of students for services

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2019-12, Vol.107, p.104468, Article 104468
• Main Authors: Villodas, Miguel T., Pfiffner, Linda J., Moses, Jacqueline O., Hartung, Cynthia, McBurnett, Keith
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Asian Americans; Behavior; Behavior problems; Black people; Boys; Children; Classrooms; Clustering; Elementary education; Elementary schools; Ethnic differences; Ethnicity; Externalizing problems; Families & family life; Gender roles; Girls; Hispanic Americans; Latin American cultural groups; Mediation; Mental depression; Mental health services; Minority students; Oppositional defiant disorder; Prevention programs; Psychopathology; Public schools; Race; Racial differences; Racial inequality; Student ethnicity; Student race; Students; Symptoms; Teacher referrals; Teachers
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104468

The present study investigated whether academic, social, emotional, and behavioral factors mediated disparities in teachers' identification of boys and girls from different racial/ethnic backgrounds in need of family-based prevention services. Teachers (n = 157) from regular education classrooms at 17 public elementary schools anonymously nominated the boy (n = 157) and girl (n = 156) in their class most in need of services. An age- and grade-matched boy (n = 158) and girl (n = 156) were randomly selected from the same classrooms, resulting in a total of 627 students (Mean age = 8.37; 62% White, 8% Black, 8% Latina/o, 13% Asian-American, 9% mixed/other). Teachers rated students' aggressive behavior and depressive, generalized anxiety, inattentive, oppositional defiant, and conduct symptoms. Mediation models were tested accounting for clustering of students within classrooms. Black students were more likely to be nominated than all other groups, and Latina/o and White students were more likely to be nominated than Asian-American students. Racial/ethnic disparities were largely accounted for by inattentive symptoms and externalizing problems for boys and girls. However, Black students were still more likely to be nominated than White or Asian-American students. Consultation could prepare teachers to accurately identify and manage variations in problematic behaviors among students from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. •Teachers disproportionately refer Black students for services•Inattention and externalizing behaviors explain teachers' referral of Black girls.•These factors only partially explained the disproportionate referral of Black boys.•Perceptions of bias in teachers' referrals could reinforce cultural mistrust.•Data-driven, universal screening and implicit bias training could reduce disparities.