Comparing Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Beliefs About Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Health in Schools

• Published in: School mental health 2020-06, Vol.12 (2), p.222-238
• Main Authors: Briesch, Amy M., Cintron, Dakota W., Dineen, Jennifer N., Chafouleas, Sandra M., McCoach, D. Betsy, Auerbach, Emily
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Administrator Attitudes; Administrator Surveys; Adolescents; At Risk Students; Attitudes; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Beliefs; Child and School Psychology; Classrooms; Clinical Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Early Adolescents; Education; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary schools; Emotional Development; Environmental Influences; Health Needs; Influence; Innovation; Innovations; Instructional Leadership; Knowledge Level; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Original Paper; Parent Attitudes; Polls & surveys; Principals; Program Implementation; Psychology; School Buildings; School districts; School Health Services; School Nurses; School Personnel; School principals; School psychologists; School Social Workers; School Support; Screening Tests; Social Development; Stakeholders; State Departments of Education; Student Needs; Students; Teacher Attitudes
• ISSN: 1866-2625; 1866-2633
• DOI: 10.1007/s12310-019-09355-9

Schools can play a significant role in promoting timely access to mental health services by utilizing proactive approaches to identifying and supporting students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs. However, recent data suggest that few schools in the USA are taking such proactive approaches. Given that implementation of school-based programs is determined by a complex interplay of influences at multiple levels (i.e., individual, innovation, environment), more research is needed to understand the perceptions of stakeholders representing each of these unique levels. The purpose of this study was therefore to compare stakeholders’ knowledge, beliefs, and opinions regarding school-based approaches to identifying and supporting students at risk of SEB challenges. Survey responses were obtained from district administrators, school building administrators, school support staff, teachers, and parents within 1330 school districts across the USA. Although some differences across groups were noted, patterns generally supported that stakeholders (a) reported being knowledgeable about social, emotional, and behavioral problems and the school-based approaches to identifying and assessing them, (b) believed that student social, emotional, and behavioral problems should be a prioritized concern and identified using screening procedures, and (c) perceived moderate amounts of pressure to change social, emotional, and behavioral screening practices from different sources in their communities. In addition, respondents across stakeholder groups reported consistently strong agreement that screening should be used to proactively identify not only which students are exhibiting internalizing/externalizing problems, but also which students possess various risk and resilience factors.