School nurses are crucial to addressing adolescent mental health, yet evidence concerning their evolving role has not been synthesized to understand interventions across levels of practice (i.e., individual, community, systems). We conducted an integrative review of school nurse roles in mental health in the U.S. related to depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress. Only 18 articles were identified, published from 1970 to 2019, and primarily described school nurses practicing interventions at the individual level, yet it was unclear whether they were always evidence-based. Although mental health concerns have increased over the years, the dearth of rigorous studies made it difficult to determine the impact of school nurse interventions on student mental health outcomes and school nurses continue to feel unprepared and under supported in this area. More research is needed to establish best practices and systems to support school nursing practice in addressing mental health at all levels of practice.

Students in alternative high schools (AHSs) are an understudied population who experience disproportionate levels of risk factors that contribute to mental health problems. Using logistic regression, we explored associations between mental health problems and risk and protective factors among students in Texas AHSs (n = 515; mean age 17.1 years; 51% female, 78% youth of color, 64% eligible for free/reduced lunch). Principals (n = 14) and lead health educators (n = 14) reported on school-level efforts to address mental health. Students reported, on average, 1.55 of 4 mental health problems in the past year. Logistic regression indicated that greater number of adverse childhood experiences, lower self-esteem, female gender, and sleep disruption (getting <8 h of sleep per night) were common contributors to symptoms of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and PTSD with models showing medium-tolarge effects (AUC: 0.73-0.81). We assessed school-level efforts to address mental health using descriptive statistics. At the school level, most (>50%) principals reported having policies and services to support student mental health, with the exception of having mental health/social services staff represented on school health councils (36%) and having Gay-Straight Alliances (21%). Most lead health educators (86%) reported educating AHS students about mental health, and many (57%) reported receiving professional development in mental health. Future research with a larger number of schools is needed to analyze whether school policies are statistically associated with student-level mental health outcomes. Such multi-level research can inform policies and practices for AHS student mental health. K E Y W O R D S alternative high schools, mental health correlates, school policy 1 | INTRODUCTION Mental health problems (e.g., depression and anxiety) continue to pose serious threats to adolescents, including suicide, co-occurring substance use problems, school dropout, and other health and social

Mental health issues have been exacerbated by COVID-19; therefore we examined how the school nurses’ role in addressing mental health changed during the pandemic. We administered a nationwide survey in 2021, guided by the Framework for the 21st Century School Nurse, and analyzed self-reported changes in mental health interventions by school nurses. Most mental health practice changes after the start of the pandemic occurred in the care coordination (52.8%) and community/public health (45.8%) principles. An overall decrease in students visiting the school nurse’s office (39.4%) was seen, yet the frequency of students visiting with mental health concerns had increased (49.7%). Open-ended responses indicated that school nurse roles changed due to COVID-19 protocols, including decreased access to students and changes in mental health resources. These insights into the role of school nurses in addressing student mental health during public health disasters have important implications for future disaster preparedness efforts.

No abstract

No abstract