Effectiveness of Universal School‐Based Mental Health Awareness Programs Among Youth in the United States: A Systematic Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND Stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness and low mental health literacy have been found to be barriers to seeking help for mental health related issues in adolescents. Prior research has found that it is possible to improve these outcomes using school-based mental health interventions. The purpose of this study was to review empirical literature pertaining to universal interventions addressing mental health among students enrolled in US K-12 schools, especially related to health disparities in vulnerable populations. METHODS PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, PUBMED, and reference lists of relevant articles were searched for K-12 school-based mental health awareness interventions in the US. Universal studies that measured knowledge, attitudes, and/or help-seeking pertinent to mental health were included. RESULTS A total of 15 studies were selected to be part of the review. There were 7 pretest/posttest case series, 5 non-randomized experimental trial, 1 Solomon 4-groups, and 2 randomized controlled trial designs (RCT). Nine studies measuring knowledge, 8 studies measuring attitudes, and 4 studies measuring help-seeking, indicated statistically significant improvement. CONCLUSIONS Although results of all studies indicated some level of improvement, more research on implementation of universal school-based mental health awareness programs is needed using RCT study designs, and long-term follow up implementation.

Intersectionality and Health Behaviors Among US High School Students: Examining Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Identity, and Sex

“…However, because these findings indicate that racial/ethnic sexual minority adolescents are engaging in sexually risky behaviors at very young ages, they demonstrate a need for culturally tailored sexual health preventive educational interventions before young adulthood. However, a potential challenge is that regulations established by local, state, and national school administration and governmental entities may heavily limit sexual health education and other nontraditional health education programs delivered in school settings . Additional potential barriers include the possibility of school stakeholders believing that sexual health education will have negative effects on the child, disruption of school curriculums, and parental consent .…”

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“…Teachers can provide observations and feedback on whether treatment is working in the school setting. More broadly, teachers can help their students develop knowledge and social and emotional skills that lead to positive mental health outcomes, including behavior inside and outside the classroom and attitudes toward school …”

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