Evidence for the association between mental health difficulties and academic outcomes is sparse and shows mixed results. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between educational attainment, absenteeism and mental health difficulties while controlling for various child characteristics such as special education needs and socioeconomic background. 15,301 year 7 pupils (mean age: 11.91; SD = 0.28) from England completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Attainment, persistent absenteeism and child characteristics were derived from the national pupil database. Multilevel regression analysis showed that mental health difficulties were negatively associated with attainment and positively associated with persistent absenteeism. When all mental health difficulties were modelled simultaneously, behavioural difficulties, hyperactivity/attention difficulties and difficulties with peers were negatively associated with attainment. Emotional difficulties and hyperactivity/attention difficulties were positively associated with persistent absenteeism. The results of the current study highlight the importance of integration between mental health support and policy creation in relation to mental health difficulties and wellbeing in schools.

The aim of the study was to investigate attitudes held by a British student population towards individuals with an intellectual disability. Students participated in focus groups addressing their attitudes, behaviours and perceptions of individuals with an intellectual disability. Thematic analysis was the method used to identify emergent themes. Results identified five main themes in relation to intellectual disabilities. The themes suggest that attitude scales fail to effectively measure the multidimensional nature of British student's attitudes towards intellectual disabilities. One out of the five emergent attitude themes from the current study is sufficiently represented in measures of attitudes towards intellectual disability. These results suggest a need to modify current attitude scales or develop new ones to measure the British population's attitudes towards intellectual disabilities. A lack of knowledge about intellectual disabilities was also identified. Participants recognized exposure through the media as a tool to increase knowledge.

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Of children with mental health problems who access specialist help, 50% show reliable improvement on self-report measures at case closure and 10% reliable deterioration. To contextualise these figures it is necessary to consider rates of improvement for those in the general population. This study examined rates of reliable improvement/deterioration for children in a school sample over time. N = 9074 children (mean age 12; 52% female; 79% white) from 118 secondary schools across England provided self-report mental health (SDQ), quality of life and demographic data (age, ethnicity and free school meals (FSM) at baseline and 1 year and self-report data on access to mental health support at 1 year). Multinomial logistic regressions and classification trees were used to analyse the data. Of 2270 (25%) scoring above threshold for mental health problems at outset, 27% reliably improved and 9% reliably deteriorated at 1-year follow up. Of 6804 (75%) scoring below threshold, 4% reliably improved and 12% reliably deteriorated. Greater emotional difficulties at outset were associated with greater rates of reliable improvement for both groups (above threshold group: OR = 1.89, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.64, 2.17], below threshold group: OR = 2.23, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.93, 2.57]). For those above threshold, higher baseline quality of life was associated with greater likelihood of reliable improvement (OR = 1.28, p < 0.001, 95% CI [1.13, 1.46]), whilst being in receipt of FSM was associated with reduced likelihood of reliable improvement (OR = 0.68, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.53, 0.88]). For the group below threshold, being female was associated with increased likelihood of reliable deterioration (OR = 1.20, p < 0.025, 95% CI [1.00, 1.42]), whereas being from a non-white ethnic background was associated with decreased likelihood of reliable deterioration (OR = 0.66, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.54, 0.80]). For those above threshold, almost one in three children showed reliable improvement at 1 year. The extent of emotional difficulties at outset showed the highest associations with rates of reliable improvement.

Across disciplines, there has been increased attention to understanding and addressing compounded oppression and marginalization associated with intersecting identities. We argue that involvement with the criminal justice system can, in itself, represent an identity (self-ascribed or not) that interplays with other demographic and systemic variables, making it more difficult for these clients to disconnect from the system. We offer our perspective on integrating conversations and tools focused on intersectionality into assessment and interventions that address criminogenic risks, recommendations for adopting a mixed-methods approach to researching intersectionality in correctional settings that better accounts for individual variability, as well as suggestions for advocacy, policy reform, and graduate-level training. With its emphasis on diversity and multiculturalism, health service psychology and related professions are uniquely poised to help correctional agencies move in a more inclusive direction that will likely improve client well-being and prosocial reengagement as well as reduce continued systemic oppression.