Toward the Integration of Prevention Research and Expanded School Mental Health Programs

Examining School Health Center Utilization as a Function of Mood Disturbance and Mental Health Difficulties

“…Advocates of school health centers have frequently hailed the potential preventive function that school health centers can offer [5,7,16,17,19]. Results also showed that the majority of individuals (58%) reported problems causing impairment lasting six months or more and that the majority of individuals (88%) visiting the school health centers to discuss difficulties were not receiving treatment of any kind for difficulties judged as causing impairment.…”

“…Proponents of schoolbased health centers have argued that school-based health centers provide a range of services that include evaluation, treatment, consultation and prevention. However, most studies examining the utility of school-based health centers emphasized the efficacy of the services they offer [7,16,18,19], rather than assessing the extent to which school health centers facilitate the early detection and prevention of illness. From an early identification or helpseeking perspective, the effectiveness of school health centers will be determined in terms of whether or not students with difficulties, who have not previously sought help, are utilizing the health clinics more or less than students without difficulties.…”

“…Although the majority of school programs have advocated for a range of services that include early intervention and prevention programs [15][16][17], most studies evaluating the benefits of these programs have emphasized the efficacy of the services they offer [15,16,18,19], rather than assessing the extent to which school health centers facilitate the early detection and prevention of illness.…”

Strategies to address mental health through schools with examples from China

“…The benefits of this model include its multi-disciplinary involvement and outcome monitoring (Kutash, Duchnowski, & Lynn, 2006). Specific school mental health policies have incorporated the following components, all of which contribute to mental health promotion in schools: raising public awareness to create demand, building collaborative relationships, addressing stakeholder concerns, generating funding, providing adequate teacher training and support, forming a steering committee, and implementing services (Adelman & Taylor, 2006;Hoganbruen, 2003;Knitzer, 1991;Tashman, 2000;Weist et al, 2003).…”

Linking Mental Health and After School Systems for Children in Urban Poverty: Preventing Problems, Promoting Possibilities

“…In response to the inadequacies of the public sector mental health system, new, innovative, and comprehensive models of mental health service delivery are required (Hoagwood & Johnson, 2003;Tashman et al, 2000). Because the risks associated with poverty have a broad impact across multiple contexts and domains of children's functioning, services need to consider children's overall development and to enhance the natural settings that support them.…”