Mental Health Support in Schools

Mental Health Support in Schools

Abstract

Mental health support empowers children for educational success. Scholarship has shown that it is critical that youth have access to mental health support, learn vital skills to recognize a crisis, and prevent tragedies. Often students who live in urban areas do not have access to mental health support. Close to 25 percent of children, 5-18 years of age, face health challenges on the level of behavioral and mental health. Oftentimes these challenges present as academic difficulties. Once a child has been identified as having a problem, they are often referred to an outside source for treatment. Seeking treatment or support can be problematic for families when they have challenges such as insufficient or lack of health insurance, transportation, language barriers, and scheduling issues with their employers. Implementing a MultiTiered System of Support (MTSS) provides promotion/prevention, clinical treatment services, and early intervention/identification and has been shown to be a means of mental health services delivery in the school setting. The project seeks to determine whether having mental health services in schools improves academic performance in elementary schools

Introduction

According to the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services, one in every five children and adolescents experience one form or another of mental health problems when in school (CDC, 2020). Some examples of mental health problems experienced include alcohol and substance, learning disability, depression, family problems, bullying, anxiety, and stress. Serious problems such as suicide and self-injury continue to increase and more so among the youth. However, it is estimated that approximately 60% of students do not access the treatment they need because of their inability to access the services and also because of the stigma associated with mental health problems. Among those who get mental health help, approximately two-thirds access it in schools.

Almost every community has a school, and most children spend close to six hours a day in a school. Schools are an ideal context where the prevention of mental health problems as well as intervention, positive development, and communication on a regular basis between families and the school can take place. Accessibility of services in schools is facilitated by the presence of professionals employed by the school, such as school nurses, school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists. Studies have shown that students are more likely to seek counseling services when such services are available in schools. That said, it may be assumed that when students are able to access mental health services in schools, they are likely to have better mental health outcomes and hence, better academic performance. In light of this presumption, this research will seek to analyze the link between the availability of mental health services in elementary schools and the impact that it has on children’s academic performance. The research will be conducted in a local elementary school, and the teachers will be invited to participate in the research.

Mental Health Support in School:  Literature Review

Mental health support empowers children for educational success. The likelihood of a child experiencing the need for mental health support increased by almost 40 percent between 2005 and 2014 (Mental Health Aid, 2018). Students, teachers, and parents need access to a solution to address this issue nationwide. Children need hope and guidance, and schools must realize the importance of addressing mental health issues and the need for accessible services. Studies have shown that it is critical that our youth have access to mental health support, learn vital skills and, recognize a crisis, prevent tragedies, but there is still significant research that can be done to show the benefits of mental health support on academic achievement.

Providing mental health support for children is critical. Stephan et al. (2015) point out that while it is essential to realize the impact of access to mental health support within the school system, it is necessary to consider the best way to integrate that support. Some things need to be considered, including mental health education, staffing, and resources (Stephan et al., 2015). Several states have already increased their funding for counseling services in schools, which has allowed the school to have more social workers and psychologists on staff (Swick et al., 2018). However, only two states have mandated mental health education, New York with grades K-12 and Virginia grades 9-12 (Mental Health Aid, 2018).

According to Miranda, Radliff, and Della (2018), urban schools in the United States are generally known to have more significant challenges in comparison to rural and suburban schools. To be more specific, urban schools often have a lower academic achievement score, and much of the education reform movement has been aimed at helping close that gap in achievement. As part of that reform, the importance of mental health for the student has gotten increased attention. Often students who live in urban areas do not have access to mental health support. When a school district partners with outside agencies, such as a local hospital, there can be assistance from mental health professionals to address the student’s needs (Walter et al., 2019). In addition to meeting the students’ emotional needs, Miranda et al. (2018) address the fact that schools should be a place that helps foster growth and the development of our youth.

In a study from the School Community Journal, it was said that close to 25 percent of children, 5-18 years of age, face health challenges on the level of behavioral and mental health (Swick & Powers, 2018). Frequently these challenges present as academic difficulties. One common obstacle to receiving treatment is accessibility. Swick and Powers (2018) made another point that once a child has been identified as having a problem, they are often referred to an outside source for treatment. Seeking treatment or support can be problematic for families when they have challenges such as insufficient or lack of health insurance, transportation, language barriers, and scheduling issues with their employers. It is essential to understand all of the factors that can limit access to mental health care. The factors mentioned above highlight the need to have school-based support to benefit many students in urban schools.

Several universities in the Netherlands did a study on the number of college students facing mental health challenges. They found that one in three students had some level of mental health issues (Dekker et al., 2020). This study shows that these college students face academic struggles and mental health challenges that could be from feeling a lack of control while adjusting to college life. There was a gap in this research because there is no clear indication of the students struggling with mental health issues before attending the university. This study focused on university students; the present study will focus on elementary schools.

Lipson et al. (2018) examined the connection between race and ethnicity and the prevalence of mental health issues. According to their findings, there was a modest variation in the prevalence of mental health symptoms and a wider variation among students of color than their white classmates. Asian American students also have the lowest likelihood of seeking treatment at 20 percent among students with mental health challenges. Also, it was noted in the study that people have an extensive range of attitudes regarding seeking mental health treatment, which also varies in a significant way and helps explain the findings (Lipson et al., 2018). In assessing the students’ mental health needs, this study has made clear that determining the attitudes of the parents of elementary school children will be an essential factor in the overall implementation of mental health treatment.

According to Walter et al. (2019), children’s overall mental health is important to their academic success. Implementing a Multitiered System of Support (MTSS) provides promotion/prevention, clinical treatment services, and early intervention/identification and have been shown to be a means of mental health services delivery in the school setting (Walter et al., 2019). The study by Burckhardt et al. (2016) suggested that including an emotional regulation strategy program that focuses on early intervention may be effective in reducing and improving students’ mental health. Schools that participate in early intervention programs for their students were recorded to have improvements in the areas of coping skills and social-emotional competencies. The study by Burckhardt et al. (2016) also stated that using an MTSS model for a school-hospital partnership was an effective, valued, and feasible strategy for improving students’ mental health and the schools’ capacity to offer mental health services. In the present study, MTSS will also be explored to improve mental health access and academic performance of elementary school children.

Methodology

This research project is to determine if having access to mental health support affects academic achievement in elementary school children. It will be necessary to survey elementary educators to complete this discovery. Therefore, teachers from a local elementary school will be invited to participate in the research. The first point of contact will be the administrators of the school, preferably the principal. The researchers will request the participation of the teachers. The independent variable examines the effects of a multi-tier system of support in schools, specifically mental health, on academic performance. The information will be collected via questionnaires given to the participating teachers. A pilot test will be done, allowing the researcher to refine the final research instrument’s questions.

As stated, data will be collected utilizing a questionnaire administered to the teachers. These will be sent through the registered school emails. Researchers will conduct an analysis by evaluating the data collected using the questionnaires. Additionally, a focus group will be held where the participants will have an opportunity to discuss their thoughts on mental health support’s effects on their students’ academic performance. Data from the focus group will be analyzed. The information collected from the focus group discussions will be coded and conclusions drawn from the main themes highlighted in the discussions. The conclusions will be written in a draft form and presented to another party to read through and confirm whether the findings are accurate and unbiased.

Rationale

Childhood is a critical period of time for laying the foundations for healthy development and mental health well-being. Children need hope, and schools have come to realize that it is important to address mental health issues for academics and to help children be healthy in the future. Several states have increased their budgets in order to provide counseling services in schools and have hired psychologists as part of the staff. It is estimated that close to 25% of school-age children will face behavioral and mental health challenges. If not treated sufficiently, these children will be vulnerable to negative school outcomes such as academic, behavioral, and attendance problems.

One of the most common obstacles to accessing treatment for students is care consistency and appropriateness, including intervention and assessment. When children in schools are identified as having problems and challenges with mental health, they are referred out to the community to access treatment. However, according to Walter et al. (2019), multitiered systems of support (MTTS) provide promotion/prevention, clinical treatment services, and early intervention/identification and have been shown to be a means of delivering mental health services in the school setting. Schools that take part in early intervention were shown to have improved significantly in the areas of coping skills and social-emotional competencies specifically students who are at the highest risk, as well as students that have mental disorders who had taken part in clinical treatment and have documented improved functioning and symptoms. Based on these findings, it is clear that scholarship has much to say about mental health treatment benefits. However, there is still much to be studied about the benefits of mental health care, including utilizing an MTSS and its positive effect on children’s elementary academic performance.

Conclusion

This paper discusses the literature review that supports the need to observe whether access to school mental health services positively impacts academic performance. The literature review has highlighted the need to ascertain this project proposal by highlighting various studies. Some of the studies mentioned herein have shown that children with mental health services provided in the schools are likely to access the same within the school confines. Another study has shown that using the MTTS model in schools and in collaboration with a hospital effectively reduces and improves students’ mental health and well-being. Schools that take part in early intervention have also been shown to have improved significantly in several areas. These areas of improvement include coping skills and social-emotional competencies specifically, students who are at the highest risk and students with mental disorders who had taken part in clinical treatment; and have documented improved functioning and symptoms.

Children need hope, and schools have come to realize that it is important to address mental health issues both for the purpose of academics and to help children be healthy in the future. Several states have increased their budgets in order to provide counseling services in schools and have hired psychologists as a part of the staff. In assessing the students’ mental health needs, this study has made clear that determining the attitudes of the parents of elementary school children will be an essential factor in the overall implementation of mental health treatment. As stated, data will be collected from teachers willing to participate in the study. The teachers will fill in a questionnaire, and the results of the data will inform the conclusion of this project. The results of this study will be useful in helping schools that are yet to hire permanent school psychologists as part of their staff, to decide whether or not it is profitable and essential to do so.

References

CDC (2020). Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html

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Mental Health Support in Schools

Research Proposal Instructions

Prompt: In 2,000-2,500 words, create a research proposal for your research topic that includes an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, rationale, conclusion, and references (the last of which not count towards the word count) in that order.
Requirements:
1. You may use first person, but not second person. Only use first person when absolutely necessary to talk about the fact that you are proposing research. Some sections like the literature review should not have any at all, but you will likely need it in the methodology.
2. Your grammar, spelling, and punctuation should be flawless. Visit the Liberty University writing centers if you want extra help: https://www.liberty.edu/academics/casas/academicsuccess/index.cfm?PID=38382
3. You must use APA formatting.
4. When proposing that you will be doing an action (like in your methodology) if your proposal is accepted, speak in the future tense.
5. Use Level 1 APA headings to differentiate between sections.
6. Your abstract should be a 150-250 word summary of what sections and topics are contained in your research proposal; avoid arguing your case there. Your abstract should be a scientific description of the parts of your proposal and what purpose they serve in the context of your proposal.
7. Remember that the introduction of your literature review is not the same as the introduction overall—the overall introduction usually focuses on the topic and segues into introducing the research hypothesis or question, which is typically the last sentence of the introduction.
8. In your conclusion, summarize your main ideas and emphasize the importance and future
helpfulness of what you are doing.
9. Remember to look over the comments your instructor has made on your other related assignments and be sure to update sections of your research proposal for this assignment.
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Mental Health Support in Schools

Additional Suggestions:
1. Keep your audience in mind throughout. While your professor will grade your essay, remember that your audience will likely be someone who can grant money to support your research. Assume that person, committee, or organization is somewhat interested in your research topic. How can you show them that your plan to study it is a good one that deserves financial support? It will be easier to convince them if you can show you’ve done your research, your reasons for studying this topic line up with theirs, and your
plan to study it will be effective.
2. Once you have put together all the pieces, read through your proposal several times to make sure that tone, ideas, and arguments stay consistent throughout. You’ve sorted out the puzzle pieces, but you need to make sure they all fit.