School-related and social-emotional outcomes of providing mental health services in schools.

摘要

This study evaluated student outcomes of an Expanded School Mental Health (ESMH) model that placed community mental health clinicians on-site at 7 schools in a school district. For Part I of this study, school-related outcomes (suspension rates, attendance rates, and academic achievement scores) for those students who received ESMH treatment (n=159) were compared to a matched high-risk sample (n=148) that did not receive such services. Results demonstrated small differences between groups over time on measures of suspensions and attendance but not academic achievement. Part II of this study evaluated change in social-emotional functioning (SDQ scores) over time for the treatment group. Results indicated significant improvements on several parent and teacher ratings after treatment. Despite limitations of the ESMH framework examined in this study, the overall results show some promising outcomes for students who participated in ESMH services.