Assessing Self-Efficacy to Address Student Mental Health Needs Among Public School Educators: Implications for School Social Work

Background and Purpose: Despite a high prevalence of mental illness among US children, only a half of children with identified mental health needs receive timely treatment. Children in rural areas are at an even greater disadvantage in accessing needed mental health care. Schools can provide an ideal point of entry for children’s mental health care given the significant amount of time that they spend in school and the mandatory attendance policy requiring their attendance. Therefore, the role of educators has been increasingly emphasized in early identification of students with mental health issues and connecting them with appropriate care in a timely manner. However, little is known about educators’ level of confidence in addressing students’ mental health concerns.  To that end, the present study examined urban, suburban, and rural educators’ levels of exposure to mental health training and its relationship with their self-reported confidence in acting as mental health gatekeepers in schools.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to educators statewide in February 2015. Total 786 surveys were completed. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the sample characteristics and the participants’ level of exposure to mental health training. Additionally, MANOVA was conducted to examine the relationship between level of exposure to mental health training and the ability to act as mental health gatekeepers as measured by participants’ self-reported level of confidence in 1) identifying signs of students’ mental health issues; 2) making referrals to school-employed mental health professionals, and 3) making referrals to community mental health professionals.

Results: A majority of participants were female (81%) and non-Hispanic White (92%) consistent with statewide educator demographics. Participants reported serving elementary (55%), middle (30%) and high schools (31%), with 46% serving schools in rural areas. Only 37% agreed or strongly agreed that they had received adequate mental health training. Over 80% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they were interested in receiving further professional development in order to better meet the needs of students with mental health issues. The MANOVA results indicated that educators who reported having received mental health training were significantly more likely to report a higher level of confidence in acting as mental health gatekeepers [F (6, 1416) = 50.213, p < .001; Pillai’s Trace = 0.351, partial η²= .18]. Univariate ANOVA results indicated a significant difference across all three dependent variables based on the level of exposure to mental health training.

Conclusions and Implications: Studies have shown that mental health literacy training for educators may enhance their capacity to act as mental health gatekeepers in school. The results of this investigation support the need for increased mental health training opportunities for educators to enhance their knowledge of mental health and their ability to effectively address mental health needs among students. This training may be particularly important to increase the access to quality mental health care for children in rural areas by enhancing educators’ capacity to intervene effectively. Recommendations for this training will be discussed.