Educators have limited knowledge of youth mental health disorders, treatment, and school-based supportive strategies. Mental health literacy (MHL) interventions are designed to promote educator understanding of youth mental health. The Go-To Educator Training is a MHL intervention developed for educators. The current study extended research on the…

Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

Youth mental health concerns, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, are a global public health concern. These concerns inevitably manifest in school settings, where K-12 youth are spending significant portions of their time. While schools, districts, and state and federal policies are working to expand mental health support in school settings, school…

This study explored the issues surrounding adolescent sleep (middle school students in grades 7-8) in a suburban school district in Columbus, Ohio. This study assessed the effects of a KidsHealth.org sleep education program through middle school physical education class to potentially improve daytime sleepiness as measured by the Epworth…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of an online mental health literacy curriculum for K-12. In addition, the study established the next steps for professional development concerning mental health literacy for staff based on the findings. This study was guided by research questions: 1. How much knowledge has been gained…

Extensive research has examined the relationship between classroom-based physical activity and academic achievement. The literature presents mixed results when examining the effect that physical activity has on academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of classroom-based "Take 10!" physical activity…

In the US, the presence of a lifetime diagnosis of either depression or anxiety rose from 5.4% in 2003 to 8.4% in 2012 in children aged 6-17 years (Bitsko et al., 2018) and by 2016, 16.5% had at least one mental health disorder including depression or anxiety (Whitney & Peterson, 2019). Children and adolescents exposed to adverse childhood…

This dissertation aims to elucidate that current school-based mental health services need a more LGBTQI+ affirmative stance to counter and disrupt the heteronormativity, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia that LGBTQI+ students regularly encounter at school. Many LGBTQI+ students continue to be harassed, bullied, and discriminated against;…

What is the relationship between school poverty and school suspension rates and to what extent do prevention programming and school bonding lower the suspension risk for students in high poverty schools? The present study examined the association between school level poverty and suspension rates in addition to investigating whether prevention…

The purpose of this research is to understand the meanings and perceptions that families, teachers, and school-based service providers on the Westside in Syracuse, New York ascribe to school-based mental health services. The Westside is an economically disadvantaged and under-resourced neighborhood where children experience a great deal of stress…

This study investigated the demographic profiles of middle school students receiving either singular school-based mental health services or bundled school-based mental health services in conjunction with school counseling services. Demographic variables collected for this study characterize students attending six intermediate or middle-schools,…