Thesis (D.N.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

This study explored NCAA athletic departments' mental health screening practices, including the mental health concerns assessed for by the mental health screening, personnel responsible for administering and reviewing screeners, and resources available for athletes identified as "at risk." Participants were athletic department staff who had knowledge of their school's mental health screening processes. Frequencies and chi-square analyses were used to assess trends across divisional levels (DI vs. DII/DIII). Analyses show that significantly more DI than DII/DDIII institutions have a formal mental health screening program. Institutions' coverage of mental health topics in their screening did not vary significantly by Divisional level, with one exception: a larger percentage of DI institutions assessed whether student athletes had worked with a mental health practitioner than DII/DIII schools. DII/III were significantly more likely to have athletic trainers both administer and review mental health screeners and DI institutions were significantly more likely to have a sport psychologist employed within their athletic department than. DI schools were significantly more likely to have had a student athlete attempt suicide and participate in inpatient treatment than DII/III schools. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

It is generally reported that around one in 10 children in the UK today suffer from some kind of mental health problem. It is of course compulsory for all children between the ages of five and 16 to partake in a certain amount of education, which in the vast majority of cases means school. Head teachers are statutorily obliged to safeguard the children in their care, which also means addressing their physical and mental health. Therefore schools are growing in their importance as sites of mental health care interventions. There is little or no published research which explores the phenomenon of on site mental health provision from the perspective of the head teachers, in terms of how it impacts them. For this study, five head teachers of mixed sex primary schools were interviewed about the mental health service that they had commissioned for their school. All five participants employed the same service. Using the interpretive phenomenological approach to analyse these interviews, five major themes were discovered: ambivalence towards the mental health service; mixed feelings towards mental health issues; that the mental health service helped alleviate heads’ sense of anxiety; the paradoxical nature of head teachers’ intersubjective experience; and that while head teachers like to describe themselves as part of a collective identity, they locate themselves as individuals when they feel the need to assert power. It is hoped that these findings might aid providers of mental health services to schools and children by providing a more sophisticated understanding both of head teachers’, and therefore commissioners’, anxieties and positive feelings about such services.

No description available.

The purpose of this participatory research was to gain the perspective from the youth of a plains tribe Native American community about their concept of mental health and wellness, and to discover how youth participants related these ideas and narratives to their life processes and experiences. This study also investigated the methodological use of participatory photo-elicitation for talking about mental health and using grounded research theory to explore what types of themes and testimony are most common. This participatory research was done in partnership with an American Indian-operated health promotion and disease prevention program that is tackling inequity in mental health youth outcomes. Forty-one children ages 9 to 17 participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured one-one-one interviews using the participatory photo-elicitation method generated conversation and formed the basis of the raw data. Grounded theory was employed in both data collection and analysis. A “zig-zag” pattern of data collection defined basic subgroups of children by age, allowing for a saturation of themes. The five major themes that emerged were: strategies for mental health, ecology and mental health, identity and mental health, social support/loss of social support and mental health, and, ambivalent feelings/thoughts about mental health. Categories within themes held across the three age groups and overlapping themes held theoretical importance. Photo-creation followed by photo-elicitation resulted in a rich relay of diverse testimony including literal translation, metaphor, analogy, shadowed data, and personally recounted lived experiences, often shared via expository dialogue. The saturation of themes showed fidelity to developmental groupings. Identity, particularly Native identity overlapped with themes of strategy and ecology. This study heightens awareness that most older children in this sample identified loss of a loved one as part of their lived experience of mental health. A majority of children spoke of mental health and wellness strategies that included finding balance, healing, seeking social support and inhabiting at least one positive ecology. Finally, many children related their concept of mental health to their natural surroundings and the sky. Some children used visual and verbal metaphors such as the medicine wheel, a Native quilt, the undulation of a landscape, and the tipi to help describe their concept of mental health and wellness.

Children go to school for approximately 32 hours each week of an academic year. Many children who are in need of mental health treatment do not get the services they need because of barriers such as lack of access and stigma. Teachers are one of the primary sources of referrals for children's mental health services, and they often make referrals based on their perceptions of their students' mental health needs. Although teachers are typically the primary source of referrals for mental health services, they usually do not have any specialized mental health training. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the perceived needs of teachers' in Title I schools on what is needed to help their students with emotional and behavioral problems. This research study was framed by Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model, which provides one framework for research and practice of school-based mental health. Bronfenbrenner's theory explains the impact of a child's interrelations with classmates, peers, parents, community, and society upon his or her development, particularly his or her mental health. Data was collected from audiotaped face-to-face interviews with 12 Title I elementary teachers. The interviews were then transcribed, coded, and several themes were identified. Relevant themes included the school's role in mental health, the school's current plan to help children, quality of mental health services, barriers to services, supports at school for mental health; reasons for referrals, administration training and classes on mental health, behavioral management systems, and changes to classrooms that will benefit children with mental health problems. Teachers are on frontlines everyday with students and should have all the training that's needed to help their students be successful.

The purpose of this research study was to explore Mexican women’s perceptions about utilizing mental health services and to explore the barriers encountered during the process. Previous research suggested Mexican women’s diverse experiences when seeking and utilizing mental health services. The study used a qualitative approach with open-ended and closed-ended questions. The sample size of this study was fifteen individuals who self-identified as Mexican women who reside in Southern California recruited using a snowball approach. Major themes identified included Mexican family values and beliefs, cultural barriers, structural barriers, Mexican women’s strengths, and community suggestions for social work practice. This study highlighted their perspective on mental health, cultural and structural barriers, their personal experiences of utilizing mental health services, techniques on managing difficult situations, support systems, identified mental health symptoms, coping methods, cultural values and suggestions to improve mental health services in the general Latino community.

Research shows that a considerable number of children and adolescents suffer needlessly from psychological problems and only about 50% of those receive the necessary services. Considering the impact of untreated child psychological problems on problems in adulthood, it is important to examine the influence of attitudes on seeking mental health service for children. Currently, no known measure exists to measure attitudes toward mental health services for children. Building on previous research, the goal of the present study was to develop a measure of individuals' attitudes toward mental health services for children. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor structure was assessed using a sample of university students (N = 250). In addition, several hypotheses were tested examining the influence of previous experience with mental health services on attitudes towards psychological services and mental health stigma. Finally, differences in child characteristics on intended help-seeking were examined. The measure developed consists of 26-items scored from 0 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Overall, results indicated that the 3-factor structure of the measure developed was valid and reliable. Also, consistent with previous research on mental health services results supported the hypotheses of the current study. Future research will examine whether the 3-factor structure is replicated using a sample of parents.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-167).