Examining school health center utilization as a function of mood disturbance and mental health difficulties

We examined the presence and severity of mood disturbance and mental health difficulties as predictors of students' utilization of school health centers.

Mood disturbance and mental health difficulties were assessed through surveys completed at year end. Visits to school health centers were tracked prospectively over the year.

Twenty-three percent of students with mental health difficulties visited the school health centers. Students reporting mood disturbance and difficulties were more likely to use school health centers and to use them more frequently than were students without such difficulties. More than half of all visitors were judged by health clinic staff to be experiencing impairment in functioning and reported difficulties, which typically lasted more than 6 months duration.

Although the presence of mental health difficulties increases the probability of students' visiting school health centers, the majority of students with such difficulties do not avail themselves of this resource. Optimizing the effectiveness of school-based health services depends on understanding the interplay between availability and utilization of school-based services for students with mental health difficulties.