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Secondary school professionals' ability to identify depression in adolescents
J W Maag1, R B Rutherford, B T Parks
1Department of Special Education, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287.
Adolescence
|January 1, 1988
Summary
School personnel must identify adolescent depression, a concern linked to suicide. Guidance counselors showed the most knowledge in identifying depression characteristics, while teachers need more training.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Education
- Public Health
Background:
- Adolescent depression is a significant concern in secondary schools.
- Depression is a leading risk factor for adolescent suicide, the second leading cause of death in this age group.
- Effective identification of depression symptoms by school personnel is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the ability of regular classroom teachers, guidance counselors, and special education teachers to identify characteristics of adolescent depression.
- To compare the knowledge levels of different school staff regarding adolescent depression indicators.
Main Methods:
- A study was conducted to assess the identification skills of various school personnel.
- Data was collected from regular classroom teachers, guidance counselors, and special education teachers.
Main Results:
- Guidance counselors demonstrated the highest proficiency in identifying adolescent depression characteristics.
- Regular classroom teachers and special education teachers showed a lesser, though present, ability to identify these characteristics.
- A disparity in knowledge exists among different school staff roles.
Conclusions:
- Guidance counselors are better equipped to identify adolescent depression than teachers.
- There is a need for enhanced training and evaluation strategies for teachers regarding adolescent depression.
- Improving early identification of depression in schools is essential for suicide prevention efforts.