Impact of a School-Based Mental Health Program on Academic Outcomes
David J Cipriano1, Samuel A Maurice2
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dcipriano@mcw.edu.
Background:
Academic achievement is an important indicator of a child's functioning and is inextricably linked with mental health. Prevalence rates of mental illness among children are alarmingly high, while relatively few receive treatment. Increasing accessibility to appropriate care is a major objective of school-based mental health programs. Providing mental health care in the schools should result in improved accessibility to care, decreased distress, and improved academic outcomes.
Methods:
We followed 465 children in a large, urban school district who had been referred for school-based mental health services across 1 academic year. Outcomes including attendance, office disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and academic achievement were collected.
Results:
Participation in school-based mental health was associated with lower rates of suspensions and higher math achievement scores. Dose-dependent relationships were found for attendance and suspensions.
Conclusions:
School-based mental health care may improve access to treatment, thereby addressing health care inequities, and was associated with improvement in academic achievement and school-related behaviors.
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