Social justice-centered training has progressed in school psychology, yet training and practice still do not adequately address systems-level influences on mental health, let alone focus on dismantling the systemic inequities that adversely affect the wellbeing of marginalized children and youth. An equity- and intersectional justice-minded…

Research on the growth mindset interventions (GMIs) on nonacademic outcomes is burgeoning. The present systematic review aims to evaluate the effects of GMIs on social-emotional outcomes among school-aged children and adolescents. Using the PRIMSA guidelines, our search across three electronic databases (PsycINFO, ERIC, and PubMed) yielded an…

When the COVID-19 pandemic closed in-person schools in March 2020, SOS Signs of Suicide shifted to a virtual program. This paper describes an evaluation of the acceptability of the online program by middle and high school students (N = 1196). Students generally responded favorably to virtual SOS. Although some were unsure, of those with an…

There has been significant progress in our understanding of school-based social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) assessments since the last special issue on this topic a decade ago. This commentary provides a discussion of how each of the articles exemplifies the progress that has been made to advance the science of SEB assessment within…

In the United States, schools provide a large portion of child and adolescent mental health services; however, systems are restricted by resource and workforce shortages while the need for services steadily increases. This discrepancy leads to unmanageable caseloads for providers and reduced access to quality services for youth, and highlights a…

Threat assessment involves evaluating and intervening with individuals who make threats of violence. This study examined the resulting actions and outcomes of threat assessment cases in three Colorado school districts. A particular focus of the study was on potential disparities. The sample consisted of 253 threat assessment cases reported by…

We investigated characteristics of school-based mental health screening using multiple-gating (MG) approaches through a systematic review of the literature and proportional meta-analyses of screening participation and risk identification. The main analyses included 38 studies conducted in the United States. Pooled estimates indicate that…

Mental health literacy (MHL) encompasses understanding mental health and learning how to obtain and maintain good mental health. Increasing MHL may increase help-seeking behaviors and positive mental health. This study aimed to identify school-based MHL interventions for children/youth using a scoping review methodology following the Johanna…

School-based mental health professionals, including school psychologists, counselors, and social workers are critical to appropriate mental health services to youth in schools. However, the vast majority of states are chronically underserved by these professionals, despite policies that attempt to rectify the shortages. In this paper, we document…

This short-term longitudinal study aims to expand our understanding of the role of peer victimization, student-level perceived school climate, covitality, and mental health difficulties among 897 Chinese elementary school students (3rd to 6th graders, M[subscript age] = 9.91 years, SD = 1.16 years, 57.44% boys). Results of the latent-moderated…

Universal screening of students is increasing as programs are implemented for improving social emotional learning (SEL) skills. Assessments used to conduct SEL screenings focus on social emotional strengths; however, such assessments can provide a broader characterization of students' wellbeing by concurrently screening for emotional behavior…

Adolescent hospitalizations for suicide-related behaviors have increased in recent years, with the highest rates occurring during the academic school year. Schools are a primary environment that adolescents return to following hospitalization, making them an important context for understanding recovery following a suicidal crisis. Although…

A limited number of findings from empirical studies show that biracial adolescents are at a heightened risk of peer victimization. Black/White biracial adolescents are frequent targets of peer victimization due to racism and systematic oppression that are inherent in U.S. schools. Similar to adolescents of other racial and ethnic groups, biracial…

Youth suicide is an urgent public health problem. However, schools often lack standardized protocols for suicide intervention, and many school-based mental health professionals are not prepared adequately to assess and respond to students at risk for suicide. This paper describes a professional development workshop, Helping Students At-Risk for…

Racial discrimination and the COVID-19 pandemic are important risk factors for negative mental health outcomes in children and adolescents, but few studies have examined the relation between these exposures and posttraumatic stress (PTS) in middle school students. The current study evaluated the association between pandemic exposure and perceived…