ERIC Number: EJ1454806
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1932-5037
EISSN: EISSN-2168-3751
Mental Health Literacy of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Team Members
American Journal of Health Education, v56 n1 p36-45 2025
Background: School-based mental health services, particularly when integrated into multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), offer an evidence-based strategy for primary and secondary prevention and targeted intervention for students' mental health challenges. Team-based decision-making is at the center of successful MTSS, but the mental health literacy of school staff on these teams is unknown. Purpose: The current study aims to describe the state of MTSS team members' mental health literacy and evaluate how mental health literacy components are related to one another. Methods: We measured the mental health literacy of MTSS team members (N = 58; 59% White; 92% female) from nine elementary schools, including their understanding of students' mental health in the school context and their willingness to promote it. Results: MTSS team members reported more positive than negative mental health literacy, and mental health literacy constructs were predictably and positively interrelated. Discussion: Overall, the group appeared to favor approaches aligned with school-based mental health and social, emotional, and behavioral MTSS. Future research should replicate study results with a larger sample in order to increase the precision of the estimates and confirm the pattern of findings. Translation to Health Education Practice: MTSS team members typically demonstrate an understanding of students' underlying mental health needs in the context of school and a personal and organizational willingness to address those needs. Staff training and system-level changes would likely further improve mental health literacy, with anticipated positive impacts on school-based mental health and MTSS outcomes.
Descriptors: Mental Health, Multiple Literacies, Teamwork, Multi Tiered Systems of Support, School Health Services, Knowledge Level, Elementary Schools, Elementary School Students, Attitudes, Behavior Problems, Responses, Empathy, Mental Disorders, School Personnel
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A