Teacher and School Characteristics Associated with the Identification and Referral of Adolescent Depression and Oppositional Defiant Disorders by U.S. Teachers

Teachers contribute to the process of identifying and referring students for mental health services, however, relatively little is known about how they make those decisions and how decision-making differs across school contexts. This study used a vignette-based method to investigate individual and school contextual factors associated with the likelihood that teachers identify and refer students for mental health services. Teachers were recruited from public middle and high schools across the U.S. using a stratified random sampling strategy. Teachers (N = 462) responded to vignettes by indicating their concern for students, as well as their likelihood of providing mental health referrals. Vignettes varied by problem type (depression, oppositional defiant disorder), problem severity (moderate, severe), and student gender (male, female). Data on school characteristics were extracted from the U.S. Department of Education database. Regression models indicated several significant associations of teacher demographic characteristics and school characteristics with vignette ratings. For example, female teachers were more likely than males to rate vignettes as concerning, and middle school teachers were more likely than high school teachers to indicate they would refer students for mental health services. Teachers in schools with a higher proportion of Black students rated depression vignettes as less serious and indicated they were less likely to refer students for mental health services than teachers in majority white schools. Results suggest school characteristics may contribute to established disparities in mental health service access. Findings have implications for targeting mental health supports in schools. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12310-021-09491-1.