MH Services & Predictors of Learning in Urban Schools

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请将研究城市低收入儿童和家庭基于学校的心理健康服务模型，该模型以学校教育对儿童的社会和情感适应至关重要的经验证据为指导，并以学习成绩对儿童心理健康的直接和间接益处为证据。该提议的一个主要假设是，与通常的心理健康服务相比，将心理健康资源用于支持儿童的学习将为儿童带来更强的心理健康结果。该模型建立在nimh资助的一项研究项目的累积证据基础上，该项目以芝加哥市中心的公立学校为基础，社区心理健康提供者与(1)家长倡导者合作，有效地维持家庭参与以学校为基础的心理健康项目；(2)课堂教师合作，提高儿童的学习成绩；(3)同行认同的有影响力的教师（关键意见领袖）合作，影响课堂教师对行为管理策略的使用。本提案复制并扩展了这些合作模式，将重点放在最可靠的教师和家长对学生学习的预测上。该提案还建立在研究小组与伊利诺伊州精神卫生部门和芝加哥公立学校之间正在进行的合作的基础上，为制定与城市学校开展社区精神卫生合作的有效模式的公共政策提供信息。关键研究问题将通过2个条件（实验与比较）X 5个时间点（基线，时间2，时间3，时间4，随访）纵向设计进行检验，随机分配15所学校到43所符合条件的学校中，这些学校具有相似的规模，种族代表性，贫困水平和相邻高贫困社区的成就。473名幼儿园至四年级有一种或多种破坏性行为障碍的儿童（n = 473）将通过教师筛选和后续标准化的家长和教师评分来识别。将随机选择15所学校，并将其分配到常规心理健康服务比较组或实验干预组。在实验干预组中，心理健康提供者（MHPs）将与关键意见领袖（KOL）教师和家长倡导者（pa）合作，就儿童学习目标预测因素的循证策略向儿童课堂教师和家长提供咨询。我们假设，相对于比较地点，实验性学校心理健康干预会导致儿童的学习成绩、家庭行为和学校行为的改善，相对于常规治疗的比较。教师和家长表现对学习预测因子的中介效应将与儿童、家庭和教师特征可能的调节效应一起被检验。该实验模型符合最近对儿童心理健康需求和能力的背景相关理解的呼吁，并响应了在贫困、脆弱和服务不足社区提供心理健康服务的替代模式的需求。-

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application will study a model for school-based mental health services for urban low-income children and families that is guided by empirical evidence for schooling as critical for children's social and emotional adjustment, and by evidence for the direct and indirect benefits of academic achievement for children's mental health. A primary hypothesis of this proposal is that aligning mental health resources to support children's learning will lead to stronger mental health outcomes for children, relative to mental health services as usual. The model builds on cumulative evidence from a program of NIMH-funded research based in inner city Chicago Public Schools in which community mental health providers collaborated with (1) parent advocates to effectively maintain families in a school-based mental health program, (2) classroom teachers to enhance children's academic performance, and (3) peer-identified influential teachers (key opinion leaders) to influence classroom teacher's use of behavior management strategies. This proposal replicates and extends these collaborative models to focus on the most robust teacher and parent predictors of student learning. The proposal also builds on an ongoing collaboration between the research team with the Illinois State Division of Mental Health and the Chicago Public Schools, to inform public policy on the development of effective models for community mental health collaboration with urban schools. The key research questions will be examined by a 2 conditions (Experimental vs. Comparison) X 5 time points (baseline, time 2, time 3, time 4, follow-up) longitudinal design with random assignment of 15 schools to conditions from a pool of 43 eligible schools of similar size, ethnic representation, poverty level, and achievement in adjacent high poverty neighborhoods. Children (n = 473) with one or more Disruptive Behavior Disorder in Kindergarten through 4th grades will be identified by teacher screening and follow-up standardized parent and teacher ratings. Fifteen schools will be randomly selected and assigned to either a comparison mental health services-as-usual condition, or to the experimental intervention condition, in which mental health providers (MHPs) will work in collaboration with key opinion leader (KOL) teachers, and parent advocates (PAs) to provide consultation to children's classroom teachers and parents on evidence-based strategies for targeted predictors of children's learning. It is hypothesized that, relative to comparison sites, the experimental school mental health intervention will lead to improvement in children's academic performance, behavior at home, and behavior at school relative to the treatment-as-usual comparison. Mediational effects of teacher and parent performance on predictors of learning will be examined along with possible moderating effects of child, family, and teacher characteristics. The experimental model is consistent with recent calls for a contextually-relevant understanding of children's mental health needs and capacities, and responds to the need for alternative models for mental health service delivery in impoverished, vulnerable, and under-served communities. -