IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v178y2025ics0190740925004207.html

Challenges in school-based mental health service utilization: a qualitative study with school social workers

Author

Listed:
  • Murphy, Jennifer
  • Craft, Kaija
  • Kim, Youngmi

Abstract

Rates of depression and anxiety among adolescents are particularly of growing concern, as they have been increasing over the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in mental health needs among adolescents, with leading pediatric health teams declaring a national emergency in adolescent mental health. Schools have become a primary access point for mental health services to cover the gap between need and service utilization that has long existed, particularly among vulnerable populations. This study aimed to explore student utilization of school-based mental health services from the perspective of school social workers. Primary data collected from focus groups with school social workers conducted in October 2022. The sample included school social workers in Virginia working in middle and/or high schools (N = 16). Braun and Clarke’s six steps were used to conduct thematic analysis. The primary themes were: a) awareness/understanding of the role of school social workers among school staff and administration, as well as students and families, b) mental health stigma, c) challenges in coordination of services, and c) perceived mental health needs among adolescent students. The current study reveals important information regarding barriers to school-based mental health service utilization from the perspective of school social workers. This study can support future efforts and interventions by schools and school-based mental health professionals to better collaborate and work together to ensure effective, sustainable, and culturally responsive services for their students.

Suggested Citation

  • Murphy, Jennifer & Craft, Kaija & Kim, Youngmi, 2025. "Challenges in school-based mental health service utilization: a qualitative study with school social workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:178:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925004207
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108537
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925004207
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108537?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bennouna, Cyril & Khauli, Nicole & Basir, Mashal & Allaf, Carine & Wessells, Michael & Stark, Lindsay, 2019. "School-based programs for Supporting the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of adolescent forced migrants in high-income countries: A scoping review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    2. Anne Richter & My Sjunnestrand & Maria Romare Strandh & Henna Hasson, 2022. "Implementing School-Based Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review of the Literature Summarizing the Factors That Affect Implementation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-30, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Claudia Meroni & Veronica Velasco, 2023. "School-Based Interventions for Migrant Students in the Framework of the Health Promoting Whole-School Approach: An Umbrella Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-29, January.
    2. Childress, S. & Shrestha, N. & Russ, S. & Berge, J. & Roy, K. & Lewin, A. & Perez-Brena, N. & Feinberg, M. & Halfon, N., 2025. "A qualitative study of adaptation challenges of Ukrainian refugees in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    3. Qushua, Najat & Smith-Appelson, Jesse & Sarraf, Danielle & Stark, Lindsay & Seff, Ilana, 2023. "Seeking approval first: Mental health care utilization and engagements among MENA adolescents in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Häggström, Felix & Borsch, Anne Sofie & Skovdal, Morten, 2020. "Caring alone: The boundaries of teachers' ethics of care for newly arrived immigrant and refugee learners in Denmark," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    5. Kirsi Peltonen & Sanni Aalto & Mervi Vänskä & Riina Lepistö & Raija-Leena Punamäki & Emma Soye & Charles Watters & Lutine de Wal Pastoor & Ilse Derluyn & Reeta Kankaanpää, 2022. "Effectiveness of Promotive and Preventive Psychosocial Interventions on Improving the Mental Health of Finnish-Born and Immigrant Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-20, March.
    6. Kim, Taehoon & Kim, Jinho, 2020. "Linking adolescent future expectations to health in adulthood: Evidence and mechanisms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    7. Yılmaz, İrem Sevi & Yılmaz-Özdemir, İrem & Woodhead, Charlotte, 2025. "Examining factors influencing forcibly displaced children and youth’s access to mental health support: An overview of reviews," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    8. Lin, Yi-Chun & Yu, Ming-Miin, 2025. "Evaluating the efficiency of Taiwan's compulsory education system: A dynamic network DEA approach incorporating dropout impacts," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    9. Jiyoon Han, 2023. "Evaluation of Mental Health in Educational Institutions: A Theoretical Overview of Systematic Implementation in Schools," RAIS Conference Proceedings 2022-2025 0304, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.
    10. Borsch, Anne Sofie & Verelst, An & Jervelund, Signe Smith & Derluyn, Ilse & Skovdal, Morten, 2023. "Understanding interventions as social practices: How a school-based mental health intervention for migrant adolescents in Denmark interacted with context," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:178:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925004207. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.