Poll: Less than half of US adults believe school staff have mental health training
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Key takeaways:
- A survey found that 45% of Americans believe that most school staff have received mental health training.
- School staff can play a crucial role in helping students who are struggling with their mental health.
Despite widespread support for mental health training in schools, less than half of Americans believe most school staff have received it, according to the results of a recent poll by the American Psychiatric Association.
“While 84% of Americans think school staff can play a vital role in identifying signs that a student might be struggling with their mental health, less than half of those polled — 45% — believe school staff have been trained in identifying these concerns,” Vedrana Hodzic, MD, director of fellowships and medical education at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, told Healio.
Additionally, 89% of U.S. adults surveyed said it is important for students to be educated in school about mental health and for school staff to participate in mental health trainings.
The poll, fielded by Morning Consult on July 22, included 2,223 adults. Among them, 45% think they should discuss mental health more with their children and 77% would be comfortable referring their child to mental health services if they noticed a concerning behavior change.
Survey respondents also listed issues they believe are negatively affecting K-12 students, which included bullying and cyberbullying (42%), mental health (32%) and social media (30%).
To address these concerns, the APA Foundation recently implemented Notice. Talk. Act. at School, a free training program for K-12 school staff that “equips them to talk to students about what they notice and provides direction to take action to connect the student to resources and mental health services,” Hodzic said.
“Psychiatrists and parents can work together to make sure programs like APA Foundation’s Notice. Talk. Act. at School are available in schools,” she added. “Noticing the signs that a student is struggling can ensure that they get the help they need quickly.”