Primary school-based screening for childhood mental health problems and intervention delivery: a qualitative study of parents in challenging circumstances

Victoria Williamson; Michael Larkin; Tessa Reardon; Tamsin Ford; Susan H. Spence; Fran Morgan; Creswell Cathy

doi:10.1080/13632752.2022.2122285

Primary school-based screening for childhood mental health problems and intervention delivery: a qualitative study of parents in challenging circumstances

Victoria Williamson
, Michael Larkin
, Tessa Reardon
, Tamsin Ford
, Susan H. Spence
, Fran Morgan
, Creswell Cathy

Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Ln, Headington, Oxford
University of Cambridge
School of Applied Psychology and Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Panama, Australia
Square Peg (Team Square Peg CIC) , London , UK
Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK

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3 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Few children with mental health problems access evidence-based interventions. Primary schools may be an ideal setting to improve access to treatment through screening and intervention programmes, but some families’ circumstances and experiences may increase barriers to benefiting from this approach. Interviews were carried out with parents of children living in potentially challenging circumstances, including foster and military-connected families. We aimed to explore parent perceptions of a school-based screening/intervention programme and potential barriers to uptake. Parents described that due to their past experiences, that they might not trust or engage with a school-based screening/intervention. Nonetheless, parents considered that the delivery of a sensitive school screening/intervention programme might provide an opportunity for schools to strengthen their relationship with families. These findings highlight the need for future school-based screening/intervention programmes for child mental health to consider the needs of families of children from varied circumstances, and ensure steps are taken to promote trust.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	267-279
Number of pages	13
Journal	Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
Volume	27
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2022.2122285
Publication status	Published - 31 Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
This paper represents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and hosted by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (NIHR; RP-PG-0218-20010). CC was supported by the Oxford and Thames Valley NIHR Applied Research Collaboration. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Keywords

Mental health
child
intervention
parent
school
screening

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10.1080/13632752.2022.2122285Licence: CC BY 4.0

Williamsonetal_2022_VoR
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Final published version, 695 KBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

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abstract = "Few children with mental health problems access evidence-based interventions. Primary schools may be an ideal setting to improve access to treatment through screening and intervention programmes, but some families{\textquoteright} circumstances and experiences may increase barriers to benefiting from this approach. Interviews were carried out with parents of children living in potentially challenging circumstances, including foster and military-connected families. We aimed to explore parent perceptions of a school-based screening/intervention programme and potential barriers to uptake. Parents described that due to their past experiences, that they might not trust or engage with a school-based screening/intervention. Nonetheless, parents considered that the delivery of a sensitive school screening/intervention programme might provide an opportunity for schools to strengthen their relationship with families. These findings highlight the need for future school-based screening/intervention programmes for child mental health to consider the needs of families of children from varied circumstances, and ensure steps are taken to promote trust.",

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Primary school-based screening for childhood mental health problems and intervention delivery: a qualitative study of parents in challenging circumstances. / Williamson, Victoria; Larkin, Michael; Reardon, Tessa et al.
In: Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, Vol. 27, No. 4, 31.10.2022, p. 267-279.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Primary school-based screening for childhood mental health problems and intervention delivery: a qualitative study of parents in challenging circumstances

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