Collaborating to support school reintegration following suicide-related crises: Voices from the field.

Adolescent psychiatric hospitalization for suicide-related crises continues to rise. Although previous reviews have identified frameworks for supporting youth as they return to school settings, there is a need to identify and address barriers to collaboration across hospitals and schools. This qualitative study explored school and hospital professional perspectives to inform a pathway toward partnership for improving practices for school reintegration. As part of a larger project that has been developing guidelines for adolescent school reintegration following psychiatric hospitalization for suicide-related crises, the present study explored professional perceptions of (a) school interactions during hospital stays and (b) recommendations for adolescents, families, school professionals, and hospital professionals. We conducted in-depth interviews with 19 school professionals and seven hospital professionals and analyzed transcribed interviews using Applied Thematic Analysis. Communication and collaboration emerged as cross-cutting themes across research questions, with additional themes considered across a continuum of care. Findings inform the ways in which professionals can collaborate to support adolescent recovery, spanning universal approaches implemented in advance of a crisis to approaches enacted during and following psychiatric care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Short Research Article: RESEED - the perceived impact of an enhanced usual care model of a novel, teacher-led, task-shifting initiative for child mental health.

BACKGROUND: Task-shifted, teacher-led care may begin to bridge the child mental health care gap in low- and middle-income countries by improving mental health literacy. We explore the perceived impact of RESEED (Responding to Students' Emotions through Education), an abbreviated version of Tealeaf (Teachers Leading the Frontlines). METHODS: After classroom implementation of tools from a 3-day training on child mental health and cognitive behavioral techniques in Darjeeling, India, 29 teachers participated in focus group discussions (FGDs). RESULTS: Inductive content analyses of FGDs demonstrated RESEED's acceptability, positive overall impact, and barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Stepped levels of teacher-led care may support child mental health in resource-limited settings through mental reframing.

Caregiver Experiences of Adolescent School Reentry After Adolescent Hospitalization Due to Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: Recommendations to Improve Reentry Practices.

BACKGROUND: Suicide rates among adolescents increased over the past few decades. Following psychiatric hospitalization, many adolescents return to school, a context that can influence recovery. Families can play an integral role in supporting adolescents through the hospitalization and school reentry process; however, little research has focused on family experiences during adolescent school reentry. Grounded in ecological systems theory, the aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of caregivers whose children were hospitalized for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and provide recommendations for the school reentry process. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers (n = 19) whose adolescents returned to school following hospitalization for suicide-related crises. Researchers analyzed the transcribed interviews using applied thematic analysis. RESULTS: Themes emerged regarding academic difficulties during hospitalization; breakdowns in communication between schools, families, and hospitals; logistical challenges during the school reentry planning process; and challenges navigating peer relationships and academics following school reentry. IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: Few reentry recommendations account for the specific challenges faced by families. Recommendations informed by caregiver experiences are needed to ensure that families can effectively support the recoveries of their children. This study presents caregiver-informed recommendations to facilitate an improved reentry process for caregivers and adolescents.

Teacher, caregiver, and student acceptability of teachers delivering task-shifted mental health care to students in Darjeeling, India: a mixed methods pilot study.

Background: The acceptability of teachers delivering task-shifted mental health care to their school-aged students is understudied. Here, we evaluate teachers', students', and caregivers' acceptability of Tealeaf (Teachers Leading the Frontlines), an alternative system of care in which teachers are trained and supervised to deliver transdiagnostic, non-manualized task-shifted care to their students. Methods: In a 2019 single-arm, mixed methods, pragmatic acceptability pilot study in Darjeeling, India, 13 teachers delivered task-shifted child mental health care to 26 students in need. Teachers delivered care through using a transdiagnostic, non-manualized therapy modality, "education as mental health therapy" (Ed-MH). Measured with validated scales, teachers' and students' acceptability were compared after teacher training (PRE) and at the end of intervention (POST) using paired t tests. Teachers (n = 7), students (n = 7), and caregivers (n = 7) completed semi-structured interviews POST. Results: Teachers' quantitative measures indicated moderate acceptability PRE and POST and did not change PRE to POST. Children's measures showed acceptability PRE and POST but decreased PRE to POST. Teachers and caregivers universally expressed acceptability in interviews. Facilitators of acceptability included impact, trust of teachers, and teachers' ability to make adaptations. Conditions required for acceptability included supervision and teachers emphasizing academics benefits over mental health benefits to caregivers. Barriers to acceptability included a lack of teacher time and stigma. Interviewed students universally were unaware of receiving care; teachers intentionally avoided singling them out. Conclusion: Teachers, caregivers, and children found teacher delivering task-shifted care acceptable, a key factor in care adoption and sustainability, though interviewed children were unaware of receiving care.Trial registration The trial was registered on January 01, 2018 with Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI), Reg. No. CTRI/2018/01/011471, Ref. No. REF/2017/11/015895. http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pdf_generate.php?trialid=21129&EncHid=&modid=&compid=%27,%2721129det%27. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44192-022-00024-z.

Adolescent, parent, and provider perspectives on school-related influences of mental health in adolescents with suicide-related thoughts and behaviors.

Previous research supports a link between school-related factors, such as bullying and school connectedness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. To deepen understanding of how school experiences may function as both protective and risk factors for youth struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, this qualitative study explored multiple perspectives. Specifically, in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescents previously hospitalized for a suicidal crisis (n = 19), their parents (n = 19), and the professionals they may interact with in schools and hospitals (i.e., school professionals [n = 19] and hospital providers [n = 7]). Data were analyzed using applied thematic analysis revealing three main themes related to perceptions of how school experiences can positively or negatively impact mental health, including (a) school activities, (b) school social experiences, and (c) school interventions. An emergent theme related to the complexity of suicide-related risk identified the ways in which school experiences may intersect with other environmental, biological, and psychological factors. Findings underscore the need for school-based approaches to address the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of students with suicide-related risk that complement the supports and services provided in their home and community.

Exploring Mental Health and Academic Outcomes of Children Receiving Non-manualized, Transdiagnostic, Task-Shifted Mental Health Care From Their Teachers in a Low-and-Middle Income Country.

A majority of children worldwide who face mental health difficulties, especially in low-and-middle income countries, remain undiagnosed and untreated. This deficit roots in part from a lack of trained professionals qualified to provide care. Task-shifting the provision of treatment to teachers, individuals with consistent access to children, can reduce the care gap. The current study investigated whether the implementation of a pilot trial of Tealeaf-Mansik Swastha (Teachers Leading the Frontlines-Mental Health; "Tealeaf") was associated with improvements in child mental health and academic outcomes. Tealeaf is a transdiagnostic, non-manualized, task-shifting intervention in which teachers identify students in need of mental health care and then provide task-shifted care for them using an emerging, novel therapy modality, "education as mental health therapy" (Ed-MH). Pre-post standardized quantitative measures focused on child mental health status and academics. The measures were completed by multiple raters and compared to determine whether changes occurred. Results indicated that primary teacher raters observed significant improvements in child mental health symptoms overall, while secondary teacher raters and caregivers noted improvement for certain diagnostic categories. Caregivers observed on average a decreased impact of their children's mental health symptoms on their children's lives. Academically, math scores significantly improved while reading trended toward significance. Preliminary evidence overall supports the viability of Tealeaf and Ed-MH for positively impacting child mental health and academics. Future directions include the implementation of a formalized, randomized-controlled trial to strengthen preliminary outcomes.

Teacher and caregiver perceptions of family engagement in teacher-led task-shifted child mental health care in a low-and-middle-income country.

The mental health needs of children in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) often go unmet due to a lack of qualified mental health professionals. Task-shifting the provision of mental health services to teachers may facilitate access to care. Family engagement in task-shifting may support mental health outcomes but is understudied in this context. The current study explored teacher and caregiver perceptions of family engagement within a teacher-led, task-shifted mental health intervention in an LMIC. Primary school teachers from five schools in Darjeeling, India delivered evidence-based, indicated mental health care to children with mental health needs throughout the school day. We conducted semi-structured interviews (SSIs) with teachers (n=17) and caregivers (n=21). SSIs were coded for themes related to family engagement. Teachers and caregivers were compared based on perceived levels of engagement. Participants reported three patterns of engagement: families who fully engaged; families who felt positively about teachers but displayed little engagement; and families with limited engagement. Barriers included logistical challenges and misconceptions about the programme. Many teachers implicated family engagement as a facilitator of the programme, suggesting that family involvement may support intervention outcomes. Future work could involve the development of an intervention component to better facilitate engagement in this context.Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registry India identifier: CTRI/2018/01/011471.

The Potential Emergence of "Education as Mental Health Therapy" as a Feasible Form of Teacher-Delivered Child Mental Health Care in a Low and Middle Income Country: A Mixed Methods Pragmatic Pilot Study.

Objective: We assessed task-shifting children's mental health care to teachers as a potential approach to improving access to child mental health care. Methods: In Darjeeling, India, we conducted a single-arm, mixed-methods feasibility study with 19 teachers and 36 children in five rural primary schools to determine whether teachers can deliver transdiagnostic mental health care to select children-in-need with fidelity to protocol, to assess which therapeutic options teachers chose to use within the protocol, and to evaluate for a potential signal of efficacy. Results: Participation rates for intervention activities were >80%. A majority of teachers met or exceeded quality benchmarks for all intervention activities. Teachers chose to deliver teacher-centric techniques, i.e., techniques that only teachers could deliver given their role in the child's life, 80% of the time. Children improved in mental health score percentiles on the Achenbach Teacher Report Form. Key facilitators included the flexibility to adapt intervention activities to their needs, while identified barriers included limited time for care delivery. Conclusion: Findings support the feasibility of task-shifting children's mental health care to classroom teachers in resource-limited schools. Fidelity to protocol appeared feasible, though the freedom to choose and adapt therapeutic techniques may also have enhanced feasibility. Surprisingly, teachers consistently chose to deliver teacher-centric therapeutic techniques that resulted in a potential signal of efficacy. This finding supports the potential emergence of "education as mental health therapy" (Ed-MH) as a new therapy modality. Continued investigation is required to test and refine strategies for involving teachers in the delivery of transdiagnostic mental health care.