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Parents’ Barriers to Using School Psychology Services for Their Child’s Mental Health Problems

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Abstract

School psychologists are in a key position to be able to address children’s mental health problems, and current models emphasise service provision that collaborates between communities, families, and schools. Thus, it is important to determine what barriers, if any, parents perceive in seeking help from school psychologists when they have a mental health concern for their child. This study aimed to determine: (1) the types of barriers that parents report to engaging in services with school psychologists and (2) the relative frequencies of these barriers. Participants were parents with (n = 100) and without (n = 154) concerns about their child’s emotional well-being or behaviour. For parents with concerns, 26 % had engaged in school psychology services in the past year; 73 of the remaining 74 reported barriers to seeking school psychology care despite their concerns about their child. The majority of parents without concerns (about 80 %) also reported barriers to using school psychology care should they need to. Reported barriers were similar for both groups, with just four categories accounting for the majority of barriers: stigma, lack of school resources, perceptions that school psychology is ineffective, and concerns about lack of confidentiality. For parents reporting no barriers, a strong positive relationship with school staff was key. Specific strategies for school psychology to address these barriers are suggested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Jeneva L. Ohan, Rebecca J. Seward & Donna M. Bayliss

  2. School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, The University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Helen M. Stallman

  3. School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, McElwain Bldg, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Matthew R. Sanders

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  1. Jeneva L. Ohan
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  2. Rebecca J. Seward
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  3. Helen M. Stallman
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  4. Donna M. Bayliss
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  5. Matthew R. Sanders
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Correspondence to Jeneva L. Ohan.

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Ohan, J.L., Seward, R.J., Stallman, H. et al. Parents’ Barriers to Using School Psychology Services for Their Child’s Mental Health Problems. School Mental Health 7, 287–297 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-015-9152-1

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