<p>COVID-19 caused considerable disruptions in student mental health, yet little research has explored school psychologists’ experiences during the early months of the pandemic. This study examined the extent to which school-community (e.g., community setting, household income) and personal factors (e.g., degree obtained, years employed) predicted school psychologists’ perceptions of whether they were called on to provide mental health support to students during the first four months of the pandemic. Data from 652 school psychologists were analyzed using hierarchical regression models. The first model assessed school-community and personal factors associated with school psychologists being called on to provide mental health support. The second model examined predictors of whether school psychologists provided mental health support directly to students who had been personally affected by COVID-19 (e.g., illness or loss of a loved one). School-community and personal factors accounted for 6.6% of the variance in whether school psychologists were called on to provide mental health support and 10.1 % of the variance in whether they provided support to students directly affected by COVID-19. Findings revealed that years employed, school psychologist-to-student ratio, and median household income were associated with school psychologists being called on to provide mental health support just four months into the pandemic. Median household income and school psychologist-to-student ratio were associated with whether school psychologists provided mental health support to students directly impacted by the pandemic. These findings highlighted the need for increasing school psychologist-to-student ratios, ongoing crisis training for the field, and identification of underserved populations during global crises.</p>

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What School-Community and Personal Factors were Associated with School Psychologists’ Mental Health Support During the First Four Months of COVID?

  • Gary Edward Schaffer,
  • Audrey Ricotta,
  • Aileen Kangavary

摘要

COVID-19 caused considerable disruptions in student mental health, yet little research has explored school psychologists’ experiences during the early months of the pandemic. This study examined the extent to which school-community (e.g., community setting, household income) and personal factors (e.g., degree obtained, years employed) predicted school psychologists’ perceptions of whether they were called on to provide mental health support to students during the first four months of the pandemic. Data from 652 school psychologists were analyzed using hierarchical regression models. The first model assessed school-community and personal factors associated with school psychologists being called on to provide mental health support. The second model examined predictors of whether school psychologists provided mental health support directly to students who had been personally affected by COVID-19 (e.g., illness or loss of a loved one). School-community and personal factors accounted for 6.6% of the variance in whether school psychologists were called on to provide mental health support and 10.1 % of the variance in whether they provided support to students directly affected by COVID-19. Findings revealed that years employed, school psychologist-to-student ratio, and median household income were associated with school psychologists being called on to provide mental health support just four months into the pandemic. Median household income and school psychologist-to-student ratio were associated with whether school psychologists provided mental health support to students directly impacted by the pandemic. These findings highlighted the need for increasing school psychologist-to-student ratios, ongoing crisis training for the field, and identification of underserved populations during global crises.