Correlates of mental health problems among students in Texas alternative high schools and school-level efforts to address mental health.

Abstract

Students in alternative high schools (AHSs) are an understudied population who experience disproportionate levels of risk factors that contribute to mental health problems. Using logistic regression, we explored associations between mental health problems and risk and protective factors among students in Texas AHSs (n = 515; mean age 17.1 years; 51% female, 78% youth of color, 64% eligible for free/reduced lunch). Principals (n = 14) and lead health educators (n = 14) reported on school-level efforts to address mental health. Students reported, on average, 1.55 of 4 mental health problems in the past year. Logistic regression indicated that greater number of adverse childhood experiences, lower self-esteem, female gender, and sleep disruption (getting <8 h of sleep per night) were common contributors to symptoms of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and PTSD with models showing medium-to-large effects (AUC: 0.73-0.81). We assessed school-level efforts to address mental health using descriptive statistics. At the school level, most (>50%) principals reported having policies and services to support student mental health, with the exception of having mental health/social services staff represented on school health councils (36%) and having Gay-Straight Alliances (21%). Most lead health educators (86%) reported educating AHS students about mental health, and many (57%) reported receiving professional development in mental health. Future research with a larger number of schools is needed to analyze whether school policies are statistically associated with student-level mental health outcomes. Such multi-level research can inform policies and practices for AHS student mental health.