Bringing Evidence-Based Child Mental Health Services to the Schools: General Issues and Specific Populations

Epidemiological research indicates a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents. Approximately 21% of children and adolescents, ages 9 to 17, have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder (Costello et al., 1996; Shaffer et al., 1996; U.S. Public Health Service, 2000), and additional youngsters experience social and emotional difficulties that do not meet symptom criteria for a disorder but cause considerable distress and impairment in functioning. Unfortunately, there is a significant gap between the many youth who are in need of treatment and those who actually receive menfal health care (Burns et al., 1995; Leaf et al., 1996). According to the Surgeon General’s 1999 report on mental health, 6 to 9 million youngsters with emotional problems are not receiving the help they require (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). The failure to provide treatment to youth represents a major public health concern (U.S. Public Health Service, 2000)

Effectiveness of Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS) With Portuguese Adolescents

Social fears are common among adolescents and may considerably impair their lives. Even so, most adolescents do not seek professional help for these difficulties, making it important to promote evidence-based and preventive interventions in community samples. This research presents the effectiveness of an intervention with a group of five female adolescents who reported serious interference of their social fears in their daily life. At post-intervention, effectiveness was noticeable by high recovery, reliable individual change, and intragroup statistical change. The intervention showed impact for measures of social anxiety, avoidance, and assertiveness, and such impact was steady at 3-month follow-up. These findings add to the cumulative and transcultural evidence on the effectiveness of Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS)

Helping Students Overcome Social Anxiety : Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS)

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Effectiveness of skills for academic and socialsSuccess (SASS) with portuguese adolescents

Social fears are common among adolescents and may considerably impair their lives. Even so, most adolescents do not seek professional help for these difficulties, making it important to promote evidence-based and preventive in- terventions in community samples. This research presents the effectiveness of an intervention with a group of five female adolescents who reported serious interference of their social fears in their daily life. At post-intervention, effec- tiveness was noticeable by high recovery, reliable individual change, and intra- group statistical change. The intervention showed impact for measures of social anxiety, avoidance, and assertiveness, and such impact was steady at 3-month follow-up. These findings add to the cumulative and transcultural evidence on the effectiveness of Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS)

School-Based interventions for adolescents with social anxiety disorder

This chapter presents the rationale and potential advantages of treating social anxiety disorder (SAD) in schools. School-based programs provide increased access to evidence-based treatment for youth in need, and interventions for SAD may benefit from delivery in an ecologically valid context in which many feared situations occur. Two interventions for adolescents with SAD designed specifically for school-based delivery, the original Intervencin en Adolescentes con Fobia Social: Therapy for Adolescents with Social Phobia (IAFS; Garcia-Lopez (2000, 2007) and Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS; Masia et al. 1999) are described. This chapter focuses on considerations and adaptations necessary for school-based interventions to fit into the school environment. We emphasize how such programs capitalize on the school environment to implement effective exposures and practice social skills. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the methods and challenges associated with the long-term sustainability of offering interventions in schools, including the use of existing school personnel to implement evidence-based interventions. Future directions of school-based interventions for youth with SAD are discussed

A qualitative study of social anxiety and impairment amid the COVID-19 pandemic for adolescents and young adults in Portugal and the US

This qualitative investigation explored the social and academic experiences of socially anxious adolescents and young adults in Portugal and the US as they lived through the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 10 Portuguese adolescents (mean age = 16.9 years; 50% female) and 7 young adults in the US (mean age = 19.67 years; 71% female; racially/ethnically diverse). Participants completed a semi-structured interview evaluating how the pandemic and social restrictions impacted social anxiety symptoms and associated functional impairment in social and academic domains. Thematic analysis was used to categorize responses across developmental stages and countries. Findings show consistent patterns across cultures, with symptoms of SAD extending to virtual contexts. Participants reported avoidance behaviors that were reinforced by social distancing mandates and declines in academic engagement during remote learning. Anticipatory anxiety about the return to normal social routines was also evident. Schools should be aware of the impact of social confinement on socially anxious students as they return to in person school schedules and social demands