Description
TitlePredictors of school psychologists' use of exposure interventions
Date Created2021
Other Date2021-01 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (viii, 125 pages) : illustrations
DescriptionObjective: Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions among school-aged children (Merikangas et al., 2010) and have negative consequences for youth in schools (Ingul et al., 2019; Langley et al., 2004). The school setting is an ideal venue for the provision of mental health services and presents opportunities for free and equitable access to services (Merikangas et al., 2011). Given that school psychologists are well-positioned to address mental health needs of youth (Kazak et al., 2010; Shernoff et al., 2017; Simon et al., 2015), this study examined school psychologists’ use of exposure, a highly effective but underutilized intervention for anxiety (Deacon, Farrell, et al., 2013; Freiheit et al., 2004; Kaczkurkin & Foa, 2015; van Minnen et al., 2010). The study assessed school psychologists’ patterns of knowledge, attitudes, comfort/self-efficacy, and training pertaining to exposure and investigated whether these variables influence their delivery of exposure. Method: School psychologists in the United States were anonymously surveyed online about their experience with exposure interventions. Participants were recruited through their graduate training program directors, school psychology state associations, and social media platforms. Data from 318 school psychologists were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and multiple regression. Post hoc analyses explored potential mediators of use. Results: Over 50% of school psychologists did not use exposure interventions and their related knowledge, comfort/self-efficacy, and training significantly predicted their use of exposure. Attitudes were not found to uniquely predict use of exposure. Conclusion: Efforts to improve school psychologists’ knowledge, training, and comfort/self-efficacy through graduate training will likely result in improved delivery of exposure interventions for anxious youth in schools. Implications for future training of school psychologists are discussed.
NotePsy.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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