CHDI’s Jamie LoCurto, PhD, along with colleagues from UConn Health, co-authored two recent journal articles examining use of behavioral health services among youth with anxiety in school settings and sustained delivery of an evidence-based treatment for anxiety in school settings.
The first article, “Caregiver Report of the Utilization of School-Based Services and Supports Among Clinically Anxious Youth” was published in the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. The article analyzed service utilization in a sample of 208 clinically anxious youth, attending both Connecticut and Maryland school districts. Results indicate that less than half of anxious youth are receiving services within their schools; when students do receive school-based services, they are more likely to have a dual diagnosis of ADHD. These findings suggest that, unless students are causing disruptions in their classrooms/schools, students with anxiety tend to be overlooked, and are not on the receiving end of school-based services.
The second article, “School-Based Clinicians Sustained Use of a Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Anxiety Disorders,” was published in School Mental Health, and examined the sustained use of modular cognitive behavioral therapy (M-CBT), 3.4 years after initial training for a randomized controlled trial ended. This study, the first of its kind to examine sustained use of an evidence-based treatment (EBT) in school settings, drawing from a sample of 43 clinicians from school districts in Connecticut and Maryland, the study investigated the factors related to sustained use of an EBT. Results indicate that the majority of clinicians had positive attitudes regarding the EBT and continued to use M-CBT with modifications, however a majority did not continue to use screening measures.
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