Validation and Extension of the School Mental Health Self-Efficacy Teacher Survey

Abstract As researchers identify methods for addressing schools’ capacity for implementing school mental health (SMH) services, there arises a need for psychometrically sound assessments of teacher self-efficacy for implementing SMH services. The current study provides validity evidence regarding the internal structure of the School Mental Health Self-Efficacy Teacher Survey (SMH-SETS) in the context of middle schools preparing to implement the Early Identification System (EIS), a universal mental and behavioral health screening checklist. We also explored convergent associations between the SMH-SETS and three EIS intervention reaction measures (i.e., perceptions of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility). Middle school teachers ( N = 411) from southern and midwestern US districts participated in the study. Theoretically driven unidimensional, two-factor, and five-factor structures of the SMH-SETS were assessed. A five-factor structure was determined to yield the best fit to the data and factor scores were extracted for subsequent analyses. A “Support” factor relating to school-family collaboration and mental health promotion was significantly and positively associated with participants’ feelings that the EIS was acceptable (β = .46), appropriate (β = .39), and feasible (β = .42). A “Crisis” factor relating to mental health crisis response was significantly and negatively associated with participants’ acceptability (β = −.32) of the EIS. The multifactor structure supports a more nuanced view of SMH self-efficacy and may allow for greater ability to measure specific facets of SMH self-efficacy. Furthermore, the relationship between certain factors and intervention reaction measures may be of interest as researchers develop and assess practices to support SMH implementation.