Psychological Services in Schools: Parents as Gateway Providers, Mental Health Literacy, and the Effect of Authoritarianism

There is a growing crisis of youth mental health, and little is known about U.S. parents’ support of mental health services that are provided in schools. While evidence suggests many U.S. parents support mental health services provided in public schools, many parents also report being unfamiliar with mental health services available at their youths school. States across the southern region of the United States, including Texas, exceed the recommended ratio of students to school psychologist. Given the limited opportunity for parents’ and school psychologists to interact, parents’ mental health literacy (MHL) may be poor. MHL involves the knowledge of mental health symptoms, ways of providing support, and the action that occurs through knowledge of available mental health supports. A parent’s predisposing factors, enabling characteristics, and knowledge and beliefs about mental health, or their ability to identify a youths need for mental health services contribute to a parents MHL. Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), however, has shown to be a powerful predictor of mental health stigma and having a negative view of mental health treatments. Data from Texas parents responding to the Texas’ Parents Support of School Psychological Services Survey indicate Texas parents with high levels of RWA do not have a direct relationship on their support of school psychological services (SSPS); additionally, that MHL is positively, but not powerfully, correlated with parents RWA belief and values. Importantly, parents with high levels of RWA, when controlling for their level of MHL, does not demonstrate a moderating relationship with their SSPS. Data indicate higher levels of parent’s MHL significantly predict SSPS.