Citation

Goldman EE, Bauer D, Newman DL, Kalka E, Lochman JE, Silverman WK, Jensen PS, Curry J, Stark K, Wells KC, Bannon WM. Adm. Policy Ment. Health 2014; 42(3): 363-372.

Affiliation

The Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 14 Rye Ridge Plaza, Suite 244, Rye Brook, NY, 10573, USA, eliotgoldman@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10488-014-0576-y

PMID

25047869

Abstract

The current study presents the implementation of a set of school based interventions in a greater New Orleans school district one year following Hurricane Katrina. The interventions included adaptation and implementation of evidence based treatments in a crisis situation with at-risk youth which involved training and clinical challenges. 386 students found to have significant depressive and/or disruptive disorder symptoms received treatment from the School Therapeutic Enhancement Program (STEP). Further, a district-wide mental health needs assessment of middle and high school students (N = 11,861) screened for behavioral and emotional difficulties at the beginning and end of the school year provided a benchmark for community youth's emotional and behavioral distress. High-need intervention students demonstrated clinically significant lower levels of emotional and behavioral problems, depression and inattention in comparison to pre-treatment levels as indicated by multiple informants (i.e., self, parent, teacher). Self-reported distress levels were also lower than screening group students at post-test. These findings support the efficacy of a school-based intervention for youth struggling with the aftereffects of a highly disruptive natural disaster. Implications for utilizing a flexible adaptation of an evidence-based training model involving coaching and consultation are discussed.

Language: en