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Parents’ mental health literacy, preferred school counsellor roles, and intention to follow up referrals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2023

Monica L. G. M. Bignold  and
Donnah Anderson
Monica L. G. M. Bignold*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia
Donnah Anderson
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: monica.bignold@gmail.com
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Abstract

Many mental illnesses have onset during adolescence, and if untreated may have long-term negative outcomes. Parents and school counsellors can assist adolescents by monitoring for mental illness and facilitating appropriate support. The present study investigated parents’ mental health literacy (MHL), preferred views of school counsellor roles, and intention to follow up referrals. Eighty-seven Australian parents of current secondary school students were recruited to an online cross-sectional survey via convenience sampling. Results showed that, on average, parents had good MHL, moderately endorsed school counsellor roles, and were committed to following up referrals. Higher MHL, but not preferred school counsellor roles, predicted intention to follow up referrals to general practitioners and specialised mental health services. Findings support targeted psychoeducational intervention for parents regarding MHL and the role of the school counsellor and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

Parentsmental health literacyschool counsellorfollow upreferral
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , June 2023 , pp. 90 - 101
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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