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Dissemination & Implementation Science

Provider Perceptions of the Acceptability, Feasibility, and Appropriateness of a Brief School-Based Intervention: A Qualitative Study

(PS5-C75) Provider Perceptions of the Acceptability, Feasibility, and Appropriateness of a Brief School-based Intervention: A Qualitative Study

Friday, November 18, 2022

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

Suh Jung "Rylee" Park, B.A.

Ph.D. Student
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri

Co-Author(s)

AM

Alicia Meng, Ed.S.

Doctoral Student; Graduate Research Assistant
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
EC

Evelyn Cho, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
SO

Sarah A. Owens, Ph.D.

Assistant Teaching Professor
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
JS

Jenna Strawhun, Ph.D.

Psychologist
University of Missouri
COLUMBIA, Missouri
KH

Kristin M. Hawley, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri

It is crucial that the implementation context is well-understood to support the delivery of evidence-based interventions, especially in settings such as schools where there are competing priorities. One way of gathering information about an intervention’s fit for a context is through interviews with providers directly involved in intervention implementation. The present study was an examination of Show Me FIRST, a brief six-module intervention with common therapy elements with research support for youth depression, anxiety, and behavior problems. We conducted a randomized trial to compare the Show Me FIRST intervention against usual care in 69 middle schoolers with elevated internalizing symptoms. The providers for the trial (N=20) were a mix of school-based counselors and employees of a school-focused mental health support service that operates on a contracted basis with area schools. Of the 19 providers with demographic data available, 47.37% were fully licensed clinicians and 100% were female; 68.42% were non-Hispanic White and 26.32% Black. Primary mental health disciplines identified were 57.89% psychology, 31.58% social work, and 10.53% counseling, and their average years of experience providing therapy to children and adolescents were 8.16 years (SD=7.25, range=1–26). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 of the 20 providers about their experience delivering Show Me FIRST to youth in schools and their perception of its effectiveness and acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness for school-based implementation. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Rapid Qualitative Analysis (RQA; Gale et al., 2019) was performed on the interview transcripts. Guided by the domains in the interview script, a summary template was created. After iterative revisions, the template was used to generate a summary for each interview transcript. The transcript summaries from the coders were consolidated into a matrix. The data in the summaries will be iteratively reviewed, discussed, and sorted to identify specific themes and sub-themes highlighted by each provider interview. The identified themes as well as the number/percentage of providers who endorsed them will be reported. Descriptive differences in themes identified by the school-based counselors and contracted providers will be discussed if reported. Themes relevant to service delivery during the pandemic will also be discussed. Exemplar quotes will be presented. School-based interventions tailored to be brief and deliverable by staff with less mental health training may increase access to effective care for youth with mental health concerns. The school staff must be actively involved in this decision-making and tailoring process.