Date of Award

Fall 2025

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Samuel McQuillin

Abstract

Youth are experiencing a sharp rise in mental health concerns, which have reached critical levels. Schools have emerged as a key setting for delivering mental health services due to their accessibility, familiarity, and capacity to reach diverse populations. Comprehensive School Behavioral Health (CSBH) systems offer a multi-tiered, evidence-based framework for supporting the mental health of all students. However, the success of CSBH interventions varies across schools presumably indicating that systemic or school level factors, like school climate, may influence youth mental health outcomes. In this study, I investigate how school-level factors, specifically student-perceived school climate, influence the mental health outcomes within larger CSBH program. Using data from a comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial involving 579 students across 19 schools in Maryland and South Carolina, I analyzed the relationship between school climate domains (engagement, safety, and environment) and student emotional and behavioral (EB) functioning at 6-month post intake. Specifically, I used Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) to estimate individual conditional average treatment effects (ICATEs) and assess treatment effect heterogeneity across schools. Findings reveal that school engagement significantly predicted treatment effects, with higher levels of student engagement associated with greater reductions in students’ EB symptoms. The study highlights the critical role of systemic school-level factors, particularly school engagement play in shaping the success of CSBH programs.

Rights

© 2025, Halle Rose Singer

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