Eugene Scott Huebner

Youth are increasingly struggling with mental health, yet many lack access to formal care. Evidence indicates that building coping skills can improve mental health and wellbeing. School personnel may be well-positioned to help youth build these coping skills by delivering discrete evidence-based ingredients in their everyday interactions and relationships with students. This scoping review synthesizes the literature on social-emotional evidence-based ingredients delivered by paraprofessionals and explores their potential application in school behavioral health. We searched PsycINFO and PubMed, screened 200 titles/abstracts and 46 full-texts, and yielded 19 studies from which we synthesized data using the RE-AIM framework. We identified 17 evidence-based ingredients, with the most common being mindfulness, relaxation, psychoeducation, exposure, and cognitive restructuring. These were delivered in various formats and settings by different paraprofessionals (e.g., graduate students, teachers, caregivers), with most paraprofessionals receiving some training and supervision. Thirteen studies showed significant improvements in at least one outcome (i.e., anxiety, depression, suicidality, wellbeing). Six studies examined long-term effects, with mixed findings. Despite variation in delivery and training, paraprofessionals appear to feasibly and effectively deliver evidence-based ingredients. These findings support task-shifting ingredients as a scalable approach for supporting youth mental health within school behavioral health systems.

This article provides a narrative overview of important developments in the study of child and adolescent life satisfaction, beginning with historical developments and concluding with directions for future research. Correlates are identified at all levels of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems framework. Theory, research methods, content, and intervention issues are addressed. The need for greater consideration of the extant research base in the development of intervention strategies is highlighted. Research on child and adolescent life satisfaction: Progress and opportunities.