An Examination of Secondary Teachers’ Perceptions of Personal Mental Health and the Recognition and Referral of Adolescent Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental health challenge in adolescents. Teachers have emerged as frontline referral agents for students in emotional distress. However, teachers do not consistently identify and refer anxious students for services. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior posits that attitudes predict behavior, which provides a useful framework for this issue. Using vignettes, the current study examined the relationship between personal mental health attitudes and help-seeking intentions to understand how these aspects might impact problem identification and referral. One hundred thirty-seven secondary teachers participated in this study. Mixed-effects regression modeling examined the predictive relationships between these variables. Teachers’ personal mental health attitudes significantly predicted the accuracy of ratings for moderate and severe symptomology and referral decisions. Help-seeking intentions significantly predicted accuracy and referral decisions in the moderate and severe scenarios. There was also a small but statistically significant negative association with the accuracy of ratings in the mild scenario. Furthermore, teachers’ perceived severity of student symptoms was the strongest predictor of referral decisions, but mental health attitudes continued to increase the likelihood of prediction, even after accounting for perceived severity. Potential implications for research and practice are discussed.