Gender as a Factor in School-Based Mental Health Service Delivery

There is a large research base indicating numerous gender differences in prevalence rates of psychopathology, the expression of psychopathology, and the etiology of psychopathology across different disorders (Zahn-Waxler, Shirtcliff, & Marceau, 2008). Such documented gender differences in mental health among children and adolescents have significant implications for the provision of school-based mental health services. This article provides an overview of the research documenting differences in mental health among children and adolescents and a description of the delivery of gender-informed mental health services through a public health model framework of service delivery. Gender-informed prevention and intervention strategies are presented using specific examples to provide practitioners with a greater awareness of gender differences and their implications for providing mental health services to children and adolescents. The article concludes with recommendations for the field of school psychology.