Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for School-Based Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Depression Interventions

Despite the prevalence and negative consequences of depressive disorders among youth, as well as the need for schools to adopt and implement a continuum of mental health services to address depressive disorders, school mental health providers receive very limited guidance in the selection and application of appropriate evidence-based depression prevention and intervention programs for use within a school-based multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). With the goal of supporting school-based mental health providers in the delivery of evidence-based practices targeting depressive symptoms among youth within a MTSS framework, the following study sought to conduct a critical review of the existing school-based prevention and intervention programming for depressive disorders for youth. A systematic, four-stage review was performed from which 119 studies examining 57 unique programs were identified. A review of the studies, including presentation of various participant (e.g., age, grade, ethnicity), study (e.g., control group, randomization), and program (e.g., primary focus, findings, MTSS tier) characteristics, is included. Implementation considerations review and future directions for research are discussed.