Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39881391›Full record

ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2025

The impact of universal mental health screening on stigma in primary schools.

Annabel Songco, Deanna A Francis, Emma A McDermott, Chloe Y S Lim, Abigail Allsop, Joseph Croguennec, Gemma Sicouri, Andrew Mackinnon, Jennifer L Hudson

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Mood Monitoring in Schools: A Promising Alternative to Single-Time-Point Screening.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Annabel SongcoBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Deanna A FrancisBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Emma A McDermottBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Chloe Y S LimBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Abigail AllsopBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Joseph CroguennecBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Gemma SicouriBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Andrew MackinnonBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Jennifer L HudsonBlack Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. jennie.hudson@blackdog.org.au.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrimary school students struggling with mental health are less likely than high school students to access mental health care, due to barriers such as mental health stigma and low mental health literacy among children and parents. The near universal reach of schools offers a potential avenue to increase access to mental health care through early identification. The potential risks of this approach also need to be understood. This study monitored the impact of universal screening for mental health symptoms on stigma and mental health outcomes for primary school students.

methodsAcross 6 primary schools, a cluster randomised controlled trial allocated schools to one of two conditions. Conditions varied based on the order and frequency of symptom and stigma questionnaires. A sample of 798 children (8 to 13 years; Mage = 10.29) completed assessments at baseline, 6-week, and 12-week follow-ups.

resultsSignificant time-by-group interaction effects were present, indicating differing changes in mental health stigma between groups. Follow-up analyses of subscales showed significant time-by-group interaction effects for concerns around self-stigma and secrecy, but not for public stigma. The frequency and presentation order of the questionnaires impacted on mental health stigma. Initially, children reporting on mental health symptoms before stigma, reported heightened stigma, but over time, those receiving more frequent presentations of the symptom check experienced an overall stigma reduction, contrasting with an increase in the comparison group.

conclusionThe frequency and presentation order of mental health symptom assessments impact children's reports of mental health stigma, underscoring the importance of screening context. Potential screening harms, such as exacerbating self-stigma and secrecy, warrant consideration. Addressing stigma-related barriers is crucial for enhancing mental health care access for children in schools. Trial registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12622001114730) https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=384472 Date of trial registration: 12th August 2022.

Indexed as

AnxietyChild mental healthDepressionPrimary schoolStigmaUniversal screening

Identifiers

PMID39881391
PMCPMC11780817

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.