Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.

Dissertations that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9493-6851

AccessType

Open Access Dissertation

Document Type

dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Program

School Psychology

Year Degree Awarded

2020

Month Degree Awarded

May

First Advisor

Sara Whitcomb

Second Advisor

Sarah Fefer

Third Advisor

Laura Hayden

Fourth Advisor

Catherine Griffith

Subject Categories

School Psychology

Abstract

Epidemiological data posits that youth in the United States (US) experience significant mental health concerns. Approximately 10% of youth meet criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses (Danielson, Bitsko, Ghandour, Holbrook, & Blumberg, 2018) and approximately 7% of youth have a behavioral conduct problem or anxiety (Ghandour et al., 2018). Literature continues to suggest that physical activity is a viable modality in supporting the mental health of youth (e.g., Ahn & Fedewa, 2011; Annesi, 2005; Biddle et al., 2018). While it is recommended that youth achieve one hour of physical activity daily (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee [PAGC], 2018), nearly 75% of youth are not meeting these standards. Further, trends suggest that physical education time in school continues to decrease (Physical Activity National Plan Alliance, 2016). In light of school psychologists’ professional commitment to supporting the health and wellness of students (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP], 2010; Ysseldyke et al., 2006), coupled with the growing literature base of interventions and models of service delivery to promote mental health with physical activity (e.g., Fedewa, Ahn, & Erwin, 2013; Greenspan, Fefer, Whitcomb, & Kemp, 2019), such a modality may be well-suited to incorporate in existing school mental health interventions. This study seeks to explore school psychologists’ perspectives of using physical activity as a mechanism to support the mental health of students. In doing so, the author conducted a series of focus groups with elementary level school psychologists. Questions centered on processes of implementation to understand facilitators and barriers to physical activity-based interventions (e.g., Bertram, Blasen, & Fixsen, 2015). Analytically, this study employed a grounded theory approach (e.g., Corbin & Strauss, 2015) to yield themes that provide insight into the intersection of school psychology and physical activity and further shine light on directions for future intervention development research. Results suggest that when school and district leaders prioritize using physical activity to promote mental health that can then foster the development of systemic and concrete structures, data collection and data-based decision-making efforts, and, in turn effective and targeted interventions and treatment.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/17148750

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Share

COinS