Department
Ed.D. in K-12 Administration
Location
Bethel University
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
2-26-2025
End Date
2-26-2025
Abstract
The study aimed to better understand elementary students’ mental health and well-being before and after the COVID-19 pandemic as well as whether there are differences in elementary students’ self-reported mental health between racial groups. Minnesota Student Survey results were analyzed, and the results of Bonferroni post-hoc tests found significant differences in worrying a lot and feeling sad between racial groups. Hispanic or Latino/Latina students are significantly more likely to worry a lot than all other racial/ethnic groups. Black, African, or African American students are significantly less likely to feel sad than all other racial/ethnic groups except White students. Elementary students’ emotional well-being and distress in 2019 was compared to elementary students’ emotional well-being and distress in 2022. Hispanic or Latino/Latina students reported the largest increases in worrying and feeling sad. Study findings hold implications for practice, including building educators’ cultural responsiveness, increasing mental health support in the schools, and implementing social emotional learning in elementary schools. Future research should be conducted to determine if the increase in mental health challenges are sustained over time, the long-term effects of increased distress, and strategies and systems that successfully mediate mental health challenges.
Recommended Citation
Reimer, Tracy and Bartosh, Alyssa Kim Dr., "Mental Health Disparities by Race/Ethnicity in Elementary School Populations" (2025). Day of Scholarship. 6.
https://spark.bethel.edu/dayofscholarship/spring2025/feb26/6
Mental Health Disparities by Race/Ethnicity in Elementary School Populations
Bethel University
The study aimed to better understand elementary students’ mental health and well-being before and after the COVID-19 pandemic as well as whether there are differences in elementary students’ self-reported mental health between racial groups. Minnesota Student Survey results were analyzed, and the results of Bonferroni post-hoc tests found significant differences in worrying a lot and feeling sad between racial groups. Hispanic or Latino/Latina students are significantly more likely to worry a lot than all other racial/ethnic groups. Black, African, or African American students are significantly less likely to feel sad than all other racial/ethnic groups except White students. Elementary students’ emotional well-being and distress in 2019 was compared to elementary students’ emotional well-being and distress in 2022. Hispanic or Latino/Latina students reported the largest increases in worrying and feeling sad. Study findings hold implications for practice, including building educators’ cultural responsiveness, increasing mental health support in the schools, and implementing social emotional learning in elementary schools. Future research should be conducted to determine if the increase in mental health challenges are sustained over time, the long-term effects of increased distress, and strategies and systems that successfully mediate mental health challenges.
