Validation of a Measurement Model to Identify Socio-emotional Difficulties in Preschool Children: The Preschool Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Chilean Version.

Identifying issues in early childhood enables timely interventions, potentially mitigating future mental health risks. In this context, this study seeks to validate the model of Preschool Pediatric Symptom Checklist for detecting social and emotional challenges among Chilean preschoolers, as reported by their caregivers. In the first stage, 36 cognitive interviews using the published Spanish version of the PPSC were conducted with caregivers, parents and/or teachers of preschool aged children, so that they could review the questions and be sure that they understood them.

Implementation and Outcomes of a National School-Based Mental Health Program for Middle School Students in Chile.

Background: Chile's national school-based mental health program, (SFL), has demonstrated effectiveness in improving behavioral and academic outcomes in first- through third-grade students. The current study assessed the feasibility and outcomes of SFL's program for sixth- through eighth-grade students.

Methods: We assessed the percentage of students who participated in the program and longitudinal changes on teacher-reported Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Re-Revised (TOCA-RR) scores, youth-reported Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Chile (PSC-Y-CL) scores, grade-point average, and school attendance from sixth to eighth grade (2016-2018) for SFL's workshop intervention.

Wellbeing of School Communities in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Chilean Low-SES Schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact schools and how education is conveyed to students. One of the aspects that has gained strength is supporting the wellbeing of educational communities. The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the construction of school wellbeing during the pandemic, based on the notion of collective and sustainable wellbeing.

Earthquake exposure, adverse childhood experiences, and psychosocial functioning in Chilean children: A longitudinal study.

The impact of an 8.8 magnitude Chilean earthquake on elementary school students' psychosocial functioning was assessed along with exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Skills for Life, a national school-based mental health program in Chile, routinely assesses first- and third-grade students' psychosocial functioning and classroom adaptation.

Mental health predicts better academic outcomes: a longitudinal study of elementary school students in Chile.

The world's largest school-based mental health program, Habilidades para la Vida [Skills for Life (SFL)], has been operating on a national scale in Chile for 15 years. SFL's activities include using standardized measures to screen elementary school students and providing preventive workshops to students at risk for mental health problems. This paper used SFL's data on 37,397 students who were in first grade in 2009 and third grade in 2011 to ascertain whether first grade mental health predicted subsequent academic achievement and whether remission of mental health problems predicted improved academic outcomes.