Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Caregivers' Perceptions of Child Mental Health Needs and Service Utilization: An Urban 8-Year Old Sample

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study extended previous research on mental health utilization to a sample of 214 preadolescent children and their caregivers. Predictors of two distinct phases of service utilization were tentatively examined in multivariate analyses: caregivers' perceptions that children needed services and receipt of those services by children. Of these children, 24.8% were perceived by their caregivers as needing mental health services; 11.7% received mental health services and 13.1% did not. Internalizing behavioral problems increased children's likelihood of being seen as needing services, but failed to increase likelihood of receiving services. Four factors predicted receipt of mental health services: relative lack of poverty, non-African American ethnicity, externalizing behavior problems, and child history of maltreatment. Implications for services targeted at preadolescent children are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Costello EJ, Egger H, Angold, A. 10-Year research update review: the epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders: I. Methods and public health burden. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2005;44:972–986.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Angold A, Messer SC, Stangl D, et al. Perceived parental burden and service use for child and adolescent disorders. American Journal of Public Health. 1998;88:75–80.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Horwitz SM, Hoagwood K, Stiffman AR, et al. Measuring youth's use of mental health services: reliability of the SACA—Services Assessment for Children and Adolescents. Psychiatric Services. 2001;52:1088–1094.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Egeland B, Pianta R, Ogawa J. Early behavior problems: pathways to mental disorders in adolescence. Development and Psychopathology. 1996;8:735–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Flisher AJ, Kramer RA, Grosser RC, et al. Correlates of unmet need for mental health services by children and adolescents. Psychological Medicine. 1997;27:1145–1154.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kopiec K, Finkelhor D, Wolak J. Which juvenile crime victims get mental health treatment? Child Abuse and Neglect. 2004;28:45–59.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Atkins MS, Graczyk PA, Frazier SL, et al. Toward a new model for promoting urban children's mental health: accessible, effective, and sustainable school-based mental health services. School Psychology Review. 2003;32:503–514.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Thompson R. The course and correlates of mental health care received by young children: descriptive data from a longitudinal urban high-risk sample. Children and Youth Services Review. 2005;27:39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cohen P, Hesselbart CS. Demographic factors in the use of children's mental health services. American Journal of Public Health. 1993;83:49–52.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Angold A, Erkanli A, Farmer EMZ, et al. Psychiatric disorder, impairment, and service use in rural African American and white youth. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2002;59:893–901.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Garland AF, Lau AS, Yeh M, et al. Racial and ethnic differences in utilization of mental health services among high-risk youths. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2005;162:1336–1343.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Johnson RM, Kotch JB, Catellier DJ, et al. Adverse behavioral and emotional outcomes from child abuse and witnessed violence. Child Maltreatment. 2002;7:179–187.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Manly JT, Kim JE, Rogosch FA, et al. Dimensions of child maltreatment and children's adjustment: contributions of developmental timing and subtype. Development and Psychopathology. 2001;13:759–782.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Burns BJ, Phillips SD, Wagner HR, et al. Mental health need and access to mental health services by youths involved with child welfare: a national survey. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004;43:960–970.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Weisz, JR, Weiss B. Studying the “referability” of child clinical problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1991;59:266–273.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Finkelhor D, Wolak J, Berliner L. Police reporting and professional help for child crime victims: a review. Child Maltreatment. 2001;6:17–30.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Haines MM, McMunn A, Nazroo JY, et al. Social and demographic predictors of parental consultation for child psychological difficulties. Journal of Public Health Medicine. 2002;24:276–284.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Stanger C, Lewis M. Agreement among parents, teachers, and children in internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 1993;33:107–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Srebnik D, Cauce AM, Baydar N. Help-seeking pathways for children and adolescents. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. 1996;4:210–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Mokros HB, Poznanski E, Grossman JA, et al. A comparison of child and parent ratings of depression for normal and clinically referred children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1987;28:613–627.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Edelbrock C, Costello A, Dulcan MK, et al. Parent-child agreement on child psychiatric symptoms assessed via structured interview. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1986;27:181–190.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Runyan DK, Curtis P, Hunter WM, et al. LONGSCAN: a consortium for longitudinal studies of maltreatment and the life course of children. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 1998;3:275–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Achenbach TM. Manual for Child Behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont; 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Achenbach TM, Rescorla LA. Manual for the ASEBA School—Age Forms and Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth and Families; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Drake B. Unraveling ‘unsubstantiated’. Child Maltreatment. 1996;1:262–271.

    Google Scholar 

  26. English DJ. Current knowledge about CPS decision-making. In: Morton TD, Holder W, eds. Decision-Making in Children's Protective Services: Advancing the State of the Art. Atlanta, GA: Child Welfare Institute; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  27. US Public Health Service. Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health: A National Action Agenda. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services; 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Bird HR, Gould MS, Staghezza B. Aggregating data from multiple informants in child psychiatry epidemiological research. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1992;31:78–85.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Hines-Martin V, Malone M, Kim S, et al. Barriers to mental health care access in an African American population. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2003;24:237–256.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Cooper LA, Gonzales JJ, Gallo JJ, et al. The acceptability of treatment for depression among African-American, Hispanic, and White primary care patients. Medical Care. 2003;41:479–489.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Thompson VLS, Bazile A, Akbar M. African Americans' perceptions of psychotherapy and psychotherapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 2004;35:19–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Lyons JS, Rogers L. The U.S. child welfare system: a de facto public behavioral health care system. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004;43:971–973.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Zahner GEP, Daskalakis C. Factors associated with mental health, general health, and school-based service use for child psychopathology. American Journal of Public Health. 1997;87:1440–1448.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Loeber R, Stouthamer-Loeber M. Development of juvenile aggression and violence: some common misconceptions and controversies. American Psychologist. 1998;53:242–259.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. US Department of Health and Human Services. Child Maltreatment, 2001. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2003.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the Office of Child Abuse and Neglect (Grant Nos. 90CA1568 and 90CA1680) and the National Institute of Health (Grant No. R01-HD39689) to the Consortium of Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). The assistance of Rochelle Jackson in project administration, and the LONGSCAN Coordinating Center (especially Terri Lewis) in data management, are gratefully acknowledged. This manuscript also benefited from the comments of Angiela Zielinski, Melissa Conway, and Richard H. Calica. The analyses presented here were conducted while the second author was participating in a summer internship at the Juvenile Protective Association, sponsored by the Harvard University Center for Public Interest Careers and the Harvard Club of Chicago.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Director of Research, Juvenile Protective Association, 1333 N. Kingsbury, Suite 306, Chicago, IL, 60622, USA

    Richard Thompson PhD

  2. Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard Thompson PhD

Authors
  1. Richard Thompson PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria A. May BA
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard Thompson PhD.

Additional information

Maria A. May, BA, was a summer intern at Juvenile Protection Association, 1333 N. Kingsbury, Suite 306, Chicago, IL 60622, USA and a student at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thompson, R., May, M.A. Caregivers' Perceptions of Child Mental Health Needs and Service Utilization: An Urban 8-Year Old Sample. J Behav Health Serv Res 33, 474–482 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-006-9021-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-006-9021-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation