Help seeking process among children attending psychiatry clinic in Tirana, Albania

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study was to investigate all the potential routes to Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic-University Hospital Center [CAPC-UHC] in Tirana. The article provides demographic data, as well as further information on the types and amounts of services children/adolescents received during the process of seeking help related to different diagnoses. The study was conducted in CAPC-UHC in Tirana, during September 2006-September 2007. Data were collected from 162 children and their parents using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] and Pathways Encounter Form. The sample consisted of 53.1% [86] males and 46.9% [76] females. The mean age was 9.5 + 4.4 years. Out of the total number of cases that sought care to CAPC; 55, 6% were referred by parents themselves, while the rest were referred by others. There was a significant effect of gender to intervals from the onset of problem to the first career [F = 10.803, p=0.001], as well as a significant effect of gender to total time intervals from the onset till the specialist of child mental health problem [F = 6.742, p=0.01]. This is the first study investigating the help seeking process to psychiatric care in CAPC Tirana-Albania and may serve as a good start in generating evidence based on child/adolescent mental health service. Further multicentre studies will enhance the values of the findings, since the present study was performed in a single service, and in a setting lacking previous works with similar scope that could have served as references