ABSTRACT
We developed the methodology for a community survey to determine the prevalence of emotional and behavioral disorders among children 4 to 16 years of age in Ontario, Canada. Our discussion includes the objectives of the survey, the measurement of disorder, sampling methods and survey design, and a description of the data collected and instrumentation. Among 2052 households with eligible children, 1869 (91%) participated in the survey. The results can be used to help plan the future allocation of mental health resources in Ontario.
Subject(s)
Affective Symptoms/epidemiology , Child Behavior Disorders/epidemiology , Data Collection/methods , Health Surveys , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/diagnosis , Age Factors , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Community Mental Health Services/organization & administration , Female , Health Planning , Humans , Interviews as Topic/methods , Male , Ontario , Research Design , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
We studied the six-month prevalence of four child psychiatric disorders (conduct disorder, hyperactivity, emotional disorder, and somatization) and patterns of service utilization for mental health and social services, ambulatory medical care and special education by different regions of Ontario, urban-rural residence, and age and sex groupings. Among children 4 to 16 years of age, the overall six-month prevalence rate of one or more of these disorders was 18.1%. The prevalences of hyperactivity and one or more disorders were significantly higher in urban areas than rural areas. The utilization data indicated that children with these psychiatric disorders, compared with children without these disorders, were almost four times more likely to have received mental health or social services in the six months preceding this study. However, five of six of these children had not received these specialized services in the previous six-month period. Over 50% of the children in the province had received ambulatory medical care in the last six months. Over 15% of the children in the province had received special education services at some time thus far in their school careers. Implications of these findings, especially for the provision of child mental health services, are discussed.
Subject(s)
Community Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Social Work, Psychiatric/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/epidemiology , Affective Symptoms/therapy , Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/epidemiology , Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Child, Preschool , Community Mental Health Services/supply & distribution , Cross-Sectional Studies , Education, Special/statistics & numerical data , Female , Health Planning , Health Surveys , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/therapy , Ontario , Rural Population , Somatoform Disorders/epidemiology , Somatoform Disorders/therapy , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
Several institutions (e.g., child welfare, police, court, health, education, social service) are necessarily involved in the management of child abuse in all communities. The need for better cooperation among them has been acknowledged; inquests into child deaths resulting from abuse have often attributed some blame to faulty communication and/or poor cooperation between the institutions. The Community Child Abuse Team (CCAT) Project was designed by these same institutions in Hamilton, Ontario, to maximize interagency collaboration. The hypothesis, that this "interagency collaboration" model would provide more efficient and effective services to abused children and their families, was never tested. During its 30 months of operation the CCAT program never materialized as planned and funding was terminated. This paper describes selected problems and issues that arose during the struggle to implement the project. The central problematic issue was control. Those responsible for the project lacked the power to insist that the design be adhered to during the initial stage.
Subject(s)
Child Abuse/prevention & control , Interinstitutional Relations , Delivery of Health Care , Humans , Leadership , Patient Care Team/organization & administrationABSTRACT
Violence is more than twice as likely to occur in families with rather than without alcohol problems.
Subject(s)
Alcoholic Intoxication/psychology , Alcoholism/psychology , Family , Violence , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Marriage , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Twenty adolescent girls whose records showed poor academic performance and frequent truancies and referrals to the guidance office were selected to participate in a pilot project to provide a peer-group experience for students having difficulty at school. Half the students were placed in a control group and received regular services from the school. Students in the experimental group attended 12 discussion sessions held during the school day. A one-year follow-up showed that seven in the experimental group and one in the control group had improved.
