ABSTRACT
The results of two studies identifying child, family, and environmental correlates of initial and ongoing mental health service use by urban minority children and their families are presented. In the first study, data from a sample of 405 adult caregivers of children revealed no predictive power of child demographic characteristics in relation to initial or ongoing service usage. Only parental ratings of child impulsive-hyperactive behavior were significantly related to ongoing involvement in services. In the second study, a new sample of 100 urban caregivers of children was interviewed. Parental discipline efficacy and attitudes about mental health services were found to relate significantly to initial attendance. Relative to ongoing service use, level of family stress, presence of another adult in the home, and parental discipline efficacy were significant. Implications for research and child mental health service organizations are highlighted.
Subject(s)
Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Child Behavior Disorders/epidemiology , Family Relations , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Social Environment , Urban Population/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Black or African American/psychology , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/epidemiology , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/therapy , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Hispanic or Latino/psychology , Humans , Learning Disabilities/epidemiology , Learning Disabilities/therapy , Male , New York City/epidemiology , Utilization Review , White People/psychology , White People/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
This article presents the results of a study that evaluated the effects of two engagement interventions on the initial attendance and ongoing retention in child mental health services of 109 primarily children of color and their families. Both the combined intervention (telephone and first interview) and the telephone-alone intervention were associated with significant increases in attendance at initial intake appointments over the usual intake procedure, but only the combined intervention was related to the greater ongoing use of services. Implications for future research and recommendations for modifying procedures in outpatient child mental health centers are also presented.
Subject(s)
Caregivers , Child Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Health Services Accessibility , Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Appointments and Schedules , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Interview, Psychological , Male , Social Work , Telephone , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
This paper will outline a series of three research studies meant to identify factors related to child mental health service usage and barriers to help seeking for urban minority children and their caretakers. In addition, this paper will describe the systematic development and evaluation of a telephone intervention strategy aimed towards increasing overall attendance at initial intake appointments at an urban child serving agency. The first study explores differences in demographic variables, for two groups of children (n = 450), those that came to an initial intake interview and those that requested child mental health services, but failed to come to any scheduled appointments. The second study evaluates a telephone engagement intervention meant to increase initial attendance (n = 54). Finally, the third study, more rigorously evaluates the impact of an intensive telephone intervention on initial attendance rates by randomly assigning families to the more focused telephone intervention or a "business as usual" telephone screening (n = 108).
