Parent's perceptions of their first graders' need for mental health and educational services.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To estimate the proportion of first graders perceived by their parents as needing mental health or educational services, (2) to examine the validity of these perceptions, and (3) to examine whether factors found to be associated with children's referral to or use of services are associated with parental perceptions.


METHODS
Subjects are an epidemiological sample of 467 first graders. Children's social adaptational status and psychological well-being were assessed by multiple methods. Logistic regression was used to investigate the associations between indicators of need and parental perceptions of their children's need for services.


RESULTS
More than 39% of the children were perceived by their parents as needing services. Predictors of parents perceiving their children as needing services were parent and teacher ratings of children's behavior and symptoms, children's standardized achievement test scores, and gender.


CONCLUSIONS
Given that a large proportion of parents reported their children as needing mental health and educational services and that parents play a central role in children's receiving services, longitudinal studies that investigate the entire process by which children enter into and are maintained in the service delivery system are needed.
Poduska
J M
JM
Department of Mental Hygiene, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. jpoduska@jhsph.edu
D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010290:Parents; D015203:Reproducibility of Results