Caregivers' perceptions of child mental health needs and service utilization: an urban 8-year old sample.
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.
Thompson
Richard
R
Juvenile Protective Association, Chicago, IL 60622, USA. rthompson@juvenile.org
May
Maria A
MA
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011203:Poverty; D014505:Urban Population