title: School mental health services: signpost for out-of-school service utilization in adolescents with mental disorders? A nationally representative United States cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  School mental health services are important contact points for children and adolescents with mental disorders, but their ability to provide comprehensive treatment is limited. The main objective was to estimate in mentally disordered adolescents of a nationally representative United States cohort the role of school mental health services as guide to mental health care in different out-of-school service sectors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses are based on weighted data (N = 6483) from the United States National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (participants' age: 13-18 years). Lifetime DSM-IV mental disorders were assessed using the fully structured WHO CIDI interview, complemented by parent report. Adolescents and parents provided information on mental health service use across multiple sectors, based on the Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  School mental health service use predicted subsequent out-of-school service utilization for mental disorders i) in the medical specialty sector, in adolescents with affective (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.01, confidence interval (CI) = 1.77-5.12), anxiety (HR = 3.87, CI = 1.97-7.64), behavior (HR = 2.49, CI = 1.62-3.82), substance use (HR = 4.12, CI = 1.87-9.04), and eating (HR = 10.72, CI = 2.31-49.70) disorders, and any mental disorder (HR = 2.97, CI = 1.94-4.54), and ii) in other service sectors, in adolescents with anxiety (HR = 3.15, CI = 2.17-4.56), behavior (HR = 1.99, CI = 1.29-3.06), and substance use (HR = 2.48, CI = 1.57-3.94) disorders, and any mental disorder (HR = 2.33, CI = 1.54-3.53), but iii) not in the mental health specialty sector.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that in the United States, school mental health services may serve as guide to out-of-school service utilization for mental disorders especially in the medical specialty sector across various mental disorders, thereby highlighting the relevance of school mental health services in the trajectory of mental care. In light of the missing link between school mental health services and mental health specialty services, the promotion of a stronger collaboration between these sectors should be considered regarding the potential to improve and guarantee adequate mental care at early life stages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tegethoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stalujanis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Gunther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meinlschmidt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology