title: Do Parents Expect Pediatricians to Pay Attention to Behavioral Health?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study is a qualitative analysis examining caregivers' expectations for pediatricians with regard to behavioral health care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five parents/caregivers of children seen in an urban primary care clinic participated in semistructured interviews. Participants were parents or guardians of children between the ages of 2 and 17 years, referred from the pediatric clinic to the mental health center. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pertinent themes were the following: expected range of care, components of an effective primary care provider (PCP) relationship, action of the PCP, and parent reaction to PCP intervention. Forty-seven percent of caregivers saw the PCP role as strictly for physical health care; 53% expected the PCP to have a role in both physical and behavioral health. Responses were overwhelmingly positive from caregivers when the PCP asked about or conducted a behavioral health intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregivers did not consistently expect but responded positively to PCPs engaging around behavioral health concerns.
authors: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA justinelarson72@gmail.com.
authors: Justine Julia
authors: JJ
authors: Larson
authors: University of Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
authors: Sean
authors: S
authors: Lynch
authors: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Leslie Bishop
authors: LB
authors: Tarver
authors: University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Mitchell
authors: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Frosch
authors: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Barry
authors: B
authors: Solomon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: behavioral medicine; community mental health services; pediatrics