Open AccessRetrospective cohort study of outpatient mental health visits in children and youth in Canadian military families
Author(s) -
Alyson Mahar,
Heidi Cramm,
Isabel Cristina Carmona Garcés,
Alice Aiken,
Simon Chen,
Ben Ouellette,
Lynda Manser,
Paul Kurdyak
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of military, veteran and family health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.236
H-Index - 3
ISSN - 2368-7924
DOI - 10.3138/jmvfh-2021-0071
Subject(s) - mental health , depression (economics) , population , medicine , psychiatry , cohort , military personnel , family medicine , environmental health , political science , economics , macroeconomics , law
LAY SUMMARY This study tried to answer the question “Do children and youth in military families have a greater risk of emotional and behavioural problems than children and youth in the general population?” The authors used routinely collected health data from children and youth in Canadian Armed Forces families who relocated to Ontario, matched to data from children and youth in non-military families. They compared outpatient mental health services use, such as physician visits, and the reasons for those visits, such as depression. They found that children and youth in military families were more likely to visit a physician for specific mental health diagnoses than children and youth in the general population. More programming and resources supporting the mental health and well-being of children and youth in military families may be needed.