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Predictors of Service Use for Mental Health Problems Among British Schoolchildren
Author(s) -
Ford Tamsin,
Hamilton Helena,
Meltzer Howard,
Goodman Robert
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
child and adolescent mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1475-3588
pISSN - 1475-357X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-3588.2007.00449.x
Subject(s) - mental health , psychopathology , population , mental health service , psychiatry , psychology , medicine , service (business) , environmental health , economy , economics
Background: Most previous studies of service use in relation to mental health have examined services in the USA. We wanted to provide up‐to‐date findings from a general population sample of British schoolchildren. Method: A total of 2461 children aged 5–15 from the 1999 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey were followed up for 3 years. We examine the relationship between a wide variety of potential predictors gathered in 1999 and the use of services over the following 3 years. Results: Contact with most services was predicted by three factors: the impact of psychopathology; contact with teachers or primary health care; and parents’ and teachers’ perceptions that the child had significant difficulties. Other predictors were specific to each service. Conclusions: Education of parents, teachers and other important adults might increase the proportion of children with impairing psychiatric disorders reaching services.