Introduction: Although it is estimated that 12-20% of youth suffer from mental health disorders (NIMH, 1991; Burns et al., 1995), this substantial amount of need is not paralleled by commensurate service utilization rates. In fact, researchers report that just approximately 4% of all children have had contact with mental health professionals in recently preceding months (Burns et al., 1995; Costello and Pantino, 1987). Little is known about the reasons for the discrepancy between need and use for youth. Method: This presentation examines potential barriers to mental health service utilization in a sample of youth who were active to one of five public sectors of care in San Diego County. Adult caregivers of the youth were asked to respond to a 54 item questionnaire involving barriers to care. For those barriers that were endorsed, a follow-up question was asked regarding whether this barrier impeded recent entry into services. Preliminary Results: Preliminary results indicate that the five most frequently endorsed barriers were: Child’s unwillingness to go to services (40.4%); Perception of services as too expensive (39.4%); Lack of knowledge of where to seek services (37.4%); Fear of provider having different goals from that of the family (36.1%); and Lack of awareness of what would happen in services (36.0%). Discussion: The relationship between barriers, service use, and cultural factors will be explored, and implications of the findings will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify potential barriers to mental health service utilization by youth with emotional/behavioral problems. 2. Recognize cultural differences in perceived barriers to care. 3. Discuss implications of the findings for improving mental health service access
Keywords: Youth, Access and Services
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.