Introduction: Youth involved with public service sectors, such as juvenile justice(JJ), child welfare(CW), or special education, are known to be at increased risk for mental health problems. What is not known is the degree to which different service sectors act as gateways to mental health services for youth with mental health problems. Method: Participants in this study included 841 adolescents involved in one or more public service sectors. Controlling for demographic characteristics and prior use of mental health services, we examined the degree to which the presence of mental health problems and/or functional impairment related to subsequent service use over a 12-month period, and then how service sector involvement added to prediction of subsequent service use. Results: After controlling for presence of mental health diagnoses and functional impairment, adolescents involved with the CW sector were more than four times more likely to begin receiving services than adolescents involved in JJ or identified as SED in special education. Follow-up analyses explored reasons that service use is more common among children in the CW sector than in other public service sectors. Implications: Across the three service sectors included in this study, presence of mental health problems was common, yet youth in the CW sector were much more likely to begin using services than youth in the other two service sectors. Reasons for the differences in onset of service use between the three sectors may inform how service sectors identify mental health problems and interface with the mental health service sector.
Learning Objectives: 1. Discuss rates of mental health service use by adolescents in three service sectors. 2. Describe characteristics of public service sectors that facilitate/inhibit mental health service use. 3. Consider how characteristics of the child welfare system might improve use of mental health services by children in other service sectors.
Keywords: Adolescents, Mental Health
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.