Parents' Experiences with Child Mental Health Services
Author Information
Author(s): Holmboe Olaf, Iversen Hilde H, Hanssen-Bauer Ketil
Primary Institution: Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services
Hypothesis
Demographic, clinical, and organizational characteristics influence parents' experiences with child and adolescent mental health services.
Conclusion
Accessibility to the clinic and involvement of the parents in treatment are much stronger predictors of parental experiences with outpatient CAMHS than demographic and clinical variables.
Supporting Evidence
- Organizational characteristics explained most of the variation in parents' experiences.
- Parents' understanding of the services was the strongest predictor across all scales.
- Accessibility and involvement are influenced by the clinics themselves.
Takeaway
This study found that how parents feel about mental health services for their kids depends more on how easy it is to get to the clinic and how involved they are in their child's treatment, rather than their background or the child's health issues.
Methodology
A questionnaire was mailed to 17,871 parents, and multiple regression analysis was used to explore associations between various characteristics and parents' experiences.
Potential Biases
Non-response bias was addressed by weighting for response propensity, but underrepresentation of non-Norwegian respondents may still affect results.
Limitations
The study only considered parents' experiences and not those of the children, and the questionnaire was only available in Norwegian, potentially excluding non-Norwegian speakers.
Participant Demographics
Parents of children under 16 years old, with a majority being female (85%) and married (54%).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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