Changes in maltreated children's emotional-behavioral problems following typically provided mental health services

  • Julie S. McCrae
  • , Richard P. Barth
  • , Shenyang Guo

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    23 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Child welfare agencies serve as gate keepers for children's mental health services (MHS). Yet, the impact of offered services on behavioral outcomes has not been well studied. Data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) were examined to measure caregivers' reported change in children's emotional-behavioral problems. Over 600 children in three age groups were matched and problem levels compared across 3 years. Although behavioral problems for the total group improved across time, scores for children who received MHS slightly worsened. Children who received MHS scored 1.4-3.7 points worse than children who did not receive MHS. Additionally, young Black, Hispanic, and other racially identified children had more problems than young White children, regardless of service. Higher behavior problem scores were noted for school-age children and adolescents. Although child welfare appears to rely on a cluster of MHS, including school-based counseling and private practitioner services, future service delivery should expand from improving access to achieving outcomes.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)350-361
    Number of pages12
    JournalAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry
    Volume80
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Jul 2010

    Keywords

    • Adolescents
    • Child abuse and neglect
    • Child welfare
    • Children
    • Emotional disturbance
    • Insurance
    • Juvenile delinquency
    • Medicaid
    • Mental health services
    • Parental mental illness

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