Exposure to childhood interpersonal trauma and mental health service urgency.
Childhood maltreatment
Interpersonal trauma
Prioritization
Service urgency
interRAI
Journal
Child abuse & neglect
ISSN: 1873-7757
Titre abrégé: Child Abuse Negl
Pays: England
ID NLM: 7801702
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
08 2020
08 2020
Historique:
received:
09
12
2019
revised:
02
03
2020
accepted:
16
03
2020
pubmed:
5
6
2020
medline:
7
7
2021
entrez:
5
6
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Children and youth with a history of maltreatment experience different developmental, psychiatric and health problems. Ensuring there is streamlined access to services is imperative to recovery. Yet, few reports of standardized methods for directing and prioritizing risk for children seeking services exist. The current study aims to address this gap and explore how mental health personnel triage highly vulnerable cases. Specifically, the goal of the current study is to examine whether experiencing childhood interpersonal trauma predicts service urgency. Participants were 19,645 children and youth, ages 4-18 years (M = 11.1 SD = 3.4) who completed the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health Screener (ChYMH-S) at various community-based and residential children's mental health facilities across Ontario. Retrospective data collected from the ChYMH-S was used to explore differences in maltreatment history, gender, and legal guardianship and their impact on service prioritization. Children and youth who were exposed to some form of interpersonal trauma were more likely to have mental health issues requiring urgent follow-up service compared to those who were not exposed. Findings also suggested that gender and legal guardianship impact service urgency. Children and youth who have experienced maltreatment are significantly more likely to score high on mental health service urgency than those who did not. This provides valuable insight that can support the development of appropriate system-level changes to policy and practice when servicing children and youth with mental health needs in Canada.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Children and youth with a history of maltreatment experience different developmental, psychiatric and health problems. Ensuring there is streamlined access to services is imperative to recovery. Yet, few reports of standardized methods for directing and prioritizing risk for children seeking services exist.
OBJECTIVE
The current study aims to address this gap and explore how mental health personnel triage highly vulnerable cases. Specifically, the goal of the current study is to examine whether experiencing childhood interpersonal trauma predicts service urgency.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
Participants were 19,645 children and youth, ages 4-18 years (M = 11.1 SD = 3.4) who completed the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health Screener (ChYMH-S) at various community-based and residential children's mental health facilities across Ontario.
METHODS
Retrospective data collected from the ChYMH-S was used to explore differences in maltreatment history, gender, and legal guardianship and their impact on service prioritization.
RESULTS
Children and youth who were exposed to some form of interpersonal trauma were more likely to have mental health issues requiring urgent follow-up service compared to those who were not exposed. Findings also suggested that gender and legal guardianship impact service urgency.
CONCLUSIONS
Children and youth who have experienced maltreatment are significantly more likely to score high on mental health service urgency than those who did not. This provides valuable insight that can support the development of appropriate system-level changes to policy and practice when servicing children and youth with mental health needs in Canada.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32497938
pii: S0145-2134(20)30119-8
doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104464
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
104464Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest None.