Barriers to mental health care for urban, lower income families referred from pediatric primary care

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of parent-reported barriers on the likelihood of attending a mental health evaluation after referral from pediatric primary care. As the part of procedure, parents of children (N = 55) referred for mental health from primary care completed a 23-item questionnaire (three subscales; Cronbach alpha > 0.7): intangible barriers, tangible barriers, and child functioning. Logistic regression examined associations between responses and referral follow-through. The results showed that the high levels of intangible barriers were associated with decreased odds of attending the mental health evaluation (OR = 0.20, 0.06-0.83; P = 0.03). Therefore, we conclude that parental concerns about mental health care may be important for engagement in treatment. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.