Use of and Need for Professional Help for Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Preadolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study of 3- to 12-Year-Old Children

• NCJ Number: 206502
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 43 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2004 Pages: 974-983
• Author(s): Leena Pihlakoski M.D.; Minna Aromaa M.D.; Andre Sourander M.D.; Paivi Rautava M.D.; Hans Helenius M.Sc.; Matti Sillanpaa M.D.
• Editor(s): Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
• Date Published: August 2004
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

As part of the Finnish Family Competence (FFC) Study launched in 1985, this study investigated two aspects of help-seeking for preadolescents’ mental problems and their associations with psychopathology as early as age 3.

Abstract

Information about help-seeking behavior is essential for the structural organization of mental health services and for ensuring that children at increased risk of mental health problems are identified as early as possible. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of child-, parent- and family-related factors on the use of and need for mental health services by 12 years of age. In 1985, Finland launched a study to investigate health behavior of young Finnish families in an attempt to further develop public health services. This present study was part of the Finnish Family Competence (FFC) study which studied 1,287 first-born children. In addition, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was completed by 1,086 parents when the children were 3 years of age. Also, the study examined preadolescents’ versus parents’ reports on problems at age 12 and the role of family-related factors, socioeconomic factors, and child’s gender on use of and need for services. According to the parental reports, approximately 7 percent of the preadolescents had had contact with health or social services because of behavior or emotional problems during the 9-year follow-up. Of those children who had obtained professional help, only about half had contacted mental health services. Less than 40 percent of those children who were within clinical range in CBCL total scores had received any professional help for their problems. This suggests a strong need for help in a symptomatic child, without his or her parents recognizing the true nature of the child’s problem. The results of the study are viewed as generalizable only to countries with economically easy access to services. References