National Survey of Youth Mental Health Providers

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Youth mental health (MH) treatment research has provided substantial support for the efficacy of several psychosocial treatments for the most common youth MH problems: (a) anxiety, (b) depression, and (c) disruptive behavior disorders. However, the few existing studies of the effectiveness of youth MH treatment in usual clinical practice settings have provided discouraging results, with average treatment effects near zero. This wide gap between the outcomes of psychosocial treatment in clinical trials research versus usual clinical practice represents a significant public health concern because the vast majority of the 12-17% of U.S. children and adolescents who receive some form of MH treatment each year are seen in usual practice settings, not clinical trials. As such, several research policy directives have called for research to determine the extent to which usual clinical practice is consistent with the scientific evidence-base. The proposed study will address this pubic health need by characterizing the most common treatment strategies used by youth MH providers. Using a national survey of youth MH providers across five major mental health disciplines (psychiatry, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, and counseling), we will determine the extent to which everyday clinical practice reflects the best scientific evidence about effective psychosocial treatment strategies for youths with problems in one or more of these three areas: anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior. We will also examine organizational, provider and child/family factors that may influence practice. The study will proceed in two phases. In phase I, we will develop, pilot and refine the survey measure. In phase II, we will send the survey to a randomly selected, representative sample of 5000 youth MH providers across the five disciplines listed above. Abstract Youth mental health (MH) treatment research has provided substantial support for the efficacy of several psychosocial treatments for the most common youth MH problems: (a) anxiety, (b) depression, and (c) disruptive behavior disorders. However, the few existing studies of the effectiveness of youth MH treatment in usual clinical practice settings have provided discouraging results, with average treatment effects near zero. This wide gap between the outcomes of psychosocial treatment in clinical trials research versus usual clinical practice represents a significant public health concern because the vast majority of the 12-17% of U.S. children and adolescents who receive some form of MH treatment each year are seen in usual practice settings, not clinical trials. As such, several research policy directives have called for research to determine the extent to which usual clinical practice is consistent with the scientific evidence-base. The proposed study will address this pubic health need by characterizing the most common treatment strategies used by youth MH providers. Using a national survey of youth MH providers across five major mental health disciplines (psychiatry, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, and counseling), we will determine the extent to which everyday clinical practice reflects the best scientific evidence about effective psychosocial treatment strategies for youths with problems in one or more of these three areas: anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior. We will also examine organizational, provider and child/family factors that may influence practice. The study will proceed in two phases. In phase I, we will develop, pilot and refine the survey measure. In phase II, we will send the survey to a randomly selected, representative sample of 5000 youth MH providers across the five disciplines listed above. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]