The influence of caregiver attitudes and socioeconomic group on formal and informal mental health service use among youth

Author(s)

Paula, Cristiane Silvestre ; Ziebold, Carolina ; Ribeiro, Wagner S. ; Pan, Pedro Mario ; Mari, Jair Jesus ; Bressan, Rodrigo ; Miguel, Euripedes Constantino ; Rohde, Luiz Augusto ; Salum, Giovanni A. ; Evans-Lacko, Sara

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: EUROPEAN PSYCHIATRY; v. 65, n. 1, p. 10-pg., 2022-06-10.

Abstract

Background Young people can receive mental health care from many sources, from formal and informal sectors. Caregiver characteristics/experiences/beliefs may influence whether young people get help and the type of care or support used by their child. We investigate facilitators/barriers to receiving formal and/or informal care, particularly those related to the caregiver's profile. Methods We interviewed 1,400 Brazilian primary caregivers of young people (aged 10-19), participants of a high-risk cohort. Caregivers reported on young people's formal/informal mental health care utilization, and associated barriers and facilitators to care. Data were also collected on youth mental health and its impact on everyday life; and caregiver characteristics-education, socioeconomics, ethnicity, mental health, and stigma. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between caregiver and young people characteristics with formal/informal care utilization. Results Persistence and greater impact of youth mental health conditions were associated with a higher likelihood of care, more clearly for formal care. Caregiver characteristics, however, also played a key role in whether young people received any care: lower parental stigma was associated with greater formal service use, and lower socioeconomic class showed higher odds of informal care (mainly from religious leaders). Conclusions This study highlights the key role of the caregivers as gatekeepers to child treatment access, particularly parental stigma influencing whether young people received any mental health care, even in a low resource setting. These results help to map barriers for treatment access and delivery for young people, aiming to improve intervention efforts and mental health support. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/12747-7 - Trajectory of mental health and service use among Brazilian and British children/adolescents: a follow-up study
• Grantee: Cristiane Silvestre de Paula
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• FAPESP's process: 14/50917-0 - INCT 2014: developmental psychiatry for children and adolescents
• Grantee: Eurípedes Constantino Miguel Filho
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 08/57896-8 - National Institute for Developmental Psychiatry
• Grantee: Eurípedes Constantino Miguel Filho
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants