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Mental health disorders in childhood: assessing the burden on families
Susan H Busch1, Colleen L Barry
1Health Policy, Yale Medical School, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. susan.busch@yale.edu
Insights
Caring for children with mental health needs imposes a greater financial burden on families than other conditions. Support like insurance and cash assistance can alleviate this economic strain for parents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health Economics
- Child Mental Health
- Family Financial Well-being
Background:
- Families face economic challenges when caring for sick children.
- The specific financial impact varies significantly based on the child's health condition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the economic burden of caring for children with mental health needs versus other special health care needs.
- To identify specific financial and employment impacts on families with children requiring mental health care.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of economic burdens across different pediatric health conditions.
- Assessment of parental work hours, employment status, and time spent on care coordination.
Main Results:
- Children's mental health care needs present a more substantial economic burden than other special health care needs.
- Parents of children with mental health disorders are more prone to reducing work hours, leaving employment, and dedicating more time to care management.
Conclusions:
- Addressing the economic toll of pediatric mental health care requires targeted financial support.
- Policy interventions such as equalizing private insurance coverage and providing direct financial assistance are crucial.
Abstract:
It is well known that caring for a sick child creates an economic burden for families. Less is known about how this burden differs by condition. We found that caring for a child with mental health care needs affects financial well-being more than caring for a child with other special health care needs. Parents of children with mental health disorders are also more likely than other parents to cut work hours, to quit work, and to spend more time arranging their child's care. Equalizing private insurance coverage and providing cash support could play a vital role in easing the economic toll of care for children with mental health disorders.
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