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Published on: February 11, 2017
Exploring parental perceptions of psychosocial screening in paediatric emergency departments
Punit Virk1,2, Amanbir Atwal3, Bruce Wright4
1School of Population and Public Health, 8166University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Insights
Parents viewed psychosocial screening in pediatric emergency departments positively, but few sought recommended mental health care. This highlights a need for better education on early intervention importance.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric emergency medicine
- Child and adolescent mental health
- Qualitative research methods
Background:
- Psychosocial issues are prevalent in pediatric emergency departments (EDs).
- Screening tools like MyHEARTSMAP aim to identify youth needing mental health support.
- Understanding parental perceptions and barriers to care is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate parental perceptions of psychosocial screening in the pediatric ED.
- To identify barriers preventing families from accessing recommended mental health care post-screening.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative study involving virtual interviews with parents 30 days after their child's ED visit.
- Parents had previously completed psychosocial screening (MyHEARTSMAP) and a clinical assessment.
- Focus on parents whose children received mental health resource recommendations.
Main Results:
- Most parents (72.5%) participated in follow-up interviews and had positive views of the screening process.
- A majority (74.2%) agreed with the recommended resources.
- However, only 33.1% attempted to access recommended mental health supports, often deeming concerns not severe enough.
Conclusions:
- Parental perceptions of psychosocial screening in pediatric EDs are favorable.
- Significant barriers exist in accessing recommended mental health care despite positive screening experiences.
- Increased education on the importance of early intervention is needed to address low care-seeking behaviors.
Abstract:
Objective: To explore parental perceptions of psychosocial screening in the paediatric emergency department and identify post-screening barriers to accessing mental health care. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study during the 30-day follow-up period of a larger prospective cohort study. Eligible youth and their accompanying parent/guardian first completed psychosocial self/proxy-screening using the MyHEARTSMAP tool and then received a standardized clinical mental health assessment. If the MyHEARTSMAP assessment provided youth with mental health resources recommendations, their parents were invited to a follow-up session. Thirty days (±5 days) after their ED visit, parents participated in a virtual interview to reflect and share their attitudes, perceptions and thoughts around the screening and mental health care-seeking process. Results: Of the 171 participants who received resource recommendations during their ED visit, 124 parents (72.5%; 95% CI 65.2-79.1%) completed the follow-up interview. Most parents endorsed positive perceptions of the screening process, describing it as an 'eye-opening' process that 'sparked conversation'. Most participants (74.2%; 95% CI 65.6-81.6) agreed with the resource recommendations they received. In terms of resources-seeking, only 41 participants (33.1%; 95% CI 24.9-42.1) attempted to access recommended supports. Families generally felt identified concerns were mild and 'not serious enough' to warrant resource-seeking, though many expressed an intention to seek care if concerns escalated. Conclusion: Perceptions of psychosocial screening in the ED were favourable and encouraging among participating parents of youth screened positive for psychosocial issues. Despite positive attitudes, only a fraction of the families invited to follow-up attempted to access care. Mental health may be perceived as low priority for many families, signifying the need for improved education and awareness building on the importance of early intervention.
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