Challenges Faced by Parents of Children With Selective Mutism in Accessing Medical Care Services

Background Children with selective mutism (SM) typically exhibit SM symptoms in educational settings, which has led to extensive research on SM in such environments. However, SM symptoms also manifest in medical settings, where parents experience various challenges when seeking healthcare for their child with SM. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on the specific challenges parents face when seeking medical care for their child with SM. In this study, we investigated the challenges faced by parents of children with SM when seeking healthcare services and explored strategies to reduce these challenges. Methodology In this study, we conducted an online questionnaire survey with 31 parents (mean age: 41.7 years) of children diagnosed with SM. Participants responded to open-ended questions about the difficulties they faced when seeking medical care for their child. The open-ended responses were qualitatively analyzed using the KJ method. Results Parents of children with SM reported the most challenges accessing medical services in pediatrics and dentistry. The analysis identified the following three main challenges parents face when seeking medical care for their child with SM: "Journey to Receiving Treatment," "Physicians' Inability to Accurately Capture the Child's Condition," and "Healthcare Providers' Responses." Conclusions These findings highlight the numerous challenges faced by parents of children with SM when seeking medical services for their child. The challenges faced by parents when bringing their child with SM to medical facilities may be alleviated through the implementation of telemedicine, the development of mobile health applications, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the introduction of SM-specific training programs for healthcare professionals.