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Physical comorbidity and medical care use in children with emotional problems
Insights
Emotional problems are common in children, especially those with physical illnesses or facing poverty. These issues increase healthcare use and are more prevalent in single-parent households, impacting child development.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- Increasing family disruption, violence, and community decline expose children to significant psychological and social stressors.
- Childhood emotional problems can impede normal psychological and social development, leading to long-term adverse effects.
- Understanding the prevalence and impact of these issues is crucial for effective pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine patterns of emotional and physical comorbidity in children aged 4-11.
- To investigate the utilization of general medical and mental health services by children experiencing emotional problems.
- To identify factors, such as poverty and family structure, that exacerbate childhood emotional difficulties.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a large national survey.
- Analyzed comorbidity patterns between emotional and physical health conditions.
- Examined service use for general medical and mental health care among children.
Main Results:
- Emotional problems are frequently observed in children with physical illnesses.
- Children's emotional problems are associated with increased general medical care utilization.
- Poverty significantly exacerbates emotional problems in children.
- Children in single-parent families report higher rates of emotional problems and mental health service use compared to those in two-parent families.
Conclusions:
- Childhood emotional problems are common and linked to physical health, poverty, and family structure.
- These emotional issues increase the demand for both general medical and mental health services.
- Findings have significant implications for pediatricians in identifying and managing childhood emotional disorders within their practice.
Abstract:
As family disruption, violence, and the decline of community become more common, an ever-growing number of children are exposed to psychological and social stressors that can lead to serious emotional problems. For many children emotional problems can interfere with normal psychological and social development and can have serious long-term effects. In this study data from a large national survey are used to examine patterns of emotional and physical comorbidity and the uses of general medical and mental health services by children ages 4 to 11. Results indicate that emotional problems are common among children with physical illnesses and that emotional problems increase general medical care use. Emotional problems are clearly exacerbated by factors associated with poverty. The data also show that a larger proportion of children in single-parent than in two-parent families experience emotional problems and use mental health services. We discuss the implications of these findings for general pediatric practice.