Perceived Parental Burden and Service Use for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 1998 May 16

PMID 9584037

Citations 125

Authors

A Angold

S C Messer

D Stangl

E M Farmer

E J Costello

B J Burns

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Pediatric chronic physical illness and adult psychiatric disorders are substantial sources of burden for family care-takers, but little attention has been paid to parental burden resulting from children's or adolescents' psychiatric disorders. This paper describes the predictors of perceived parental burden and its impact on the use of specialty mental health and school services.

Methods: A representative general population sample of 1015 9-, 11-, and 13-year-olds and their parents completed structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews and the Child and Adolescent Burden Assessment.

Results: Weighted estimates indicated that 10.7% of parents in the general population perceived burden resulting from their children's symptomatology. Significant predictors of perceived burden were levels of child symptomatology and impairment and parental mental health problems. Children's depressive and anxiety disorders were associated with less burden than other diagnoses. The effects of child disorder severity on specialty mental health service use appeared to be mediated by the level of burden induced.

Conclusions: Substantial levels of parental burden resulted from child psychiatric disorders and were a major reason for specialist mental health service use.

Citing Articles

Parents' perception of adolescents' difficulties and impact of problems in different castes and ethnic groups in Nepal. Do they converge with the frequencies of symptoms reported on the child behavior checklist (CBCL)?.

Adhikari S, Ma J, Shakya S, Brondbo P, Handegard B, Javo A Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2025; .

PMID: 39960504 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-025-02835-1.

Unmet need for mental health care among adolescents in Asia and Europe.

Mori Y, Sourander A, Mishina K, Stahlberg T, Klomek A, Kolaitis G Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024; 33(12):4349-4359.

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Caregiver burden among caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

van Niekerk K, Stancheva V, Smith C S Afr J Psychiatr. 2023; 29:2079.

PMID: 37928940 PMC: 10623632. DOI: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v29i0.2079.

Urban Latinx parents' attitudes towards mental health: Mental health literacy and service use.

Dixon De Silva L, Ponting C, Ramos G, Guevara M, Chavira D Child Youth Serv Rev. 2023; 109.

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Psychosocial Interventions for Youth With Bipolar Disorders: Combining Clinicians' and Caregivers' Perspectives.

Chung W, Vesco A, Resko S, Schiman N, Fristad M Prof Psychol Res Pr. 2022; 43(6):633-640.

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