Rapid and Deferred Help Seeking Among African American Parents of Children With Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties
Abstract
Objective:
Methods:
Results:
Conclusions:
Methods
Study Population and Recruitment
Measures
Outcome variables.
Independent and control variables.
Analytic Approach
Results
Participant Characteristics
Characteristic | N | % |
---|---|---|
Demographic | ||
Child’s sex | ||
Female | 91 | 32 |
Male | 198 | 69 |
Child’s age at diagnosis (M±SD years) (N=287)a | 6.0±4.1 | |
Highest education level of adults in household (N=275) | ||
Less than high school | 32 | 12 |
High school diploma | 84 | 31 |
Some college | 101 | 37 |
College diploma or higher | 58 | 21 |
Annual household income, in $ (N=285) | ||
<35,000 | 229 | 80 |
35,000–50,000 | 37 | 13 |
>50,000 | 19 | 7 |
Child has serious mental disorder | 121 | 42 |
Other adults in household have mental health challenges | 39 | 14 |
Other children in household have mental health challenges | 73 | 25 |
Parent activation and mistrust | ||
Parent activation score (M±SD)b | 65.1±14.1 | |
Parent mistrusted doctors (N=286) | 46 | 16 |
Negative appraisal processesc | ||
Parent did not think help would make any difference | 65 | 23 |
Child received help before, and it did not work | 61 | 21 |
Parent was concerned about what people would think if they found out the child was getting help | 72 | 25 |
Parent was scared about their child being put in a hospital against the parent’s will | 47 | 16 |
Parent was scared about Department of Social Services involvement | 48 | 17 |
Parent thought the issue would get better by itself | 148 | 51 |
The challenge did not bother the parent very much at first | 134 | 46 |
Parent wanted to handle the challenge on their own | 150 | 52 |
Pediatric contextual barriersc | ||
Parent’s health insurance would not cover the service | 61 | 21 |
Parent was concerned about cost | 83 | 29 |
Parent had problems such as transportation or scheduling challenges that made it hard to get to the help | 115 | 40 |
Parent was unsure about where to go or who to see | 164 | 57 |
Parent thought it thought it would take too much time or be inconvenient | 35 | 12 |
Parent could not get an appointment | 39 | 14 |
Parent was not satisfied with available services | 57 | 20 |
Unadjusted Associations Between Sample Characteristics and Help Seeking
Rapid care | Deferred care | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||||
Characteristic | N | % | N | % | pa | N | % | N | % | pa |
Total (N=289) | 62 | 22 | 227 | 79 | 141 | 49 | 148 | 51 | ||
Parent activation and mistrust | ||||||||||
Parent activation score (M±SD)b | 68.7±16.2 | 64.1±13.3 | .022* | 63.4±13.1 | 66.7±14.8 | .043* | ||||
Parent mistrusted doctors (N=286) | 13 | 21 | 33 | 15 | .210 | 20 | 14 | 26 | 18 | .418 |
Negative appraisal processes | ||||||||||
Parent did not think help would make any difference | 12 | 19 | 53 | 23 | .505 | 33 | 23 | 32 | 22 | .717 |
Child received help before, and it did not work | 12 | 19 | 49 | 22 | .703 | 34 | 24 | 27 | 18 | .222 |
Parent was concerned about what people would think if they found out the child was getting help | 12 | 19 | 60 | 26 | .254 | 36 | 26 | 36 | 24 | .813 |
Parent was scared about their child being put in a hospital against the parent’s will | 8 | 13 | 39 | 17 | .419 | 27 | 19 | 20 | 14 | .194 |
Parent was scared about Department of Social Services involvement | 7 | 11 | 41 | 18 | .204 | 28 | 20 | 20 | 14 | .147 |
Parent thought the issue would get better by itself | 21 | 34 | 127 | 56 | .002** | 79 | 56 | 69 | 47 | .110 |
The challenge did not bother the parent very much at first | 18 | 29 | 116 | 51 | .002** | 70 | 50 | 64 | 43 | .275 |
Parent wanted to handle the challenge on their own | 22 | 36 | 128 | 56 | .004** | 76 | 54 | 74 | 50 | .507 |
Pediatric contextual barriers | ||||||||||
Parent's health insurance would not cover the service | 8 | 13 | 53 | 23 | .074 | 35 | 25 | 26 | 18 | .131 |
Parent was concerned about cost | 12 | 19 | 71 | 31 | .066 | 42 | 30 | 41 | 28 | .695 |
Parent had transportation or scheduling challenges to getting the help | 15 | 24 | 100 | 44 | .005** | 66 | 47 | 49 | 33 | .017* |
Parent was unsure about where to go or whom to see | 24 | 39 | 140 | 62 | .001*** | 89 | 63 | 75 | 51 | .033* |
Parent thought service would take too much time or be inconvenient | 7 | 11 | 28 | 12 | .823 | 17 | 12 | 18 | 12 | .978 |
Parent could not get an appointment | 7 | 11 | 32 | 14 | .567 | 12 | 9 | 27 | 18 | .016* |
Parent was not satisfied with available services | 8 | 13 | 49 | 22 | .128 | 32 | 23 | 25 | 17 | .215 |
Demographic characteristics | ||||||||||
Sex of child, male | 41 | 66 | 157 | 69 | .649 | 91 | 65 | 107 | 72 | .156 |
Age of child at time of diagnosis (M±SD years) (N=287) | 5.8±4.9 | 6.1±3.9 | .596 | 6.5±3.8 | 5.5±4.3 | .043* | ||||
Some college or more education (N=275) | 35 | 59 | 124 | 57 | .792 | 67 | 49 | 92 | 67 | .003** |
Annual income >$50,000 (N=285) | 6 | 10 | 13 | 6 | .263 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 10 | .043* |
Child has serious mental disorder | 23 | 37 | 98 | 43 | .390 | 62 | 44 | 59 | 40 | .479 |
Other adults in household have mental health challenges | 13 | 21 | 26 | 12 | .052 | 13 | 9 | 26 | 18 | .038* |
Other children in household have mental health challenges | 13 | 21 | 60 | 26 | .380 | 42 | 30 | 31 | 21 | .084 |
Adjusted Associations Between Sample Characteristics and Help Seeking
Characteristic | Rapid carea | Deferred careb | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OR | 95% CI | p | OR | 95% CI | p | |
Parent activation and mistrust | ||||||
Parent activation score | 1.03 | 1.00–1.05 | .024* | .99 | .97–1.01 | .212 |
Parent mistrusted doctors | 4.13 | 1.56–10.95 | .004** | .63 | .29–1.38 | .250 |
Negative appraisal processes | ||||||
Parent did not think help would make any difference | 2.07 | .76–5.64 | .153 | .69 | .34–1.43 | .321 |
Child received help before and it did not work | 2.63 | .96–7.20 | .059 | .87 | .41–1.84 | .713 |
Parent was concerned about what people would think if they found out the child was getting help | 1.24 | .47–3.31 | .663 | .63 | .29–1.37 | .248 |
Parent was scared about their child being put in a hospital against the parent’s will | .69 | .21–2.28 | .546 | 2.72 | 1.13–6.53 | .025* |
Parent was scared about Department of Social Services involvement | .44 | .11–1.71 | .233 | 1.30 | .53–3.19 | .568 |
Parent thought the issue would get better by itself | .86 | .36–2.02 | .727 | 1.39 | .73–2.63 | .317 |
The challenge did not bother the parent very much at first | .28 | .12–.65 | .003** | 1.14 | .63–2.08 | .670 |
Parent wanted to handle the challenge on their own | .47 | .19–1.12 | .088 | 1.11 | .58–2.11 | .759 |
Pediatric contextual barriers | ||||||
Parent's health insurance would not cover the service | .28 | .09–.88 | .029* | 2.45 | 1.07–5.63 | .035* |
Parent was concerned about cost | .98 | .36–2.63 | .960 | .83 | .40–1.74 | .626 |
Parent had transportation or scheduling challenges to getting to the help | .45 | .19–1.05 | .066 | 1.60 | .85–2.99 | .144 |
Parent was unsure about where to go or whom to see | .81 | .36–1.84 | .616 | 1.35 | .72–2.51 | .354 |
Parent thought it would take too much time or be inconvenient | 7.42 | 1.99–27.71 | .003** | .60 | .22–1.60 | .306 |
Parent could not get an appointment | 1.57 | .50–4.93 | .437 | .19 | .07–.51 | .001*** |
Parent was not satisfied with available services | .28 | .07–1.04 | .057 | 1.74 | .72–4.21 | .221 |
Demographic characteristics | ||||||
Sex of child, male | .78 | .36–1.70 | .537 | .71 | .39–1.29 | .256 |
Age of child at diagnosis | 1.01 | .92–1.10 | .918 | 1.03 | .96–1.11 | .394 |
Some college or more education | .96 | .46–2.01 | .918 | .52 | .29–.94 | .031* |
Annual income >$50,000 | 3.23 | .88–11.84 | .077 | .45 | .13–1.52 | .198 |
Child has serious mental disorder | .45 | .20–1.02 | .055 | 1.58 | .85–2.93 | .151 |
Other adults in household have mental health challenges | 5.42 | 1.90–15.49 | .002** | .32 | .14–.77 | .011* |
Other children in household have mental health challenges | .90 | 0.37–2.19 | .814 | 1.00 | .52–1.92 | .993 |
Discussion
Conclusions
References
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