Objective: To describe the state of the literature on stigma associated with children's mental disorders and highlight gaps in empirical work. Method: We reviewed child mental illness stigma articles in (English only) peer-reviewed journals available through Medline and PsychInfo. We augmented these with adult-oriented stigma articles that focus…

Rural African American children living in poverty have a higher prevalence rate of mental health disorders than their urban counterparts. While access to mental health services is lacking in resource scarce rural communities, African American rural residents may also be the most likely to confront significant barriers to care and help-seeking.…

The combined effect of race and place of residence on caregivers' perceptions of children's mental health services is underresearched. Differences in caregiver strain, barriers-to-care endorsement, and provider satisfaction are examined among 175 rural and urban African American caregivers from one Southern state whose children received Medicaid…

Context: All youth, especially those with serious emotional disturbances (SED), face challenges as they transition to adulthood. Little is known about rural youth at risk for transition problems. Purpose: To examine transition-age youth who use publicly funded services in rural and urban/suburban locations in Tennessee in order to describe youth…

This study demonstrates the usefulness of cluster analytic patterns of care in a sample of 979 children receiving federal mental health services. Six patterns were identified. These service-utilization clusters provide a useful and easily understood way to summarize children's quantity of use of various mental health services. (SLD)

Fischer presented a methodological framework which combined empirical methods of data collection with interpretive and philosophical approaches to provide a useful model for studying mental health policy for children and adolescents. The levels of the method include: (1) study of cause-effect relationships; (2) phenomenological analysis to…

A study tested the efficacy of a multicomponent parent training curriculum with caregivers of children receiving mental health services (n=250). The parent group intervention was found to affect significantly two factors critical to increasing caregiver empowerment, knowledge of the mental health services system, and mental health services…

This study examined the utilization rate of behavioral health services by children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) over a 6-year period and compared this rate to the expected number of children with ASD in TennCare, Tennessee's managed care Medicaid program. Analysis of TennCare patient data found the rate at which children with ASD received…

Mental health services are often unavailable, inaccessible, or inappropriate for the children and families who need them. In order to implement a more effective system of mental health services to children and adolescents, an adequate system of care must be defined and described, and a policy mandate to implement such a system must be developed.…

This paper describes the Tennessee Children's Plan, a program phased in between 1991 and 1993 that implemented a coordinated service system for children, youth, and families. A study involving children and youth (birth through 21 years) who were in the custody of the State of Tennessee investigated the effectiveness of coordinated service systems…

A study involving 574 children (ages 5-17) who received mental health services examined whether caregiver variables predicted child mental health service utilization patterns, particularly caregiver strain. Results found caregiver strain to be associated with the combination of services used, sequencing of services, gaps in care, and cost of…