University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2013 Jan;83(1):73-88. doi: 10.1111/ajop.12005.
Young children, particularly uninsured children of color, suffer from mental health disturbances at rates similar to older children and adults, yet they have higher rates of unmet needs. To address unmet needs, efforts to identify mental health problems in primary care pediatric settings have grown in recent years, thanks in large part to expanded screening efforts. Yet, health disparities in early detection remain. Enhancing understanding of how early childhood mental health problems can be identified and addressed within pediatric settings is an important and growing area of research. The authors draw on theoretical models from public health policy, health psychology, and child development, including health beliefs, help seeking, transtheoretical, motivation to change, and dynamic systems, to better understand and address challenges to and disparities in identifying and addressing mental health problems in pediatric settings. These theories have not previously been applied to early mental health screening and identification efforts. Developmental and sociocultural considerations are highlighted in an effort to address and reduce higher rates of unmet needs among young, uninsured children of color.
儿童，尤其是无保险的有色人种儿童，其心理健康问题的发生率与大龄儿童和成人相似，但他们的未满足需求的比例更高。为了解决这些未满足的需求，近年来，在初级保健儿科环境中识别心理健康问题的努力有所增加，这在很大程度上要归功于扩大了的筛查工作。然而，早期检测方面仍然存在健康差异。加强对如何在儿科环境中识别和解决儿童早期心理健康问题的理解，是一个重要且不断发展的研究领域。作者借鉴了公共卫生政策、健康心理学和儿童发展领域的理论模型，包括健康信念、寻求帮助、跨理论、改变动机和动态系统，以更好地理解和解决在儿科环境中识别和解决心理健康问题的挑战和差异。这些理论以前从未被应用于早期心理健康筛查和识别工作。为了解决和减少年轻、无保险的有色人种儿童中更高的未满足需求的比例，强调了发展和社会文化方面的考虑。
