Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2018 Jan;39(1):20-27. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000500.
Although youth with autism have elevated rates of mental health problems compared to typically developing youth, little is known about the mental health services that they receive. The current study examines predisposing, enabling, and clinical need factors as they relate to mental health service use in youth with autism.
The current study surveyed parents of 2337 children and adolescents with autism, compared their access to behavioral management and mental health treatment (MHT), and isolated the correlates of such receipt.
Children used behavioral management more than adolescents, whereas the opposite was true for MHT. Mental health treatment receipt was associated with caregiver-related and mental health problems in both age groups, with routine health service use in children and with behavioral problems in adolescents. Behavioral management was correlated with caregiver-related services and behavioral problems in both age groups, and with sex and intellectual disability in adolescents.
Clinical needs and caregiver service use are consistently associated with mental health care across ages, whereas the role of youth characteristics is particularly relevant when considering service use for adolescents.
尽管自闭症青少年的心理健康问题发生率高于普通青少年，但对于他们所接受的心理健康服务知之甚少。本研究探讨了与自闭症青少年心理健康服务使用相关的倾向因素、促成因素和临床需求因素。
本研究调查了 2337 名自闭症儿童和青少年的家长，比较了他们获得行为管理和心理健康治疗（MHT）的情况，并分离了获得这些服务的相关因素。
儿童比青少年更多地使用行为管理，而青少年则更多地使用心理健康治疗。心理健康治疗的获得与两个年龄段的照顾者相关问题和心理健康问题有关，与儿童的常规健康服务使用以及青少年的行为问题有关。行为管理与两个年龄段的照顾者相关服务和行为问题有关，与青少年的性别和智力残疾有关。
临床需求和照顾者服务的使用与各年龄段的心理健康护理始终相关，而青少年特征的作用在考虑青少年的服务使用时尤为重要。
