Characteristics and Service Needs of Maltreated Children Referred for Mental Health Services at a Child Advocacy Centre in Canada.

OBJECTIVE

There is a dearth of Canadian-based literature on children referred to treatment services following maltreatment exposure. In order to inform assessment, intervention, and program development to improve outcomes, insight into the demographics and mental health needs of this population is required.

METHODS

A retrospective file review of 176 children and youth who were referred for assessment and treatment at a mental health partner agency within a Canadian Child Advocacy Centre was conducted from January 2016 to June 2017. A standardized protocol was developed to extract data on family and child demographic characteristics, type of maltreatment, other adversity exposure, presenting concerns of the child, and mental health service utilization.

RESULTS

The majority of children were female (66.5%), 4.5% were 0 to <5 years, 66.5% were 5 to <13 years, and 29.0% were 13 to <18 years of age. More than half of the children (53.4%) had multiple forms of maltreatment, with 67% exposed to sexual abuse. Exposure to other forms of adversity was also common, including domestic violence (53.4%) and parental mental health difficulties (52.3%). Most children had more than five presenting concerns at the time of referral, and most went on to receive intervention services. Sixty-nine percent of families had not previously received child mental health treatment, although 41.5% had prior child welfare involvement. Thirty percent of families ended treatment prematurely.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study illustrates the complex profile and mental health needs of children referred for treatment following maltreatment exposure. Results may have implications for clinical care improvement that support maltreated children.