The School of Psychology, The Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
The School of Psychology, The Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Prev Sci. 2024 Jul;25(5):798-812. doi: 10.1007/s11121-024-01693-8. Epub 2024 Jun 16.
Childhood represents a critical window for the emergence and treatment of mental health disorders, yet many are not being identified, or are identified too late to receive adequate intervention. This systematic review (Prospero registration: CRD42022299560) aimed to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of parent reported universal mental health screening (UMHS) to improve the early identification of children at-risk of mental health difficulties, and to identify barriers and enablers that may influence parental engagement. Six databases were searched in February 2022 for peer-reviewed, primary research. Studies conducted in targeted populations, evaluating psychometric properties, or focused on screening non-psychological problems were excluded. Ten studies examined parent reported (n = 3,464 parents) UMHS for children from birth to 18 years, suggesting an overall scarcity of research. Findings are presented in a table of study characteristics and a narrative summary of acceptability, effectiveness, barriers, and enablers. Quantitative findings indicated that parents generally support and accept UMHS. Research assessing effectiveness was limited, although two studies indicated increased referrals and referral adherence following positive screens. Confidentiality and stigma were commonly identified barriers. Quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool indicated that studies varied in quality, meeting four to seven of the seven quality criteria. Understanding and addressing parent attitudes to UMHS across settings is necessary for the successful implementation of screening and improvement of child mental health outcomes. More high-quality research studies, including randomized controlled trials are therefore needed to examine the acceptability and effectiveness of UMHS for parents and their children.
儿童期是出现和治疗心理健康障碍的关键时期，但许多障碍未被发现，或者发现得太晚，无法接受充分的干预。本系统评价（Prospéro 注册号：CRD42022299560）旨在确定家长报告的通用心理健康筛查（UMHS）在提高对有心理健康困难风险的儿童的早期识别方面的有效性和可接受性，并确定可能影响家长参与的障碍和促进因素。2022 年 2 月，我们在六个数据库中搜索了同行评议的原始研究。排除了针对特定人群进行的、评估心理测量特性的或专注于筛查非心理问题的研究。十项研究评估了针对从出生到 18 岁儿童的家长报告（n=3464 名家长）UMHS，表明此类研究总体匮乏。研究特征表和可接受性、有效性、障碍和促进因素的叙述性总结中呈现了研究结果。定量研究结果表明，家长普遍支持和接受 UMHS。评估有效性的研究有限，但两项研究表明，阳性筛查后增加了转介和转介依从性。保密性和污名化是常见的障碍。使用混合方法评估工具进行的质量评估表明，研究质量存在差异，符合七个质量标准中的四个至七个标准。了解和解决家长对 UMHS 的态度对于成功实施筛查和改善儿童心理健康结果是必要的。因此，需要更多高质量的研究，包括随机对照试验，来检验家长和他们的孩子对 UMHS 的可接受性和有效性。
