The role of caregiver strain and other family variables in determining children's use of mental health services

This study used a prominent model of family stress and coping to examine whether caregiver and family variables predicted child mental health service utilization patterns, holding constant the child clinical and demographic variables. We were especially interested in the impact of caregiver strain on children's use of mental health services. We found caregiver strain to be associated with the combination of services used, sequencing of services, gaps in care, and cost of services. Other family variables that predicted children's service use included material resources, life events, and family functioning. Child clinical variables improved the explanatory power of the models considerably. When all other variables were included in the model, child's age was the only demographic variable that predicted service use patterns.