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Open Access 01-12-2021 | Research article

The role of mental health symptomology and quality of life in predicting referrals to special child and adolescent mental health services

Authors: Yeosun Yoon, Jessica Deighton, Alice Wickersham, Julian Edbrooke-Childs, David Osborn, Essi Viding, Johnny Downs

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2021

Abstract

Background

Children and adolescents’ mental health problems have been largely assessed with conventional symptom scales, for example, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) given that it is one of the mostly widely used measures in specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). However, this emphasis on symptom scales might have missed some important features of the mental health challenges that children and young people experience including day to day functioning and life satisfaction aspect (i.e. qualify of life).

Method

The study examined longitudinal association between a young person’s self-perceptions of quality of life and mental health difficulties and referral to specialist CAMHS service using a population cohort study (Targeted Mental Health in Schools service data) nested within a large-scale linkage between school (National Pupil Data base) and child mental health service administrative data (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust children and adolescent mental health services health records). Cox proportional hazard regression to estimate crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between participant psychopathology, and incidence of CAMHS referral.

Results

Pupils experiencing more behavioural difficulties, had an increased incidence of CAMHS referral (adjusted hazard ratio 1.1, 95% confidence interval 1.0–1.2). However, pupils who reported higher health related quality of life had a lower incidence of CAMHS referral over the follow-up period (adjusted hazard hario 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.9–0.98).

Conclusion

Children and young people’s perception of their quality of life should be considered at the stages of a clinical needs assessment.

Available only for authorised users

Some pupils participated the survey more than once as part of longitudinal cohort.

The response rate of SDQ from TaMHS survey were relatively low (around 50%). Also SDQ questionnaires are advised to be used for children aged 11 years or above [21], while Me and My Feeling questionnaires are developed for measuring wider age of young people including below age 11 and cover both emotional and behavioural difficulties [22, 23]. Thus, we used the Me and My Feeling questionnaire to measure the level of mental health difficulties for this study.

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Title: The role of mental health symptomology and quality of life in predicting referrals to special child and adolescent mental health services
Authors: Yeosun Yoon
Jessica Deighton
Alice Wickersham
Julian Edbrooke-Childs
David Osborn
Essi Viding
Johnny Downs
Publication date: 01-12-2021
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03364-2

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The role of mental health symptomology and quality of life in predicting referrals to special child and adolescent mental health services

Abstract

Background

Method

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Method

Results

Conclusion

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