Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric illness that often develops in childhood, affects 1%–2% of the population, and causes significant impairment across the lifespan. The first step in identifying and treating OCD is a thorough evidence-based assessment. This paper reviews the administration pragmatics, psychometric properties, and limitations of commonly used assessment measures for adults and youths with OCD. This includes diagnostic interviews, clinician-administered symptom severity scales, self-report measures, and parent/child measures. Additionally, adjunctive measures that assess important related factors (ie, impairment, family accommodation, and insight) are also discussed. This paper concludes with recommendations for an evidence-based assessment based on individualized assessment goals that include generating an OCD diagnosis, determining symptom severity, and monitoring treatment progress.

Results support the value of integrated medical-behavioral health care for improving rates of care. Findings highlight mechanisms by which integrated care may lead to improved rates of care and outcomes for AYA, an underserved and understudied group.

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Background Stigma has been frequently cited as a barrier to service use for various mental health problems. Studies suggest that stigma may be greater for childhood mental health problems that are perceived as more atypical. Aims This study utilized a mixed methods research design (qual + QUAN) to examine parental endorsement of stigma and its impact on service utilization among children with significant anxiety—a common childhood problem frequently perceived as normative. Methods Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 parents of anxious children. Qualitative data were coded using a grounded theory approach, and stigma-related responses were examined for emergent themes. Quantitative data was analyzed with frequency counts and chi-square analysis. Results Stigma related to children's anxiety symptoms and seeking mental health services was reported by 41.3% (n = 12) of parents. Emergent themes included: 1) Parental Concern for Negative Consequences, 2) Parent Internalized Stigma, and 3) Negative Associations with Mental Health Treatment. Latino parents discussed stigma more frequently than non-Latino White parents (70% vs. 17.6%, respectively, X2(1, N = 27) = 5.33, p < 0.05). Conclusions Although anxiety is a common childhood problem, stigma is still frequently reported by parents and may be an important barrier to mental health service use, especially among Latino youth.

This article provides a brief review of the current available data concerning present treatment and potential new treatment advances for pediatric anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Disorder-specific treatment methods and innovations, particularly computer-assisted methods of delivery for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) will be reviewed. Additionally, the paper will discuss novel psychopharmacological compounds (e.g., D-cycloserine, riluzole, memantine, and anticonvulsant medications). Available evidence for the efficacy of novel medication strategies in adult studies and implications for their use in pediatrics will be discussed.

Introduction: Externalizing disorders are more prevalent in rural than urban settings and account for disproportionately high mental health service costs for rural adolescents. Although cultural stressors such as discrimination have been associated with externalizing problems in ethnic minority youth broadly, this relationship is understudied in Latinos, particularly those in rural settings. Further, though the associations of family processes such as familism and family conflict have been studied in relation to youth externalizing symptoms, whether these processes change in the face of adolescent discrimination stress remains unknown. Methods: A moderated multiple mediation model was used to examine the association between perceived discrimination, externalizing symptoms, and the indirect effect of family factors (familism, and family conflict) in a large sample (n = 455) of rural Latino youth. We also evaluated whether indirect and direct effects of discrimination on externalizing symptoms differed in boys versus girls. Results: Familism and family conflict each independently mediated the relationship between discrimination related stress and externalizing symptoms. However, discrimination had a direct effect on externalizing symptoms for boys only. In girls, this association held only when family factors were accounted for. Post-hoc analyses reveal that the moderating effect of sex on discrimination is driven by differences in rule-breaking behavior, as opposed to aggressive behavior. Conclusion: Findings suggest that discrimination is associated with changes in the family environment which in turn invoke elevated risk for externalizing problems. Further, family-focused interventions that address externalizing problems may be especially effective for adolescent girls.Characterized by emotion dysregulation and impulsivity, externalizing disorders include maladaptive behaviors directed toward other people and their property (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), and are most often associated with mental health referrals in childhood and adolescence (Kazdin, 1991). Externalizing disorders are associated with poor academic performance (Nelson, Benner, Lane, & Smith, 2004), peer and parental rejection, and delinquency during adolescence (Barnow, Lucht, & Freyberger, 2005), as well as substance use and criminal activity in adulthood (Farrington, 1989). The National Comorbidity Survey Replication-Adolescent supplement estimates the prevalence of externalizing disorders in adolescents is 19.6% (Merikangas et al., 2010), and that the presence of externalizing disorders in young adulthood is correlated with being male, Latino and from a rural community (Forster,

Background: This study aimed to clarify the predictive significance of youth perceptions of parental criticism assessed using a brief measure designed to enhance clinical utility. We hypothesized that high perceived parental criticism would be associated with more severe depression over 18-months of follow-up. Methods:The study involved secondary analyses from the Youth Partners in Care trial, which demonstrated that a quality improvement intervention aimed at increasing access to evidencebased depression treatment in primary care led to improved depression outcomes at post-treatment compared to usual care enhanced by provider education regarding depression evaluation/ management. Patients (N=418; ages 13-21) were assessed at four time points: baseline; posttreatment (six-month follow-up); 12-and 18-month follow-ups. The primary analysis estimated the effect of perceived parental criticism on likelihood of severe depression (i.e., Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale ≥ 24) over post-intervention follow-ups using a repeated-measures logistic regression model. Secondarily, a linear mixed-effects growth model