Family physicians' involvement and self-reported comfort and skill in care of children with behavioral and emotional problems: a population-based survey

Abstract

Background: Little is known about general and family practitioners' (GP/FPs') involvement and confidence in dealing with children with common psychosocial problems and mental health conditions. The aims of this study were to ascertain GP/FPs' preferred level of involvement with, and perceived comfort and skill in dealing with children with behavioral problems, social-emotional difficulties, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and mood disorders; and to identify factors associated with GP/FPs' involvement, comfort and skill.

School mental health professionals’ training, comfort, and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration with pediatric primary care providers

“…These findings are also consistent with those examining school psychologists' training in pediatric health concerns, where the majority indicated they had received only very infrequent or no professional development on the topic . Additionally, findings are consistent with previous studies of PCPs, which indicate a range of comfort in addressing mental health concerns (Miller et al, 2005;Williams et al, 2004). Finally, the finding that interest in training was negatively associated with comfort levels of IPC is also consistent with findings from previous, related work (Kim & Salyers, 2008).…”

“…Further, others have found that pediatric PCPs' degree of comfort varies with respect to the type of presenting disorder (e.g. more comfortable addressing depression and ADHD than trauma and bipolar disorder), and that PCPs endorse feeling more comfortable assessing and diagnosing, rather than treating mental health disorders in youth (Miller, Johnston, Klassen, Fine, & Papsdorf, 2005;Williams et al, 2004). Despite such self-identified needs in addressing the mental health concerns of their youth patients and reported interest in formalized partnerships with mental health providers (Pidano, Honigfeld, Bar-Halpern, & vivian, 2014), pediatric PCPs endorse significant barriers to IPC with mental health providers in the community, including a lack of available specialists, time constraints, and insufficient knowledge about identifying and screening mental and behavioral health needs (Pidano et al, 2011).…”

Comfort of General Internists and General Pediatricians in Providing Care for Young Adults with Chronic Illnesses of Childhood

“…Treatment comfort is a necessary component of readiness and willingness to provide care, as previous studies have shown that provider treatment comfort alters physician treatment and referral patterns. [16][17][18] We hypothesized that factors such as physician experience (e.g., treating specific conditions during residency and practice), physician characteristics (e.g., board certification, years in practice), practice characteristics (e.g., practice type) and available resources (e.g., access to disease center, services such as social work or nutrition, and subspecialists) would be associated with physician treatment comfort. [19][20][21] We also hypothesized that internists with higher treatment comfort would be more willing to accept responsibility for primary care delivery of young adults with childhood onset chronic conditions.…”

Psychosocial Issues and Care in Pediatric Oncology

“…For example, professionals who have had advanced training are more likely to identify issues and to use multiple management strategies. 13,15,16 The nature of the presenting psychosocial difficulty has also been highlighted, with studies reporting that more severe difficulties are more likely to be identified and referred to specialist services. 8,13,14,17 Interestingly, there are inconsistencies in relation to the specific type of psychosocial issue that is referred.…”

“…Some studies have reported that behavioral issues are less likely to be referred and emotional issues are more likely to be referred, 8 whereas others suggest that behavioral issues are more likely to be referred. 15 Another factor mediating professionals' recognition and management of psychosocial issues is parent disclosure of a psychosocial issue. 9 Their own familiarity with the child also increases the likelihood of issues being recognized.…”