News from the Field Related to Wraparound
CHDI Issue Brief: Engaging Pediatric Primary Care to Address Childhood Trauma
November 20, 2018
A new issue brief from the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc. (CHDI), “Engaging Pediatric Primary Care to Address Childhood Trauma: Part of a Comprehensive Public Health Approach,” examines statewide policy opportunities and resources to boost the role of pediatrics in the early identification of child traumatic stress and connection to services.
Mental Health Diagnoses Among US Children Continue to Increase
November 16, 2018
Research presented this month at the American Academy of Pediatrics based on an analysis of Pediatric Health Information System data from 45 children’s hospitals around the country, showed that from 2012 to 2016 the number of emergency department visits due to mental health concerns went from 50.4 per 100,000 visits, to 78.5 per 100,000 visits. In addition they found that non-Latino black children and adolescents were seen in emergency department visits for mental health related issues at nearly twice the rate of non-Latino white children and adolescents.
Research: How Early Head Start Prevents Child Maltreatment
November 1, 2018
Child Trends has published a research-to-practice brief on a study on the role of programs that serve families with infants and toddlers like Early Head Start (EHS) in reducing child abuse and neglect. The study found that participating families had positive short-term outcomes that led to lower risk of child welfare involvement in the future. The brief also includes recommendations for early childhood programs.
New study—reduced screen time for young highly recommended for well-being
October 31, 2018
An article published this month in Preventative Medicine Reports focused on recent research on screen time and wellbeing. The study, which used a large national random sample of 2 to 17 year old children and teens, found that more than one hour per day of screen time was connected with “lower psychological well-being, including less curiosity, lower self-control, more distractibility, more difficulty making friends, less emotional stability, being more difficult to care for, and inability to finish tasks.” In addition, high screen usage (7+ hours per day) correlated with increased anxiety and depression diagnoses.
Mobile Crisis Services Effective in Reducing ER Visits
October 16, 2018
A new brief from the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut summarizes a study on the impact of the state’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Services youth mental health on emergency department visits. Connecticut’s mobile crisis services are available statewide free of charge for youth up to age 18 (or 19, if still enrolled in school) and provide on-site crisis stabilization, a psycho-social assessment, brief treatment, and linkage to follow-up. For the study, data from the mobile crisis records was compared with Medicaid claims data for similar youth with behavioral health conditions who had not used mobile crisis services. For the follow-up period of 18 months, the group that used mobile crisis services demonstrated a 25% reduction in risk of subsequent emergency department visits compared to the other group.
New Research on Youth Suicide
October 10, 2018
Research published recently in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) , found that 71% of youth dying by suicide did so on their first attempt and 85% of those cases involved firearms.
Brief: Homelessness Among Families with Children
October 10, 2018
In September, as part of its Homelessness in America series the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness published a brief on families with children experiencing homelessness. The brief summarizes data and research to help inform the work to end homelessness. According to the brief, “families with children experiencing homelessness represent one-third of all people experiencing homelessness …and 59% of people experiencing homelessness in families are children under the age of 18”. The brief also highlights a correlation between residential mobility during childhood and increased risk for reporting negative health outcomes including depression, smoking, attempted suicide, alcoholism, and teenage pregnancy.
American Pediatrics Association Statement on Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents
September 19, 2018
This month the American Association of Pediatrics issued a policy guideline with broad recommendations for the field on the Gender Affirmative Care Model (GACM) in which pediatric providers will “offer developmentally appropriate care that is oriented toward understanding and appreciating the youth’s gender experience.” The recommendations for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth and adolescents also point out that “GACM is best facilitated through the integration of medical, mental health, and social services, including specific resources and supports for parents and families.”
Child Trends: Poverty rate rising among America’s youngest children, particularly infants of color
September 18, 2018
Child Trends recently posted on the latest US Census results which show that one in five infants and toddlers (19.9 percent of children through age two) were living in poverty in 2017. The poverty rate is higher among infants and toddlers of color for the same time period, with nearly one in three (32.7 percent) of black infants and toddlers living in poverty, and more than one in four (27.3 percent) of Hispanic infants and toddlers living in poverty. The authors urge for policy and practice solutions to address this issue.
Depression Treatment for Children Can Also Lower Parents’ Depression Symptoms
September 18, 2018
A recent viewpoint article in The Atlantic looked at growing research around the relational aspects of mental health and mental health treatment, including recent research showing that when teens are treated for depression, parents also show improvement in their depression symptoms.