Factors Affecting Use of the Mental Health System by Rural Children

As many as 20% of children between the ages of 0 and 18 meet the criteria for one or more mental disorders at some point in their lives, with about one half of these being described as being seriously disturbed. Only about one-third of these children and adolescents receive help from the mental health system. Negative outcome expectations toward the mental health system can prevent use of services. This study examined rural parents' expectations about outcomes related to mental health treatment, the provider-client-parent relationships, social and cultural factors, and accessibility to mental health services. The parents' knowledge of the prevalence of mental health disorders in children and adolescents was also examined. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. Stigma toward the use of the mental health system was evident. More than half the parents were concerned that mental health professionals would not care for their child. Although negative relationship outcome expectations were revealed, positive treatment outcome expectations also emerged. Structural outcome expectations were not shown to be a major deterrent in receiving care. The belief and hope is that positive outcome expectations toward the mental health system will encourage use of services.