Mental Health Service Use Among Young People From Families With Different Intergenerational Patterns of Child Protection Contact

This study examined mental health service use among 75,784 Australian young people from families with different intergenerational patterns of child protection (CP) contact evident in longitudinal multi-agency administrative data, namely cycle maintainers (parental and offspring CP contact), cycle initiators (only offspring CP contact), cycle breakers (only parental CP contact), or no CP contact . Young people from cycle maintainer families had the highest prevalence of mental health service use (76%), followed by those from cycle initiator (70%), cycle breaker (53%), then no CP contact families (49%). Young people from cycle maintainer and cycle initiator families accessed mental health services earlier than those from cycle breaker and no CP contact families. While those from families with cumulative intergenerational CP involvement were the most likely to use mental health services, young people’s mental health service use appeared to be more closely linked to their own CP contact than to that of their parents.