Journal
CLINICAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
Volume 22, Issue 1, Pages 140-151Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/1359104516656722
Keywords
Service user experience; outpatient; qualitative; mental health; child and adolescent mental health services
Funding
- National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The development of youth-friendly' services has become a priority across a wide range of health-care contexts. However, relatively few studies have specifically examined users' experiences of, and preferences for, child and adolescent mental health care. The current study investigated young service users' views of outpatient and community mental health clinics in Sweden, based on two data sources. First, focus group interviews were conducted with seven children and adolescents (aged 10-18 years) to explore both positive and negative experiences of mental health care. Second, written suggestions about specific service improvements were obtained from 106 children and adolescents. Qualitative content analysis revealed three overarching themes: Accessibility', Being heard and seen' and Usefulness of sessions'. Young people's recommendations for improving practice included more convenient appointment times, offered in welcoming settings; opportunities to communicate more openly with clinical staff, enabling sensitive discussion of mental health and wider personal issues; and more structured treatments that offer greater credibility and relevance to young people's mental health and developmental needs. Young people also discussed being compelled by parents and school professionals to engage in treatment. Attending to young people's preferences must be a priority in order to overcome ambivalence about session attendance, and enhance treatment participation and outcomes.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available