RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

Research Paper: Mental Health and Children

Jodi Sviontek
Wayne State University
734 673-4317

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

Abstract
In this paper I will be discussing mental health within children and the social welfare policies
related to this issue from the past and the present. There are many different disorders that
children suffer with; the problem is how the children and families struggle to deal with the
mental health disorder and how it affects the children and the families overall well being. I will
discuss the demographics and the impact of the population it affects. The problem has always
been there over time but there wasnt full awareness and understanding until the last 50-60 years,
the problem has changed over time because of the ways it has been treated and the way it has
affected people socially. Different policies and assistance has become available to the children
and their families to help alleviate their struggles. I have used different research and analysis
from books that I have found regarding the subject, I will delve in deeper to the root of the
problem and explore the issues into great detail.

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

Research Paper: Mental Health and Children

Children and mental health is a social issue and problem because it affects many children
in the United States. Mental health issues can severely interfere with their daily life, this not only
affects the child but it affects the family as well. Children with mental health disorders differ
from adults because they experience many, mental, and emotional changes as they progress
through their natural growth and development. Since they are in the process of learning how to
cope, adapt, and relate to the people around them. The problem is a struggle for the child
themselves and for the family, it impacts the overall well being of the child; its affects the child
at home, within the family, at school, and with peers. There is a large range of different mental
health issues that children can be faced with from disorders to impairment of their development
that can affect them in adulthood if they dont get the help they need. Mental health is a vital
component in a childs healthy development; children need to be healthy in order to learn, grow,
and live productive lives. An issue that regarding mental health in children is that there has been
dispute stating that the mental health service delivery system in its current state does not
sufficiently meet the needs of children and most that are in need of mental health services are not
able to access them. With better effective treatments, services, and supports, the mental health
system can become better equipped to help children and youth with mental health problems, or
those who are at risk, to thrive and live successfully. Individual and environmental risk factors
that increase the likelihood of mental health problems include receiving public assistance, having
unemployed or teenage parents, or being in the foster care system, exposure to drugs. Children
and youth who are at risk for mental health problems include those in low-income households,
those in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and those in military families, genetics
play a factor in mental health as well. Children and youth with mental health problems tend to

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

have lower educational achievement, greater involvement with the crime, and fewer stable and
longer-term placements in the child welfare system than their children who do not. When treated,
children with mental health problems do better at home, in schools, and in their communities.
Children in preschool and elementary school with mental health problems are more likely to
experience problems at school, be absent, or be suspended or expelled than are children with
other disabilities. Preschool children that face lack of attention to social emotional needs are at
an expulsion rates three times higher than children in kindergarten through 12th grade. AfricanAmerican preschoolers are three to five times more likely to be expelled than their white, Latino,
or Asian-American peers. Up to 14 percent of children with mental health problems receive poor
grades (compared to seven percent for all children with disabilities). Up to 44 percent of them
drop out of high school. Over 10 percent of high school dropouts were attributable to mental
health disorders. Children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems with mental health
issues do less well than others (Polihronakis, 2008). In the child welfare system, children with
mental health issues experience additional problems compared to those without a mental health
disorder. Children are less likely to be placed in permanent homes if in foster care; they are more
likely to experience a placement change than children without a mental health disorder. They are
more likely to be placed out of home in order to access services. They are more likely to rely on
restrictive or costly services such as juvenile detention, residential treatment, and emergency
rooms.

In 2007, 3.1 million youth (12.7 percent) received treatment or counseling in a specialty
mental health setting for emotional or behavior problems. An additional 11.8 percent of youth
received mental health services in an education setting, along with 2.9 percent who received
services in a general medical setting (Polihronakis, 2008). Though it shows that some are able to

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

access services, it is apparent that most children with mental health problems do not receive the
needed services. Seventy-five to 80 percent of children and youth in need of mental health
services do not receive them. (Polihronakis, 2008). Delivery of and access to mental health
services and supports vary depending on the state in which a child with mental health needs
resides. Evidence of the impact and the demographic of population that affects children and
mental health is that children from diverse racial and ethnic groups and from families who face
language barriers are often less likely to receive services for their mental health problems than
Caucasian children. 31% of white children receive mental health services. 13% of children from
diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds receive mental health services. Non-Hispanic/Latino white
children and youth have the highest rates of mental health services usage, while Asian
American/Pacific Islander children have the lowest rates. Hispanic/Latino and African-American
children in urban areas receive less mental health care than their white peers (Polihronakis,
2008). Among children in the child welfare system, African-Americans have less access to
counseling than white children. Some children with the most intense needs and some who are
insured dont receive mental health services. In the juvenile detention facilities, 85 % of youth
with psychiatric disorders report at least one perceived barrier to service usage, including the
belief that problems would go away without help, uncertainty about where to go, or cost of
services. 85% percent of children and youth in need of mental health services in the child welfare
system do not receive those (Polihronakis, 2008). Privately-insured families with children in
need of mental health care face significantly greater financial barriers than families with children
without mental health needs. 79% percent of children with private health insurance and 79%
percent with public health insurance have mental health needs that are not being met
(Polihronakis, 2008). In the child welfare system, both privately insured and uninsured children

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

are less likely to receive needed mental health counseling than those with public insurance. Even
among those children and youth who are able to access mental health services, quality of care is
often lacking. There are an insufficient number of providers, and many of them do not use
adequate, supported practices.

Financing for childrens mental health is not adequate. While there are no current estimates
of overall national spending, it is projected that federal agencies contributed nearly $6 billion to
preventive services in 2007 (Polihronakis, 2008). Despite this financial support, and due in large
part to a lack of flexible fiscal support for the system and for service users, quality of care suffers
and many children and youth do not receive the services they need. Finance policies drive the
capacity and quality of the services provided for children and youth with mental health
conditions. A major strategy among policymakers for attaining optimal service quality is the
implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs), which are those practices for which there is
valid scientific evidence of effectiveness. States encounter many barriers in adopting EBPs in
large systems, including lack of fidelity to models, mismatch between provider preparation and
expectations of practice, and large variation in the ability to transport from one setting to another.
Perspectives on evidence-based practices are mixed, with some providers expressing doubts and
concerns about the effectiveness of EBPs. Service users and family members are not wellinformed about EBPs, and many consider receiving care with fidelity to EBP models a tertiary
concern when they experience great difficulty in obtaining any quality care at all (Polihronakis,
2008). State infrastructure support to implement effective practices is variable, limited in scope,
pays insufficient attention to cultural needs, and lacks consistent fiscal support.

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

Recent federal legislation holds promise for increasing access to and the quality of childrens
mental health services. Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization 2009 requires that
mental health and substance abuse benefits are equal to other medical benefits in health
insurance. Similar provisions are included in the Patient Protection and Affordability Care 2010.
Consistent with the Wellstone-Domenici Act (2008), it requires mental health and substance
abuse benefits in the individual and group market to be on par with medical benefits
(Polihronakis, 2008). It makes providers of mental health and substance abuse services a high
priority in the law for increasing the work-force competency and availability of community
based services. The law also provides for prevention and early intervention and includes mental
health as part of the quality initiatives to manage chronic conditions, along with a range of
initiatives to address disparities.

My personal beliefs of the problem is that services and policies that should be put in to place
to alleviate problems are having an even better awareness of the issue and certain availability to
programs so there can be an increased access to effective practices like mental health counseling
with a focus on young children and Preschool children there could be less disruptive behavior
and higher attendance at school. Plus, there should be systems to identify at-risk
children. Identifying those children at most risk for poor mental health outcomes is important in
finding effective strategies for prevention and intervention. Treatment and supports using a
developmental framework are more likely to respond to the changing needs of children.
Furthermore, Increase adoption of electronic health records, and implement information systems
for quality assurance, accountability, and data sharing across providers, agencies and
counties. There should be a system for sharing records facilitates joint planning and improves
efficiency and quality of care. If there was a range of effective treatments exists to help children

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

and youth with mental health problems to function well in home, school, and community
settings. If we engage families and youth in their own treatment planning and decisions, this
could help the children. Family support and family-based treatment are critical to children and
youth resilience. Reaching out to community stakeholders to increase their awareness and
knowledge will enhance and family engagement, which helps treatment effectiveness. By
providing culturally and linguistically competent services there will be attention to providers
cultural and language competence leads to improved mental health outcomes and greater
adoption of effective practices. Finance and implement concrete strategies to identify and
prevent mental health problems and intervene early. Prevention and early intervention strategies
support children and youth resilience and ability to succeed. If there was an insurance that the
implementation of health reform recognizes the need to support an array of benefits from
prevention to treatment that will help alleviate the problem. Health insurance expansion is
associated with increases in access to mental health services.
Social welfare policies that relate to children and mental health are few while there are
programs and assistance for childrens well being, there as I stated earlier there is a lack of
policies for children with mental health. While there are options for parents to seek counseling
for mental health kids, people in poverty have less resources and children have less opportunity.
The history and the present regarding mental health and children is that children were
acknowledged to have mental health issues but they were placed in hospitals with adults because
they were considered mentally ill. While in the present day, mental health in children is
considered curable and not a mental disease, and as more as an environmental factor contributing
to poverty and how the child is raised. The subject has been treated historically by lumping
behavioral problematic children with mental ill adults in hospitals. There was no advocacy for

RESEARCH PAPER: MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN

the children historically, they were placed in foster care if there was an over abundance in the
hospitals. The problem was identified over time due to social awareness even though, there needs
to be further awareness in order to continue to alleviate the social problem. The historical and
current definition is different because while in the past children with mental health were treated
harshly, and children today are not treated in as a cruel way, this is also how it has changed over
time more humane ways of treating children. The people that receive the service are the children
with mental health issues, and their families if they are in the picture. The lack of policies impact
mostly the children and their families, as I stated earlier I believe if certain policies were
implemented then there are to be a lack of an issue. According to W.H.O, 2005
Social stigma, discrimination and societal prejudice affect the definition and the social
policies because children are the least capable of advocating for themselves. According to
W.H.O, 2005
Stigma and discrimination include: bias, stereotyping, fear, embarrassment,
anger and rejection or avoidance; violations of basic human rights and freedoms; denial
of opportunities for education and training; and denial of civil, political, economic, social
and cultural rights. Additionally, in contrast to physical illnesses where parents may
receive community support, stigma often results in parents being blamed for the mental
health problems of their children.
Behaviors associated with mental disorders are often misunderstood, or are
considered to be intentional or deliberately willful. For example, a depressed child who
is acting badly may be punished for being naughty or may be told to snap out of it.
An anxious adolescent may consume increasing amounts of alcohol in order to cope,
but is told to just say no!. When a problem is misunderstood by others, it is more

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10

likely that the solutions applied will be inappropriate and ineffective, or possibly harmful
to the health of the individual who is suffering
I feel the cause of the problem is lack of resources and knowledge of how the problem starts
and how to end it. The treatment of the issue relates to social work values and ethics because an
ethic is to feel strongly about human worth and the fact that I personally value helping others in
need and I have a great passion to become a social worker, I feel advocating for children to
receive the help they need is related greatly to social work.
Values permeate social welfare, whatever the perspective, culture, or period of history:
what we ought to provide or how we ought to deal with deviants. Every perception or
reaction is value-laden and value-based, and we can never be truly objective (Day, 2009).
The global perspective on childrens mental health surprising is treated similar to the United
States, it is not something that is placed great significance on, there needs to be better policies
implemented. Globally since there are many different cultures and backgrounds, children are not
treated the same generally (Mayadas, 2003).
In conclusion mental health and children is a social problem that persists and will continue to
persist until there are effective policies and programs. There is a cycle of poverty that is relevant
to mental health issues in children that will continue until the cycle is broken. We need to find
the problem early on, and treat the issue delicately because children need all the assistance they
can get. How children are treated early on will be an indicator on how they will treat others when
they are older.

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References
Day, Phyllis J. (2009). A New History of Social Welfare. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, INC.

Mayadas,S. Nazneen. & Elliott, Doreen, PHD. (2003). International Child Welfare in a Global
Economy. University of Texas: Judith Grainger Birmingham Center for child Welfare.

Polihronakis, Tina. (2008). Information Packet: Mental Health Care Issues of Children and
Youth in Foster Care. New York, NY: NRCFCPPP

World Health Organization. (2005). Child and Adolescent Mental Health Policies and Plans.
Switzerland: W.H.O.