A Qualitative Exploration of Ontario Caregivers' Perspectives of Their Role in Navigating Mental Health and/or Addiction Services for Their Youth.

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9803531 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1556-3308 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10943412 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Behav Health Serv Res Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2006- : New York, NY : Springer
Original Publication: Northbrook, IL : Thousand Oaks, CA : Association of Behavioral Healthcare Management ; Sage Publications, c1998-

Caregivers*/psychology ; Mental Health Services*; Humans ; Adolescent ; Mental Health ; Ontario ; Health Personnel

Many youth experiencing mental health and/or addiction (MHA) concerns rely on their caregivers to find and access services. Considering that caregivers often play a significant role in their youth's treatment trajectory, a descriptive qualitative study was used to explore how caregivers (n = 26) in the Greater Toronto Area perceive their role in navigating MHA care for their youth (ages 13 to 26). The Person-Environment-Occupation model was used to guide the thematic analysis. The findings reveal three main themes (1) the internal experience of caregiving, which describes caregivers' emotions and thought processes; (2) the external factors impacting the caregiver's ability to find and access youth MHA services, which explores systemic and social factors that impact navigation; and (3) the demands of the caregiving role. The discussion highlights the importance of supporting the wellbeing of caregivers as they navigate youth MHA services and can provide useful information for healthcare professionals and policy-makers to increase equitable access to youth MHA services.
(© 2023. National Council for Mental Wellbeing.)

Erratum in: J Behav Health Serv Res. 2023 Aug 10;:. (PMID: 37561263)

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Date Created: 20230613 Date Completed: 20230904 Latest Revision: 20230906

20240829

10.1007/s11414-023-09843-6

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