National Referral and Treatment Patterns Among Mental Health Pediatric Primary Care Visits

Abstract

The current study explored factors that predict referral from pediatric primary care to mental health specialty care among a nationally representative sample of visits (N = 2056). Results of a logistic regression indicated that patient visits that included rarer/serious diagnoses (e.g., bipolar disorder) were more likely to receive a referral in comparison to those with ADHD (OR = 4.75, SE = 1.37). Other characteristics associated with increased likelihood of referral were those with comorbid mental health conditions (OR = 2.20, SE = 0.84) and those from a metropolitan area (OR = 2.23, SE = 0.75). Implications are discussed.

Keywords: Mental health; Referral; Specialty care.