Making Evidence-Based Knowledge Accessible to Parents to Promote Child Mental Health Care

Abstract

Parenting is often described as one of the most complicated life challenges, and the complexity increases in the presence of child developmental and/or mental health conditions. In the field of child psychiatry, parental psychoeducation-including guidance, support, and skill building-is an integral part of treatment that improves both the child patient's wellbeing and the quality of life of the family. Parents are the primary agent of care delivery for the child patient, which means that parental beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about mental health care fundamentally influence service use and treatment adherence. Parents' and caregivers' access to accurate and up-to-date information regarding child development and mental health conditions can be critical in helping families optimize their use of mental health services, feel more confident in managing their child's symptoms, and make informed decisions about treatment strategies, which ultimately improve mental health outcomes in children.¹.