Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health Safety Net Services for Youths: A National Survey of Agency Officials.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Mental health agencies provide critical safety net services for youths. No research has assessed impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on services these agencies provide or youths they serve. This study sought to characterize agency officials' perceptions of the pandemic's impacts on youths and challenges to providing youth services during the pandemic and to examine associations between these challenges and impacts.

Methods

Surveys were completed in September-October 2020 by 159 state or county mental health agency officials from 46 states. Respondents used 7-point scales (higher rating indicated more severe impact or challenge) to rate the pandemic's impact on youth mental health issues, general service challenges, and telepsychiatry service challenges across patient,

SUBMITTER: Purtle J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8799776 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature