Degree
Master of Science
Program
Psychology
Supervisor
Dr. Graham Reid
Abstract
The influence of wait-list duration for child and adolescent mental health services on families seeking help elsewhere was examined. Survival analyses, modelling time from being initially placed on a wait-list to when a family contacted a new agency, were conducted separately for families that did not receive help prior to contacting a new agency (n=159) and those that received help (n=114). Survival analyses examined effects of wait-time along with predisposing (e.g.,age), need (e.g.,child psychopathology), and enabling (e.g.,number of agencies) factors on time to contact a new agency. Almost half of families contacted a new agency after having been wait-listed. Of those that had not yet received help, 25% contacted a new agency within one month of being wait-listed. Parents with previous treatment experience and families living in areas with 10 or more agencies waited less time to contact a new agency. Implications for service delivery in the children’s mental health system are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Schraeder, Kyleigh E., "Why Wait? The Effects of Waiting Time on Subsequent Help-Seeking Among Families Looking for Children’s Mental Health Services" (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 641.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/641