Mental Health Service Use Among Youth with Mental Health Need: Do School-Based Services Make a Difference for Sexual Minority Youth?

Citation

Williams, Kelly A. & Chapman, Mimi V. (2014). Mental Health Service Use Among Youth with Mental Health Need: Do School-Based Services Make a Difference for Sexual Minority Youth?. School Mental Health. pp. 1-12

Abstract

Evidence suggests that despite higher rates of mental health service use, sexual minority youth (SMY) have greater unmet mental health need than peers. Using a representative subsample of students with a mental health need from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 8,034), a multilevel analysis was conducted to explore whether: (1) Availability of school mental health services affects the odds that youth with a mental health need will use mental health services; and whether (2) sexual minority status (SMS) interacts with availability of school mental health services to moderate the relationship between SMS and mental health service use. SMY accounted for 10.3 % (n = 766) of the subsample. Mental health need was defined using measures for physical and sexual victimization, anxiety, depression, and suicidality. A hierarchical logistical regression tested for cross-level interaction (SMS × school mental health services). SMY had 82 % higher odds of using mental health services in any sector than their heterosexual peers (OR = 1.82, p < .001). Overall, youth with a mental health need had 40 % higher odds of using any type of mental health services if they attended schools offering mental health services (OR = 1.40, p < .001). The cross-level interaction test between SMS and service use was nonsignificant. Model-predicted probabilities are presented to better understand the findings. School-based mental health services are a crucial gateway to mental health service use in any sector for youth with a mental health need regardless of SMS.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12310-014-9132-x

Keyword(s)

School-based mental health services Sexual minority youth Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Adolescents Multilevel analysis Mental health service use

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

School Mental Health

Author(s)

Williams, Kelly A.
Chapman, Mimi V.

Year Published

2014

Pages

1-12

ISSN/ISBN

1866-2625

DOI

10.1007/s12310-014-9132-x

Reference ID

7697