has the potential to provide a safe method of addressing mental health problems among Latinx youth during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the extent to which Latinx caregivers are accessing telepsychology services for their child and whether this format is perceived to be an appropriate method of addressing youth psychopathology is unknown. The present study examined indicators of youth psychopathology and external stressors in relation to Latinx caregivers' perceived need for and utilization of youth telepsychology during the coronavirus pandemic. The sample consisted of 598 Latinx caregivers of school-age youths (M Age = 11.9, SD = 3.4) from across the United States recruited through an online survey panel. Caregivers reported on a wide array of factors associated with their ability to access mental health services and their perceived need for and utilization of youth telepsychology in the last year. Our findings suggest that telepsychology is a less preferred but acceptable intervention format. Despite this, significant unmet need for telepsychology services was found among Latinx youths with clinically elevated problems. Latinx caregivers were especially likely to perceive a need for and utilize telepsychology in response to parenting stress and youth internalizing problems. Clinical externalizing problems were not significantly associated with telepsychology need or utilization after controlling for other variables. Disparities in accessing telepsychology raise concerns regarding the long-term psychological impact of unmet mental health service need among Latinx youths. Efforts are needed to identify and eliminate barriers to accessing youth telepsychology services among Latinxs. Public Significance StatementThe coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems among Latinx youth and limited their access to preferred sources of support within their communities. Latinx caregivers perceived telepsychology as a less preferred yet acceptable method of delivery for mental health services. Despite acceptability, access seems to be lower than the demand warrants, a finding that points to the importance of understanding barriers to utilization of telepsychology services for Latinx youths.

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Background Knowledge regarding barriers faced by Latina/o/x caregivers in accessing youth mental health services (MHS) have largely depended on resource intensive interviewbased assessments. Objective We evaluated a questionnaire for Latina/o/x caregivers of youths that presents a briefer and more feasible alternative. Method We conducted a psychometric evaluation of the Barriers to Treatment Questionnaire -Latina/o/x Caregivers (BTQ-LC) with a sample of 598 Latina/o/x caregivers from across the United States. Descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analyses were used to identify common barriers to services, confirm the factor structure of the scale, and establish construct validity. Results Descriptive statistics suggest that not knowing where and how to access services, and normalization of youth psychopathology were the most frequently reported barriers among caregivers of youth with clinically elevated problems on the CBCL. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that the BTQ-LC was best represented by a three-factor structure:(1) structural, (2) perceptions regarding mental health problems, and (3) services. Our finding suggest that the BTQ-LC could also be used as a single factor as fit indices ranged from acceptable to poor. BTQ-LC scales were all negatively correlated with the utilization of common youth MHS (i.e., psychological counseling, medical doctors, school professionals). Conclusions The BTQ-LC represents an important step towards improving our understanding and assessment of barriers to services contributing to mental health disparities among Latina/o/x youths.

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Adolescents with a history of child maltreatment experience increased risk for psychopathology that sets them on a trajectory towards a range of difficulties in adulthood. Various factors influence caregivers’ decisions to seek mental health services (MHS) that could improve developmental outcomes. The present study applied a machine learning algorithm, elastic net, to a sample of 878 adolescent-caregiver dyads from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Analyses simultaneously examined a large number of factors to determine their ability to discriminate between caregivers who perceived a need for MHS and those who did not, as well as caregivers who utilized MHS and those who did not. Results highlight family demographics, chronic parental stressors, youth psychopathology, and exposure to recent adversities as good classifiers of caregiver perceived need for (77.6%; sensitivity = .77; specificity = .78) and utilization of (71%; sensitivity = .71; specificity = .71) adolescent MHS. Elastic net identified adolescent clinical externalizing and internalizing problems, and parental stress related to child(ren)’s behavior as high value classifiers of both outcomes. Youth living with non-kin caregivers were also significantly more likely to utilize MHS. Findings highlight the importance of assessing clinical need, stress related to child(ren)’s behavior, and caregiver kinship in understanding the likelihood that at-risk families will seek adolescent MHS.