Importance. Screening youth for mental disorders may assist in prevention, promote early identification, and reduce related lifetime impairment and distress. Objective. The goal was to survey parents about their comfort and preferences for pediatric mental health screening, as well as factors associated with these preferences. Design. The online survey was available July 11-14, 2021 on Prolific Academic. Analyses were conducted from November 2021 to November 2022. Setting. Online survey. Participants. The survey was administered to English-speaking parents with at least one 5-21-year old child at home. The sample included 972 parents, aged 21 and older, from the United States (n=265), United Kingdom (n=282), Canada (n=171), and Other Countries (n=254). Exposure(s). None. Main Outcome(s)/Measure(s). Parental preferences regarding the screening content, implementation preferences, and screener reviewing preferences of pediatric mental health screening were assessed in a novel survey. Mixed effects logistic models were employed to evaluate factors that influence parental comfort levels. Results. Parents, aged 21 to 65 (M=39.4; 62.3% female), supported annual mental health screening for their child and preferred reviewing the screening results with professional staff (e.g., physicians). Parents preferred parent-report over child self-reports, though they were generally comfortable with both options. Despite slight variations based on country of residence, screening topic, and child's age, parents were generally comfortable discussing all 21 topics. The greatest comfort was with sleep problems; the least comfort was with firearms, gender identity, suicidality, and substance use/abuse. Conclusions/Relevance. Our data indicated that parents support annual parent- and child self-report mental health screening in primary care settings, but comfort levels differ according to various factors, such as screening topic. Parents preferred screening to occur in the healthcare office and to discuss screening results with professional staff. In addition to parental need for expert guidance, the growing awareness of child mental health needs highlights the importance of addressing mental health concerns early via regular mental health screenings.

ImportanceScreening youths for mental disorders may assist in prevention, promote early identification, and be associated with reduced related lifetime impairment and distress.ObjectiveTo assess parents’ and caregivers’ comfort with and preferences for pediatric mental health screening and factors associated with these preferences.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis survey study used an online survey available from July 11 to 14, 2021, through Prolific Academic. Analyses were conducted from November 2021 to November 2022. The survey was administered to English-speaking parents and caregivers in the US, UK, Canada, and 16 other countries who were aged 21 years or older and had at least 1 child aged 5 to 21 years living at home.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcomes were parental preferences regarding content, implementation, and review of the findings of pediatric mental health screening. Parental comfort with screening topics was reported on a 6-point Likert scale with 6 indicating highest comfort. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with parental comfort levels.ResultsOf 1200 survey responses requested, data were collected from 1136 participants (94.7%). The final sample meeting the inclusion criteria comprised 972 parents and caregivers aged 21 to 65 years (mean [SD] age, 39.4 [6.9] years; 606 [62.3%] female). A total of 631 participants (64.9%) supported annual mental health screening for their child, and 872 (89.7%) preferred reviewing the screening results with professional staff (eg, physicians). Participants reported significantly decreased comfort with child self-report compared with parent-report screening assessments (b = −0.278; SE = 0.009; P < .001), although they were generally comfortable with both options. Despite slight variations based on country of residence, screening topic, and child’s age, participants were generally comfortable discussing all 21 screening topics on the survey. The greatest comfort was with sleep problems (mean [SE] score, 5.30 [0.03]); the least comfort was with firearms (mean [SE] score, 4.71 [0.05]), gender identity (mean [SE] score, 4.68 [0.05]), suicidality (mean [SE] score, 4.62 [0.05]), and substance use or abuse (mean [SE] score, 4.78 [0.05]).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this survey study of parents and caregivers, parent-reported and child self-reported mental health screening in primary care settings was supported by the majority of the sample, although comfort levels differed according to various factors (eg, screening topic). Participants preferred to discuss screening results with professional health care staff. In addition to parental need for expert guidance, the study findings highlight the growing awareness of child mental health needs and the importance of addressing mental health concerns early via regular mental health screenings.