Seeking and accessing professional support for child anxiety in a community sample

Abstract

There is a lack of current data on help-seeking, and barriers to accessing professional support for child anxiety disorders. This study aimed to provide current data on the frequency and type of parental help-seeking, professional support received, and parent-reported barriers/facilitators in the context of child anxiety, and to explore factors associated with help-seeking, and parent-reported barriers among help-seekers and non help-seekers. We conducted a survey of help-seeking in parents of 222 children (aged 7-11) with elevated anxiety symptoms identified through screening in schools, 138 children of whom met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder. Almost two-thirds (64.5%) of parents of children with an anxiety disorder reported seeking help from a professional; in 38.4% of cases parents reported that their child had received support from a professional to help manage and overcome their anxiety difficulties, and < 3% had received evidence-based treatment (CBT). Frequently reported parental barriers related to difficulties differentiating between developmentally appropriate and clinically significant anxiety, a lack of help-seeking knowledge, perceived negative consequences of help-seeking, and limited service provision. Non-help seekers were more likely than help seekers to report barriers related to thinking a child's anxiety may improve without professional support, and the absence of professional recognition. Findings identify the need for (i) tools for parents and primary school staff to help identify children who may benefit from professional support to overcome difficulties with anxiety; and (ii) increased evidence-based provision for child anxiety disorders, including delivery within schools and direct support for parents.

“Just keep pushing”: Parents' experiences of accessing child and adolescent mental health services for child anxiety problems

“…Moreover, lower rates of treatment access are reported for anxiety disorders compared with behavioural disorders in children (Merikangas et al, ). A recent U.K. survey reported that only 38.4% of children with anxiety disorders receive support from professionals, and an even smaller minority (15.2%) receive support from specialist mental health services (Reardon, Harvey, & Creswell, under review).…”

Practitioner Review: Anxiety disorders in children and young people – assessment and treatment

“…Even with the above adherence issues in mind, a very small proportion of children and adolescents who could benefit from interventions actually reach these interventions at all. In a recent study, only 2% of children with anxiety disorders identified in the community in England had received CBT (Reardon, Harvey, & Creswell, ). These findings are in keeping with previous studies indicating low rates of service utilisation more broadly in the United Kingdom, Australia and United States (Green et al, ; Lawrence et al, ; Merikangas et al, ).…”

“…These findings are in keeping with previous studies indicating low rates of service utilisation more broadly in the United Kingdom, Australia and United States (Green et al, ; Lawrence et al, ; Merikangas et al, ). Barriers that parents frequently reported related to difficulties differentiating between developmentally appropriate and clinically significant anxiety, a lack of help‐seeking knowledge, perceived negative consequences of help‐seeking, and limited service provision (Reardon, Harvey, et al, ). These findings highlight the need for tools to help identify young people who may benefit from professional support to overcome difficulties with anxiety difficulties, as well as increased evidence‐based provision for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and young people.…”

Barriers and facilitators to targeted anxiety prevention programmes in families at risk: a qualitative interview study

“…For example, Radez et al [29] examined barriers and facilitators to treatment in a systematic review, and found four themes: individual CYP factors, such as limited knowledge of mental health problems including anxiety, social factors, such as embarrassment and perceived stigma; CYP perceptions of therapeutic relationships, such as issues of confidentiality and structural factors, such as financial cost. Qualitative studies of barriers and facilitators to access to treatment for anxiety disorders in particular [30,31], have identified difficulties including identifying anxiety as a problem, anticipating that professionals would dismiss concerns and limited service provision; while factors facilitating access to treatment included raising awareness of how to seek help and trust in teachers at CYPs schools. Although many of these themes may also apply to prevention, this has not been examined to date.…”