Family involvement in the planning and execution of mental health treatment has been shown to positively influence child outcomes; however, there is wide variability in the levels of involvement by families. The current study investigated the influence of child, family caregiver, service system, and community factors on the level of family…

The combined effect of race and place of residence on caregivers' perceptions of children's mental health services is underresearched. Differences in caregiver strain, barriers-to-care endorsement, and provider satisfaction are examined among 175 rural and urban African American caregivers from one Southern state whose children received Medicaid…

Parents and relative caregivers of children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often report high levels of strain associated with the care of that child. This study compares how parents and other relative caregivers, and different family caregiver groups, experience strain. Overall, we found that Medicaid care-givers (n = 648)…

A study involving 574 children (ages 5-17) who received mental health services examined whether caregiver variables predicted child mental health service utilization patterns, particularly caregiver strain. Results found caregiver strain to be associated with the combination of services used, sequencing of services, gaps in care, and cost of…

A study compared Medicaid children with and without serious mental health problems (n=965) using parent reports of global health status, physical functioning, and general health perceptions. Children with more serious mental health problems were significantly more likely to have chronic health conditions. The number of conditions also predicted…

A study of 984 families of children with emotional and behavioral disturbance used the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire to assess the effects of the shift of primary caregiving to the family due to deinstitutionalization. Results indicate the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, which also identified three related but unique dimensions of…

A study tested the efficacy of a multicomponent parent training curriculum with caregivers of children receiving mental health services (n=250). The parent group intervention was found to affect significantly two factors critical to increasing caregiver empowerment, knowledge of the mental health services system, and mental health services…