Relationship Between Adolescent Mental Health, Parental Depression, and Family Environment for Adolescents Accessing Intensive Mental Health Treatment

This study explored the relationship between adolescent mental health, parental depression, and family environment for children and adolescents accessing intensive mental health treatment. The study had two aims. Aim one was to identify the severity of externalizing behaviors versus internalizing behaviors in children and adolescents accessing intensive mental health treatment and to determine the nature of gender differences in such behaviors. Aim two was to explore the relationship between adolescent mental health, parental depression, and family environment. Results indicated that children and adolescents accessing intensive mental health treatment were more likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors than internalizing behaviors, and female adolescents were more likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors than were male adolescents. In relation to the second aim, there was a significant relationship between parental depression and internalizing behaviors in children and adolescents, such that parents who reported more symptoms of depression were more likely to report that their children and adolescents exhibited internalizing behaviors. Family environment and gender had the greatest influence on externalizing behaviors such that families with female adolescents and who reported lower levels of connection within the family were also more likely to report that their children and adolescents exhibited externalizing behaviors. Lastly, parents who perceived that their children and adolescents were exhibiting externalizing behaviors were more likely to report less access to relationships both internally (i.e. their spouse) and externally (i.e. childcare, friends). Conversely, only one of the internalizing behaviors, depression, was related to access to internal and external family relationships. Parents who perceived that their children and adolescents were displaying more depressive symptoms were also more likely to report less access to relationships. Findings from the current study highlight the need to understand the families of children and adolescents who access intensive mental health treatment to better tailor prevention and intervention efforts.