Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Economic Antecedents of Medicaid-Financed Mental Health Services Among Youths in California. |
| Authors: |
Bruckner, Tim A., Snowden, Lonnie, Subbaraman, Meenakshi S., Brown, Timothy T. |
| Source: |
International Journal of Mental Health. Summer2010, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p74-90. 17p. 5 Charts, 6 Graphs. |
| Subjects: |
Mental health services use, Layoffs, Utilization of youth mental health services, Pathological psychology, Medicaid, Child psychology, Recessions, Psychology |
| Geographic Terms: |
California |
| Abstract: |
Purpose: The literature reports that downturns in the economy may increase utilization of adult mental health services. However, whether economic decline affects the use of mental health services among youth remains unclear. We test whether demand for California's publicly financed mental health services for children varies with labor market contraction. Methods: We apply time-series methods to monthly counts of unduplicated clients served, from July 2002 to April 2008, for California Children's Medicaid Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. We use as the independent variable monthly unemployment insurance claims in California that result from mass layoffs. Results: Increases in the number of unemployment insurance claims due to mass layoffs in California coincide with higher than expected monthly values of EPSDT services. Exploratory analyses find that expansions in public health insurance enrollment do not account for the discovered increase in EPSDT services. Conclusions: Economic contraction may increase the demand for youth mental health services in California by provoking disorder, inducing help-seeking, or both. We discuss the implications of our findings for policy and for research concerned with the antecedents of mental health among youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of International Journal of Mental Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
