Mental Health Service Use among 18-Year-Old Adolescent Boys: A Prospective 10-Year Follow-Up Study

• Published in: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 43; no. 10; pp. 1250 - 1258
• Main Authors: Sourander, Andre, Multimaki, Petteri, Santalahti, Paivi, Parkkola, Kai, Haavisto, Antti, Helenius, Hans, Nikolakaros, Georgios, Piha, Jorma, Tamminen, Tuula, Moilanen, Irma, Kumpulainen, Kirsti, Aronen, Eeva T, Linna, Sirkka-Liisa, Puura, Kaija, Almqvist, Fredrik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Adolescent; Comorbidity; Drinking; Finland - epidemiology; Follow-Up Studies; Followup Studies; Forecasting; Health Services; Humans; Identification; Male; Males; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental Health; Mental Health Programs; Mental Health Services - utilization; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Psychiatry; Severity of Illness Index; Finland
• ISSN: 0890-8567; 1527-5418
• DOI: 10.1097/01.chi.0000134493.88549.e2

Objective: To study prevalence and factors associated with mental health service use among 18-year-old adolescent boys. Method: Predictors at age 8 and factors at age 18 associated with mental health service use during the preceding 12 months were studied in a general population sample of 2,316 Finnish boys born in 1981 attending military call-up (79% of the original sample). Results: Within the preceding 12 months, 2.1% of the boys had used mental health services. At age 18, internalizing, anxious-depressive, and withdrawal symptoms; health problems; not living with parents; use of illicit drugs; high level of alcohol use; and regular smoking were independently associated with service use. At age 8, a high level of emotional and behavioral symptoms, need for referral, and low school performance according to teacher evaluations predicted service use 10 years later. Conclusions: Only a minority of adolescents with severe problems had used mental health services. Because of the wide range of problems and comorbidity among service users, there is a need for integration of different services. Education services have a central role in the early detection of those who will later use mental health services. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2004;43(10):1250-1258. Key Words: mental health, service use.