Pediatric Mental Disorders and Related Screening Practices: Qualitative Insights from Early Childhood Educators

• Published in: Global pediatrics Vol. 6; p. 100084
• Main Authors: Kumar, Gaurav, Chaudhary, Priyanka, Walker, Cady, Su, Dejun, Toure, Drissa M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-12-2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Behavior; Children; Early care; Education providers; Mental health; Screening; Education providers; Screening; Early care; Behavior; Children; Mental health
• ISSN: 2667-0097; 2667-0097
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gpeds.2023.100084

The purpose of this research is to qualitatively identify perceived concerns about mental disorders among children and related screening practices for mental illness among early childcare and education providers.
Qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach was used.
53 early childcare and education providers from Nebraska participated in semi-structured interviews focused on mental disorders and related screening practices among children.
The recorded interviews were transcribed, coded, and systematically analyzed through thematic content analysis.
The analysis identified two themes concerning pediatric mental health disorders and screening practices. The first theme, mental health concerns, includes three categories: perceived level of mental disorder (n=39; 74 %), most common (attention-deficit disorder [n=28; 53.8 %] and anxiety [n=13; 25.6 %]), and least common (mood disorders [n=5; 10.2 %] and substance abuse [n=8; 15.4 %]). The second theme, screening practices, reflects the use of screening tools and their implication to screen mental disorders and suggested one category: screening measure usage (Ages and Stages and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers).
Among the 53 participants, 39 or 74 % of them stated their concern about pediatric mental health disorders in their organization, with some of the most commonly reported disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (53.8 %), anxiety (25.6 %), depression (17.9 %), and substance use (15.4 %). Participants were also concerned about the lack of standard screening instruments for mental health issues among children of ages 0 to 5. There is a need for early childcare organizations, healthcare providers, and educational organizations to collaborate and implement a coordinated approach to improving Nebraska's pediatric mental health.