“Where are the pediatricians in all this?”: Family perspectives on the role of pediatricians in mental healthcare and suicide prevention

Abstract

Rising rates of youth anxiety, depression, and suicide mean that pediatricians are increasingly likely to encounter children struggling with their mental health in their clinical practices. Despite pediatric professional organizations encouraging pediatricians to contribute more to mental healthcare and suicide prevention, research on the role of pediatricians and whether families consider them a resource is limited. Drawing on original survey (N = 1230) and interview data (N = 102), we investigate how families conceptualize and involve pediatricians in their children’s mental healthcare, including during suicidal crises. Our survey data show that while families considered mental health professionals the ideal point of contact, pediatricians were a close second, confirming that families view pediatricians as a mental health resource. Parent interviews clarify that parents most often turn to pediatricians for medication and referrals to other mental health professionals or because mental health professionals were inaccessible. We also examine how pediatricians helped (by connecting families promptly to appropriate care) or hurt (by stigmatizing suicide or by providing interventions associated with harm) during a child’s suicidal crisis. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of proper suicide prevention training for pediatricians, as well as suggesting directions for future research.