Practitioner perspectives on the child and youth mental health system in Australia: what needs to change?

IF 3.6 4区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Australian Journal of Psychology Pub Date : 2025-06-04 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1080/00049530.2025.2509649

Janice M Kan, Trisha Nowland, Lucy A Tully, Olivia Liew, Lena Gibbons, David J Hawes, Mark R Dadds

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: Mental health problems in children and young people in Australia are not improving and continue to have a costly impact. Significant changes to the current child youth mental health (CYMH) system are needed and should be informed by key stakeholders such as practitioners "on the ground" delivering services.

Method: Australian practitioners (N = 206) working in CYMH were surveyed using quantitative rating scales and qualitative open-response items. The survey examined current waitlists and waitlist management strategies, treatment dropouts, perceived barriers to accessing care, satisfaction levels, and ease of navigating services.

Results: Around 70% practitioners reported being dissatisfied with the current CYMH system in meeting the needs of children, young people, and families. About 50% reported it is difficult to navigate the system to find referrals. About half of practitioners reported their service currently has a waitlist. Of those practitioners, approximately 32% reported wait times of between one and three months, and 21% reported wait times of three-to-six months. Qualitative responses from practitioners highlighted several systems issues including long waitlists, underfunded public services, and a lack of specialised training in CYMH.

Conclusion: The results reveal several practice, policy, and research priorities for improving the CYMH system in Australia.

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从业者对澳大利亚儿童和青少年心理健康系统的看法：需要改变什么？

目的：澳大利亚儿童和青少年的心理健康问题没有得到改善，并继续造成代价高昂的影响。需要对当前的儿童青少年心理健康（CYMH）系统进行重大改革，并应由诸如“实地”提供服务的从业人员等关键利益攸关方告知。方法：采用定量评定量表和定性开放回答项目对206名在青龙医院工作的澳大利亚从业人员进行问卷调查。该调查检查了当前的等候名单和等候名单管理策略、治疗退出、获得护理的感知障碍、满意度水平和导航服务的便利性。结果：大约70%的从业人员报告对目前的CYMH系统在满足儿童、青少年和家庭的需求方面不满意。大约50%的人表示，很难在系统中找到推荐。大约一半的从业者报告说，他们的服务目前有候补名单。在这些从业者中，大约32%的人报告等待时间在一到三个月之间，21%的人报告等待时间在三到六个月之间。从业人员的定性反应强调了几个系统问题，包括等待名单长、资金不足的公共服务和缺乏专门的CYMH培训。结论：结果揭示了改进澳大利亚CYMH系统的几个实践、政策和研究重点。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Australian Journal of Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Australian Journal of Psychology is the premier scientific journal of the Australian Psychological Society. It covers the entire spectrum of psychological research and receives articles on all topics within the broad scope of the discipline. The journal publishes high quality peer-reviewed articles with reviewers and associate editors providing detailed assistance to authors to reach publication. The journal publishes reports of experimental and survey studies, including reports of qualitative investigations, on pure and applied topics in the field of psychology. Articles on clinical psychology or on the professional concerns of applied psychology should be submitted to our sister journals, Australian Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist. The journal publishes occasional reviews of specific topics, theoretical pieces and commentaries on methodological issues. There are also solicited book reviews and comments Annual special issues devoted to a single topic, and guest edited by a specialist editor, are published. The journal regards itself as international in vision and will accept submissions from psychologists in all countries.