Brief Report: The Relationship Between Chronic Illness and Identification and Management of Psychosocial Problems in Pediatric Primary Care

Objective To compare identification, management, and barriers to treatment for psychosocial concerns in children with and without a chronic illness. Methods Using data from the Child Behavior Study (CBS), provider rates of identification, treatment, and reports of barriers to treatment were compared in children with and without a chronic illness. Of the 21,065 children ranging in age from 4 to 15 years, 808 children were identified with a chronic illness and were matched on eight demographic variables with 763 healthy children. Results Providers identified psychosocial concerns in significantly more children with a chronic illness (36.8%) than healthy children (20.2%). Among children with psychosocial concerns, rates of identification, treatment, and barriers to treatment did not differ across the two groups. Conclusions Chronic illness did not present more barriers to the management of psychosocial concerns. Increased rates of identification and treatment of psychosocial concerns require attention to general barriers to treatment and screening. Key words barriers; chronic illness; mental health treatment; primary care; psychosocial problems. Chronic illness, a chronic medical condition that inter