The impact of early mental health services on the trajectory of externalizing behavioral problems in a sample of high-risk pre-adolescent children

Although access to mental health services is frequently studied as an issue of health disparity, little is known about the long-term impact of such services on children. The current study examined the relationship between early mental health services (before the age of 4 years old) on the trajectory of externalizing behavioral problems between ages 4 and 10 years old in a sample of 245 low-income urban children. Early mental health services were associated with very high levels of externalizing behavioral problems at baseline (age 4) and with more rapid decline in such behavioral problems between ages 4 and 10. This effect held after controlling for child gender and caregiver use of psychological aggression. As currently administered, early mental health services appear to be associated with early problem behaviors and with improvement in these behaviors over time. Future research and policy efforts should focus on improving both access to mental health services and the quality and utility of these services for children.