Social and demographic predictors of parental consultation for child psychological difficulties

Abstract

The results of this analysis confirm that a substantial proportion of children with mental health difficulties in the general population (42 per cent) have not been seen by a professional, and these are likely to be girls and children in low-income families, indicating a significant unmet need for services across the nation. These results suggest that parents and health professionals should be made more aware of the symptoms of psychological problems in girls and that services need to be planned in a way that improves uptake by low-income parents.