About this Research Topic
Persistent mental healthcare access disparities among minoritized youth populations signal gaps separating evidence-based interventions from on-the-ground services needed by historically underserved communities. A number of barriers impact access to services including but not limited to financial/insurance limitations, lack of culturally and linguistically responsive providers, scheduling and transportation difficulties, stigma, and mental health knowledge. Access disparities have a negative impact on minoritized youth life trajectories as untreated mental health problems are related to a higher risk of several adverse outcomes including academic difficulties, juvenile delinquency, family conflict, and/or adult physical health concerns. While substantial research has been conducted to examine barriers and facilitators to accessing child mental health services, less attention has been provided to transformative and innovative access strategies tailored to marginalized youths' lived experiences. To foster more equitable access to mental health services, greater effort must be made to develop and evaluate mental health access strategies.
The goal of this research topic is to examine how child mental healthcare access approaches can pivot from one-size-fits all paradigms toward frameworks that reduce disparities through responsiveness to minoritized groups' unique strengths and needs. Minoritized youth includes but is not limited to individuals from intersecting backgrounds including various racial and ethnic backgrounds, linguistically diverse households, immigrants, non-dominant gender identities, children with disabilities, children with special healthcare concerns, religious minority groups, and/or children who live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The topic aims to fill this need by consolidating efforts to clarify: (a) what policies, systems, and/or environmental changes positively impact child mental health service access, (b) what culturally and linguistically responsive approaches have been developed and evaluated to overcome barriers to accessing child mental health services, (c) how has the use of technology reduced barriers to child mental health service engagement, (d) what community-driven approaches have resulted in increased access to mental health services in historically underserved neighborhoods, and d) what innovative steps must be taken for continuing to reduce disparities in children's access to mental health services. Research that amplifies community voice and partnerships regarding access to services is likely to provide unique and novel contributions to child mental health service access literature.
This collection is looking for manuscripts highlighting mental health access improvements for historically marginalized clinical pediatric populations. Quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methods original research articles, brief reports, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are invited for submission. Focus of mental health access studies should be related to minoritized youth who identify as being a member of at least one social identity group that has been historically marginalized.
The goal of this research topic is to examine how child mental healthcare access approaches can pivot from one-size-fits all paradigms toward frameworks that reduce disparities through responsiveness to minoritized groups' unique strengths and needs. Minoritized youth includes but is not limited to individuals from intersecting backgrounds including various racial and ethnic backgrounds, linguistically diverse households, immigrants, non-dominant gender identities, children with disabilities, children with special healthcare concerns, religious minority groups, and/or children who live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The topic aims to fill this need by consolidating efforts to clarify: (a) what policies, systems, and/or environmental changes positively impact child mental health service access, (b) what culturally and linguistically responsive approaches have been developed and evaluated to overcome barriers to accessing child mental health services, (c) how has the use of technology reduced barriers to child mental health service engagement, (d) what community-driven approaches have resulted in increased access to mental health services in historically underserved neighborhoods, and d) what innovative steps must be taken for continuing to reduce disparities in children's access to mental health services. Research that amplifies community voice and partnerships regarding access to services is likely to provide unique and novel contributions to child mental health service access literature.
This collection is looking for manuscripts highlighting mental health access improvements for historically marginalized clinical pediatric populations. Quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methods original research articles, brief reports, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are invited for submission. Focus of mental health access studies should be related to minoritized youth who identify as being a member of at least one social identity group that has been historically marginalized.
Keywords: mental health, service access, minoritized youth, mental health disparities, engagement, culturally and linguistically tailored engagement, diverse youth
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
