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Caring for children with mental and behavioral health conditions can lead to family strain. Research indicates that Latino children are less likely to adhere to recommended treatment for their mental health diagnoses, increasing the potential for family strain. Little research has focused on understanding the different predictors of family strain among white and Latino families of children with mental health or behavioral health diagnoses. This paper uses a model of family strain to understand how stressors, resources, and perceptions predict family strain for white and Latino parents of children with a mental or behavioral health condition. Data from a telephone survey of 268 parents of children with a mental or behavioral health condition were analyzed to understand predictors of strain using the Family Strain Index scale. Findings indicate that family strain does differ between white and Latino families. Latino families' strain was predicted by age of parent (β = −0.381, P < 0.001), perceptions of treatment quality (β = 0.306, P < 0.001), and child's current symptom burden (β = −0.390, P < 0.001). White family strain was related to their child's health status (β = −0.240, P < 0.001), symptom burden (β = −0.339, P < 0.001), and parent's level of education (β = −0.315, P < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At some point in their lives, nearly one-half of all American children will have a behavioral health condition. Many will not receive the care they need from a fragmented health delivery system. The patient-centered medical home is a promising model to improve their care; however, little evidence exists. Our study aim was to examine the association between several behavioral health indicators and having a patient-centered medical home. 91,642 children's parents or guardians completed the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. An indicator for patient-centered medical home was included in the dataset. Descriptive statistics, bivariate tests, and multivariate regression models were used in the analyses. Children in the sample were mostly Male (52 %), White (78 %), non-Hispanic (87 %), and did not have a special health care need (80 %). 6.2 % of the sample had at least one behavioral health condition. Conditions ranged from ADHD (6 %) to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (1 %). Frequency of having a patient-centered medical home also varied for children with a behavioral health condition (49 % of children with ADHD and 33 % of children with ASD). Frequency of having a patient-centered medical home decreased with multiple behavioral health conditions. Higher severity of depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder were associated with a decreased likelihood of a patient-centered medical home. Results from our study can be used to target patient-centered medical home interventions toward children with one or more behavioral health conditions and consider that children with depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder are more vulnerable to these disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looks at the educational outcomes of adopted children as perceived by their parents. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed using data from the 2007–2008 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Our findings suggest that adoptive parents believe math and reading performance to be affected by special health care needs and household income. The odds of truancy and suspension are also believed to be affected by special heath care needs and gender. Though educational disruptions are infrequent, few adopted children perform at or above average in reading or math. These findings can be used to inform policy makers about post-adoption services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]