Category: Mental Health Disparities
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Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Acting Assistant Professor
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington
Brent Collett, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington
Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Acting Assistant Professor
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington
.jpg "Ashleigh Coser, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) photo")
Ashleigh Coser, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Health Service Psychologist
Cherokee Nation
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Cindy Trevino, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington
Objective: Marked mental health disparities start to affect how young racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) children are perceived and treated during the early childhood years, an optimal time for early intervention to promote positive social-emotional wellbeing later in childhood and adolescence. For example, REM children are less likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis and appropriate treatment compared to White children. REM children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are diagnosed an average of more than three years after their caregivers’ express concerns about their development, delaying crucial early identification and treatment. Even when families can access evidenced-based practices (EBPs), they are less effective for REM families. Co-occurring in the U.S. is that REM preschoolers are expelled at disproportionately high rates. Therefore, there is a need to better understand how to support parents of young REM children in accessing and engaging with EBP for mental health concerns in early childhood. This symposium will outline current efforts to provide culturally-responsive prevention, assessment, and early mental health interventions for young REM children in schools, primary care clinics, and community-based centers.
Methods: First, we will present findings from a community-based partnership focused on increasing the implementation of behavioral interventions for ADHD in preschool by improving the relationship between REM parents and preschool teachers. Second, will provide an overview of how pediatric integrative care data can be used to improve the identification and assessment of ASD for American Indian populations. Third, we will report on the feasibility and acceptability of a task-shifting model in which promotoras are trained to deliver a preschool anxiety group intervention for Spanish-speaking parents.
Results: Results will provide insights for improving parent engagement and health-service delivery to reduce disparities among REM children. Results will first describe a community-based partnership with local early childhood centers, preschool teachers, and REM parents that informed a working model of how to improve parent and teacher engagement in preventative interventions for preschool ADHD. Second, we will describe an ASD screening process for early identification in pediatric primary care clinic serving American Indians, with results highlighting diagnostic disparities and strategies for improving service delivery. Third, we will share results from a task-shifting preschool anxiety intervention using promotoras, which shows high engagement among Spanish-speaking families, and preliminary feasibility and high acceptability to the intervention model.
Conclusions: The current state of EBPs for early childhood mental health concerns is failing young REM children and their families. Culturally-responsive adaptations are needed to better support the implementation of EBPs across a wide range of early childhood settings. Together, these presentations outline how partnering with REM communities can improve culturally-responsive prevention, assessment, and early intervention supports for young REM children in schools, primary care clinics, and community-based centers.
