Services Addressing Mental Health Needs of Youth in Physical Rehabilitation: Perspectives of Clinicians, Youth and Family Members.
Stephanie M Tremblay, Shalini Lal, Mark A Ferro and 1 others
PMID 39629880WHAT IT FOUND
In physical rehabilitation, youth, parents and clinicians described mental health care as under-resourced.
Key gaps were missing psychologists, short or restricted sessions, and lost services at transition. Trust and team links helped.
Key findings
01Psychologists were often unavailable, and youth could wait months for mental health support.
02Clinicians described limited mental health training and tools, while all groups valued a trusting clinician-youth relationship.
03Youth moving to adult services reported reduced mental health access, and parents often coordinated care themselves but felt unequipped.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small: 22 participants, including only 4 parents and 4 matching youth-parent-clinician triads. Participants came from five sites in one large Canadian city, so views may not apply to other regions or service systems. Recruitment relied on clinicians to identify eligible youth, which may have left out some perspectives. The study reports perceptions and experiences, not measured outcomes or proof that any service model works. An individual not involved in the study did not validate the coding process and analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was reported from Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that adding a psychologist, key worker or family programme improves youth mental health. The study only reports perceptions from 22 participants at five sites in one city, and no service model was tested.