Measurement of Childhood Serious Emotional Disturbance: State of the Science and Issues for Consideration

Surveys suggest that between 4.3% and 11.5% of children living in the United States have a serious emotional disturbance (SED). SED is defined in the Federal Register, and federal block grants are allocated to states based on the prevalence of SED. Accurate measurement of SED is critical, yet survey...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of emotional and behavioral disorders 2017-12, Vol.25 (4), p.195-210
Main Authors: Ringeisen, Heather, Stambaugh, Leyla, Bose, Jonaki, Casanueva, Cecilia, Hedden, Sarra, Avenevoli, Shelli, Blau, Gary, Canino, Glorisa, Carter, Alice, Colpe, Lisa, Copeland, William E., Fisher, Prudence W., Kaufman, Joan, Merikangas, Kathleen, Narrow, William, Stroul, Beth, West, Jerry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Block Grants
Child & adolescent mental health
Childhood
Children
Emotional disorders
Emotional Disturbances
Grants
Health surveillance
Measurement
Mental health
Mental Health Programs
Mental health services
Operational definitions
Polls & surveys
Substance abuse
Surveillance
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Surveys suggest that between 4.3% and 11.5% of children living in the United States have a serious emotional disturbance (SED). SED is defined in the Federal Register, and federal block grants are allocated to states based on the prevalence of SED. Accurate measurement of SED is critical, yet surveys have used different methodologies and instrumentation to obtain prevalence estimates. Two expert panels were convened by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the fall of 2014 to discuss the current state of the field in operationalizing and measuring SED. The aims of this article are to (a) provide an update on SED prevalence rates from survey research, (b) summarize key discussion points that emerged during the SAMHSA expert panel meetings, and (c) make specific recommendations for next steps in measuring the prevalence of SED. Issues addressed in this article are important not only for federal allocation of service dollars to meet the needs of children with SED, but also for broader mental health surveillance efforts within the context of large national research surveys.
ISSN:1063-4266
1538-4799
DOI:10.1177/1063426616675165