CAMHS to AMHS: How Satisfied are Young People with their Transition from Child to Adult Mental Health Services?

Authors

Cameron Meades
University of Warwick

Synopsis

Background
Transitional care is a crucial component of mental health service provision; 25 000 young people (YP) under the care of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) reach the transition boundary with Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) each year in the UK. The cumulative effect of changes within the social, educational and relational domains of YP’s lives make this a critical time period. The MILESTONE study followed transitioning youth over this period, collecting data on transition experiences and outcomes.

 Methods
Data previously collected from the 8-country MILESTONE study was analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive frequency statistics were generated for baseline characteristics and outcome measures. Logistic regression using satisfaction scores (<8/10= 0; 8+/10= 1) were analysed using univariate/multivariate analyses to calculate odds ratios.

 Results
287/1005 YP were eligible for inclusion in analysis. UK YP were less satisfied than other EU YP, and those YP aged 18+ were more satisfied than those under 18. Higher YP-reported transition preparedness, desire for parental involvement, success of information transfer, and relationships with AMHS staff significantly increased satisfaction. Clinician-reported transition preparedness was not significant in predicting overall transition satisfaction. Multivariate analysis highlighted that, accounting for all other variables, country, age, YP-reported transition readiness and YP–AMHS clinician relationships were all significant (p <0.10) in increasing their satisfaction with transition.

 Key messages

The project highlights the importance of how YP perceive their transition preparedness, and the fostering of strong relationships with their new service providers, to improve satisfaction with mental health services in the future.

GERMCON2020
Published
December 30, 2020