Mental-Physical Multimorbidity in Youth: Associations with Individual, Family, and Health Service Use Outcomes

Low Level of Well-being in Young People With Physical-Mental Multimorbidity: A Population-Based Study

PURPOSE

We aimed to examine whether wellbeing, health behavior, and youth life among young people (YP) with co-occurrence of physical-mental conditions, that is, multimorbidity differ from YP with exclusively physical or mental conditions.

METHODS

The population included 3,671 YP reported as having a physical or/and mental condition from a Danish nationwide school-based survey (aged 14-26 years). Wellbeing was measured by the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index and life satisfaction by the Cantril Ladder. YP's health behavior and youth life were evaluated in seven domains: home, education, activities/friends, drugs, sleep, sexuality, and self-harm/suicidal thoughts, in accordance with the Home, Education and employment, Eating, Activities, Drugs, Sexuality, Suicide and depression, and Safety acronym. We performed descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 52% of YP with physical-mental multimorbidity reported a low level of wellbeing, compared to 27% of YP with physical conditions and 44% with mental conditions. YP with multimorbidity had significantly higher odds of reporting poor life satisfaction, compared to YP with exclusively physical or mental conditions. YP with multimorbidity had significantly higher odds for psychosocial challenges and health risk behavior, compared to YP with physical conditions, along with increased odds for loneliness (23.3%), self-harm (63.1%), and suicidal thoughts (54.2%), compared to YP with mental conditions.

DISCUSSION

YP with physical-mental multimorbidity had higher odds for challenges and low wellbeing and life satisfaction. This is an especially vulnerable group and systematic screening for multimorbidity and psychosocial wellbeing is needed in all healthcare settings.

Managing medical and psychiatric multimorbidity in older patients

Aging increases susceptibility both to psychiatric and medical disorders through a variety of processes ranging from biochemical to pharmacologic to societal. Interactions between aging-related brain changes, emotional and psychological symptoms, and social factors contribute to multimorbidity - the presence of two or more chronic conditions in an individual - which requires a more patient-centered, holistic approach than used in traditional single-disease treatment guidelines. Optimal treatment of older adults with psychiatric and medical multimorbidity necessitates an appreciation and understanding of the links between biological, psychological, and social factors - including trauma and racism - that underlie physical and psychiatric multimorbidity in older adults, all of which are the topic of this review.

Family Functioning and Health-Related Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Mental Illness

Previous research suggests that family dysfunction may be related to lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in parent caregivers, but it is unknown if this association exists in the context of child mental illness. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to compare HRQoL between parent caregivers and Canadian population norms using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36); examine associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL; and investigate whether child and parental factors moderate associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL. Cross-sectional data were collected from children receiving mental healthcare at a pediatric hospital and their parents (n = 97). Sample mean SF-36 scores were compared to Canadian population norms using t-tests and effect sizes were calculated. Multiple regression was used to evaluate associations between family functioning and parental physical and mental HRQoL, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. Proposed moderators, including child age, sex, and externalizing disorder, and parental psychological distress, were tested as product-term interactions. Parents had significantly lower physical and mental HRQoL versus Canadian norms in most domains of the SF-36, and in the physical and mental component summary scores. Family functioning was not associated with parental physical HRQoL. However, lower family functioning predicted lower parental mental HRQoL. Tested variables did not moderate associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL. These findings support the uptake of approaches that strive for collaboration among healthcare providers, children, and their families (i.e., family-centered care) in child psychiatry settings. Future research should explore possible mediators and moderators of these associations.

Self-concept in Adolescents with Physical-Mental Comorbidity

Objective

Little is known about self-concept in adolescents with physical-mental comorbidity. This study investigated whether physical-mental comorbidity was associated with self-concept in adolescents and examined if adolescent age or sex moderated the association between physical-mental comorbidity and self-concept.

Methods

Study data were obtained from the Multimorbidity in Youth across the Life-course (MY LIFE), an ongoing Canadian study of adolescents with chronic physical illness who were recruited from outpatient clinics at a pediatric hospital. A total of 116 adolescents aged ≥ 10 years provided self-reports on key measures.

Results

Adolescents with comorbidity (n = 48) had lower self-concept scores on the Self-Determination Questionnaire (SDQ; d = 0.62) and Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC; d = 0.53) vs. adolescents without comorbidity (n = 68). An age × comorbidity status interaction was found and age-stratified models were computed to investigate this moderating effect of age. Amongst older adolescents, comorbidity was associated with lower SDQ (B = -2.55, p < .001), but this association was not found among younger adolescents (B = -0.29, p = .680). A similar effect was found for SPPC among older (B = -0.48, p = .001) and younger adolescents (B = 0.03, p = .842). Adolescent sex was not found to be a moderator.

Conclusions

Physical-mental comorbidity in adolescence was associated with lower self-concept and this association was moderated by age-differences between adolescents with vs. without comorbidity were greater for older adolescents and were clinically relevant. Opportunities to support positive self-perceptions for adolescents with comorbidity are warranted, especially when planning the transition from pediatric to adult health services.

Internalizing-Externalizing Comorbidity and Impaired Functioning in Children

BACKGROUND

The comorbidity of mental illnesses is common in child and adolescent psychiatry. Children with internalizing-externalizing comorbidity often experience worse health outcomes compared to children with a single diagnosis. Greater knowledge of functioning among children with internalizing-externalizing comorbidity can help improve mental health care.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this exploratory study was to examine whether internalizing-externalizing comorbidity was associated with impaired functioning in children currently receiving mental health services.

METHODS

The data came from a cross-sectional clinical sample of 100 children aged 4-17 with mental illness and their parents recruited from an academic pediatric hospital. The current mental illnesses in children were measured using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID), and the level of functioning was measured using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between internalizing-externalizing comorbidity and level of functioning, adjusting for demographic, psychosocial, and geographic covariates.

RESULTS

Internalizing-externalizing comorbidity in children was associated with worse functioning compared to children with strictly internalizing comorbidities, β = 0.32 (p = 0.041). Among covariates, parent's psychological distress, β = 0.01 (p = 0.004), and distance to the pediatric hospital, β = 0.38 (p = 0.049) were associated with worse functioning in children.

CONCLUSIONS

Health professionals should be mindful that children with internalizing-externalizing comorbidity may experience worsening functioning that is disruptive to daily activities and should use this information when making decisions about care. Given the exploratory nature of this study, additional research with larger and more diverse samples of children is warranted.

Mental health of siblings of children with physical illness or physical-mental comorbidity

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the mental health of siblings of children with physical illness (PI), with or without co-occurring mental illness.

METHODS

The sample included children aged 2 to 16 years with a chronic PI and their aged-matched healthy siblings (n = 169 dyads). Physical-mental comorbidity (PM) was present if children screened positive for ≥1 mental illness on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to measure child and sibling mental health.

RESULTS

Within child-sibling dyads, siblings of children with PI had significantly worse mental health related to conduct problems (d = 0.31), peer problems (d = 0.18) and total difficulties (d = 0.20). Siblings of children with PM had significantly better mental health related to emotional problems (d = 0.42), hyperactivity/inattention (d = 0.23) and total difficulties (d = 0.32). Siblings of children with PI had similar mental health compared with child population norms used in the development of the SDQ. In contrast, siblings of children with PM had significantly worse mental health across all SDQ domains, with the exception of prosocial behaviour. After adjusting for parent psychopathology and family functioning, no statistically significant differences between siblings of children with PM versus siblings of children with PI were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in mental health exist between children with PI or PM versus their healthy siblings. However, differences between siblings of children with PI versus siblings of children with PM can be explained by parental and family factors (e.g. marital status, education and income). Findings reinforce family-centred care approaches to address the needs of children with PI or PM and their families.

Do subjective and objective measures of stress agree in a clinical sample of youth and their parents?

This study explored agreement and potential relationships among perceived stress (self-reported using the Perceived Stress Scale), hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and mental disorders in a clinical sample of youth and their parents. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 48 youth (38 females; mean age = 15.6 years) with a mental disorder and 72 parents (65 females; mean age = 45.49 years). Agreement was assessed using Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients. Multiple regression was used to model the association between covariates and HCC and perceived stress for youth and parents. Agreement between perceived stress and HCC was low for both youth and parents (ICC = 0.15 to 0.31). Among youth, lower income (β = 0.24) and parent psychopathology (β = 0.42) were associated with higher HCC. Female sex (β = 0.42) and higher parent psychopathology (β = 0.28) were associated with higher perceived stress, whereas chronic physical illness was associated with lower perceived stress (β = −0.24). Among parents, female sex (β = −0.21) was associated with lower HCC and family functioning (β = 0.46) was associated with higher perceived stress. In youth, higher HCC was associated with generalized anxiety (OR = 1.14) and higher perceived stress was associated with major depressive episode (OR = 1.33), generalized anxiety (OR = 1.10), and separation anxiety (OR = 1.14). Among parents, higher HCC was associated with depression (β = 0.27) and perceived stress was associated with depression (β = 0.53) and anxiety (β = 0.45). This exploratory study shows that agreement between psychological and physiological stress is low in a clinical sample of youth and their parents. Sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, and mental health, are differentially associated with psychological and physiological stress.

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Agreement between perceived stress and hair cortisol is low for youth and parents.

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Sex, physical illness, and parent psychopathology are associated with youth stress.

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Sex and family functioning are associated with stress among parents.

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Hair cortisol and perceived stress are differentially associated with mental illness.

Prevalence and Correlates of Physical-mental Multimorbidity in Outpatient Children From a Pediatric Hospital in Canada

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to estimate the six-month prevalence of mental illness in children with chronic physical illness (multimorbidity), examine agreement between parent and child reports of multimorbidity, and identify factors associated with child multimorbidity.

METHOD

The sample included 263 children aged 2-16 years with a physician-diagnosed chronic physical illness recruited from the outpatient clinics at a pediatric hospital. Children were categorized by physical illness according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10. Parent and child-reported six-month mental illness was based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID).

RESULTS

Overall, 101 (38%) of children had a parent-reported mental illness; 29 (25%) children self-reported mental illness. There were no differences in prevalence across ICD-10 classifications. Parent-child agreement on the MINI-KID was low (κ = 0.18), ranging from κ = 0.24 for specific phobia to κ = 0.03 for attention-deficit hyperactivity. From logistic regression modeling (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval), factors associated with multimorbidity were: child age (OR = 1.16 [1.04, 1.31]), male (OR = 3.76 [1.54, 9.22]), ≥$90,000 household income (OR = 2.57 [1.08, 6.22]), parental symptoms of depression (OR = 1.09 [1.03, 1.14]), and child disability (OR = 1.21 [1.13, 1.30]). Similar results were obtained when modeling number of mental illnesses.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that six-month multimorbidity is common and similar across different physical illnesses. Level of disability is a robust, potentially modifiable correlate of multimorbidity that can be assessed routinely by health professionals in the pediatric setting to initiate early mental health intervention to reduce the incidence of multimorbidity in children.

Mental and psychosocial health among youth after their first psychiatric hospitalization: a feasibility study

OBJECTIVE

This pilot study investigated the feasibility of studying 12-month readmission of youth aged 10-16 years following their first psychiatric hospitalization and changes in youth mental and psychosocial health prospectively.

RESULTS

Inpatient youth with a first psychiatric hospitalization and their parents were recruited from a regional hospital in Canada. Data were collected at recruitment, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-discharge. Repeated measures ANOVA was performed to assess changes in health outcomes. Nineteen eligible youth were approached and 15 (78.9%) consented to participate (13.9 ± 2.0 years, 73.3% female). Eleven youth (73.3%) gave permission to contact their parents, all of whom participated (39.2 ± 7.6 years). Four youth dropped out of the study (26.7%) and six youth-parent dyads completed all four follow-ups. The readmission rate was 20.0% (n = 3) over 12 months. Significant changes in youth-reported symptoms of conduct disorder (F = 3.0, p = 0.06) and adverse childhood experiences (F = 3.4, p = 0.05) were found. Changes in parent-reported youth mental health symptoms (F = 3.1, p = 0.06), particularly among internalizing disorders, youth health-related quality of life (F = 11.3, p < 0.01), and youth disability (F = 2.7, p = 0.08) were significant. This preliminary work demonstrates the feasibility of, and need to, engage youth and their families to understand their mental and psychosocial health during this vulnerable period of time.

Psychometric Properties of the Short Form-36 (SF-36) in Parents of Children with Mental Illness

Given the stressful experiences of parenting children with mental illness, researchers and health professionals must ensure that the health-related quality of life of these vulnerable parents is measured with sufficient validity and reliability. This study examined the psychometric properties of the SF-36 in parents of children with mental illness. The data come from 99 parents whose children were currently receiving mental health services. The correlated two-factor structure of the SF-36 was replicated. Internal consistencies were robust (α > 0.80) for all but three subscales (General Health, Vitality, Mental Health). Inter-subscale and component correlations were strong. Correlations with parental psychopathology ranged from r = −0.32 to −0.60 for the physical component and r = −0.39 to −0.75 for the mental component. Parents with clinically relevant psychopathology had significantly worse SF-36 scores. SF-36 scores were inversely associated with the number of child diagnoses. The SF-36 showed evidence of validity and reliability as a measure of health-related quality of life in parents of children with mental illness and may be used as a potential outcome in the evaluation of family-centered approaches to care within child psychiatry. Given the relatively small sample size of this study, research should continue to examine its psychometric properties in more diverse samples of caregivers.

Parent-Child Agreement on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID)

OBJECTIVE

Multiple informants are often used in the assessment of child psychopathology; however, parent-child agreement is low in child psychiatry. The objective of this exploratory study was to assess informant agreement on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) in a clinical sample of children with mental disorders and their parents, and to examine health and demographic factors associated with agreement.

METHOD

MINI-KID results were analyzed for 88 parent-child dyads. Children were between 8-17 years old and were receiving in- or outpatient services for at least one mental disorder at a pediatric hospital. Kappas were calculated to assess parent-child agreement and logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with agreement.

RESULTS

Agreement was low to moderate (κ=0.19-0.41) across the MINI-KID modules. Household income was associated with agreement for major depression, generalized anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Recruitment setting and parent psychological distress were associated with agreement for generalized anxiety and separation anxiety, respectively. Age, sex, and child disability/impairment were not associated with agreement.

CONCLUSIONS

Parent-child agreement on the MINI-KID was low to moderate, and few factors were associated with agreement. These initial findings reaffirm the need for multiple informants when assessing psychopathology in children and can be used by health professionals to facilitate parent-child discussions in clinical settings in child psychiatry.

Health-related quality of life in children with and without physical-mental multimorbidity

PURPOSE

This study examined health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children across different physical illnesses; estimated parent-child agreement on HRQL reports; compared HRQL between children with and without physical-mental multimorbidity; and tested if multimorbidity was associated with HRQL.

METHODS

Children aged 6-16 years (mean = 11.1; n = 198) with one physical illness and their parents were recruited from a pediatric hospital. Physical illnesses were classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10, mental illnesses were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents, and HRQL was measured using the KIDSCREEN-27. Children who screened positive for ≥ 1 mental illness were classified as having physical-mental multimorbidity. χ²/t tests compared sample characteristics of children with vs. without multimorbidity; Kruskal-Wallis tests compared KIDSCREEN-27 scores across ICD-10 categories; interclass correlation coefficients estimated parent-child agreement; and multiple regression examined effects of the number of mental illnesses on HRQL.

RESULTS

HRQL was similar across ICD-10 categories. Parent-child agreement was fair to good for all HRQL domains, regardless of multimorbidity status. Parent-reported HRQL was significantly lower for children with multimorbidity compared to norms across all domains, whereas child-reported HRQL was significantly lower for physical well-being, psychological well-being, and school environment. Number of mental illnesses was negatively associated with psychological well-being and school environment in a dose-response manner.

CONCLUSION

Children with physical-mental multimorbidity are vulnerable to experiencing lower HRQL, particularly for psychological well-being and school environment. Longitudinal studies documenting trajectories of HRQL and school-based interventions that target these domains of HRQL for children with multimorbidity are warranted.

Mental Health Care Costs Among Youth with Comorbid Mental Disorders

This exploratory study described the distribution of mental health service costs in youth with mental disorder and determined if costs differed for youth with comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorder compared to those with comorbid internalizing disorders. Data come from youth (8-17 years; n=75) receiving mental health services at a children's hospital in Canada. Billing amounts specified in the Health Insurance Act of Ontario were used to estimate costs. Overall, past-year service use costs were $7436.63. Hospitalizations represented the largest cost. Youth with comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorders had higher total (β=0.81 [0.17, 1.45]), hospital (β=0.93 [0.03, 1.84]), and professional (β=0.87 [0.04, 1.69]) costs. These preliminary findings suggest that comorbidity type is associated with the costs of past-year mental health services used by youth. Research is needed to understand the reasons for elevated costs and whether the increased services used by youth with comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorders are effective.

Physical Morbidity and Mental Health Care Among Young People

PURPOSE

This epidemiological study examined associations between morbidity status and mental health care use among young people.

METHODS

Data come from individuals aged 15-29 years (n = 5,630) in the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (2012). Physical health problems were measured using a standard checklist. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview assessed 12-month mental health and substance use problems. Individuals were asked which types of mental health care they had received in the past year. Logistic, ordinal, and multinomial regression models were computed and the method of variance estimates recovery was used to compare estimates.

RESULTS

Individuals with comorbid physical health problems had higher odds of mental health care use for those with mental (odds ratio [OR] = 12.54 [7.07, 22.25]) and substance use problems (OR = 2.97 [1.75, 5.05]). While these estimates were higher than for individuals without physical comorbidity, differences were not statistically significant. For mental health care needs not being met, associations were found for individuals with mental (OR = 2.56 [1.24, 5.26]) or substance use problems only (OR = 2.48 [1.06, 5.82]).

CONCLUSIONS

Odds of perceiving the need for and using mental health care were high in individuals with a physical comorbidity, but similar to those with mental health or substance use problems only. Young people with a physical comorbidity were less likely to report that their mental health needs are not being met compared to those with mental health or substance use problems only. Research is needed to understand barriers and facilitators faced by young people with mental health or substance use problems as they navigate the health system.

Hair Cortisol and Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Mental Disorder

Introduction

Children living with mental disorder are at risk for lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to their peers. While evidence suggests that cortisol dysregulation is implicated in the onset of mental disorder, the extent to which cortisol is associated with HRQoL is largely unknown. Further, it remains unknown how comorbid physical illness may alter this relationship. This study examined whether the presence of a comorbid physical illness moderated the association between hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and HRQoL among children with mental disorder.

Methods

One-hundred children (4-17 years) receiving care from a pediatric hospital were recruited. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to measure mental disorder and the KIDSCREEN-27 to assess HRQoL. Cortisol extracted from children's hair was assayed using high-sensitivity ELISA. Multiple regression analyses tested the association between HCC and HRQoL.

Results

Presence of a physical illness was found to moderate the relationship between HCC and HRQoL in the domain of peers and social support [comorbidity: β = −0.57 (−0.97, −0.17); no comorbidity: β = 0.22 (−0.11, 0.55)].

Conclusion

The association between HCC and HRQoL in children with mental disorder is moderated by the presence of a physical illness, such that in children with comorbid physical and mental disorder, elevated HCC is associated with lower HRQoL. Approaches that reduce stress in these children may help promote optimal well-being. More research investigating physiological stress and psychosocial outcomes in children with mental disorder, particularly those with comorbid physical illness, is needed.

Complex care pathways for children with multiple referrals demonstrated in a retrospective population-based study

AIM

To identify children with complex medical needs by examining their patterns of hospital care.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective population-based study on 18 577 patients aged 6-12 years from the Haukeland University Hospital register over a 3-year period (from 2013 to 2015). Data were structured to examine the temporal patterns and sequences of referrals, care episodes and diagnoses, including flow across medical specialties.

RESULTS

Over a third of patients had repeated referrals, and 14.9% of all had three or more. Furthermore, 9.3% of patients were referred to both somatic and mental healthcare services. Patients with such combined referrals had a higher number of referrals as well as a higher number of different diagnoses. Overall, there was a high frequency of non-specific diagnoses, and 34.8% of patients still had a non-specific main diagnosis at the end of their hospital contact.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates an increased risk for complex care pathways in children with multiple referrals. Interdisciplinary patterns of referrals were relatively common, particularly for patients in mental health care. These findings highlight the importance of developing interdisciplinary-based approaches for patients with complex complaints.

Hair cortisol concentration mediates the association between parent and child psychopathology

Parent and child mental health are strongly associated and this association may be transmitted via disruption to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in children. This study examined the potential mediating role of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in the association between parent psychopathology and child mental disorder. Data come from 100 children diagnosed with a mental disorder [major depression (66 %), generalized anxiety (58 %), attention-deficit hyperactivity (33 %), oppositional defiant (35 %)] and their parents. Parent psychopathology was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Child mental disorder was measured using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and hair samples were assayed using high-sensitivity ELISA for cortisol extraction. Sex-specific path models were specified to estimate mediating effects (αβ). Children were, on average, 14.4 (SD 2.3) years of age and 70 % were girls. Adjusting for child age, parent sex, and family income, HCC mediated the association between symptoms of parent psychopathology and major depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity in all children (αβ ranging -0.07 to 0.19; 38-46 % effect mediated). Mediating effects for generalized anxiety and opposition defiant were evident for boys only (αβ ranging -0.26 to 0.14; 31-38 % effect mediated). Evidence suggests HCC partially mediates the association between parent psychopathology and child mental disorder, and for generalized anxiety and oppositional defiant, this effect is specific to boys. Family inventions to reduce child stress may be effective in buffering the consequences of parent psychopathology. Further research that considers sex effects is needed to clarify how HCC conditions risk for mental disorder in children.

Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life-course (MY LIFE): protocol of a Canadian prospective study

INTRODUCTION

Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of a chronic physical condition and mental disorder, affects a substantial number of children and youth and can lead to compromised quality of life, hardship for families, and an increased burden on the healthcare system. We are conducting a study to document the course of mental disorder in children and youth diagnosed with a chronic physical condition; identify predictors of child and youth multimorbidity; examine whether the effects of these predictors are moderated by relevant psychosocial and biological factors; explore potential inflammatory and stress biomarkers that mediate the onset of child and youth multimorbidity; and, assess whether multimorbidity in children and youth alters patterns of mental health service use.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life-course (MY LIFE) is a prospective study. Two hundred and fifty children and youth aged 2-16 years diagnosed with a chronic physical condition along with one parent will be recruited from the outpatient clinics at a paediatric tertiary care centre. Data will be collected using a multi-informant, multimethod design at four time-points (at recruitment, and at 6, 12 and 24 months postrecruitment). Parents will provide reports for all children/youth. In addition, youth ≥10 years will self-report. Mental disorder will be assessed using structured interviews. On completion of data collection, participant-reported data will be linked to provincial health records to identify mental health services use. Multilevel analyses (survival, proportional hazard, structural equation modelling) will be used to address MY LIFE objectives.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study has been approved by the University of Waterloo Human Research Ethics Board and the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board. Findings will be disseminated to key stakeholders using a number of outlets (peer-reviewed publications and conferences, lay informational pamphlets, social media).