Report of a Joint Association of Pediatric Program Directors-American Board of Pediatrics Workshop: Preparing Future Pediatricians for the Mental Health Crisis

Depression Part 2: Treatment

Depression treatment strategies are within the scope of pediatric practice and among the competencies recommended by the Academy of Pediatrics and The American Board of Pediatrics. Treatments that may be provided through collaborative care include nonpharmacologic therapies such as psychosocial treatments and evidence-based psychotherapies, and pharmacotherapy and monitoring processes for depression. Abundant support and guidance are available to pediatricians in depression care, including mental health consultation and online materials.

Depression Part 1: Evaluation

By young adulthood, 1 in 5 teens will experience an episode of major depression. The second leading cause of death among youths aged 15 to 24 years is suicide, most of which will have been caused by untreated or undiagnosed depression. Depression is a highly heritable condition: depressed children often have depressed parents. Support to caregivers is important because depressed parents can have negative effects on children's development and future mental health. Groups more vulnerable to mental health disorders such as depression include Black, Indigenous, and persons of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning, who in recent years have the highest rate of suicide attempts (Black teens, sexual minority youth), the highest increases in suicide rates (Black children and youths), and the highest suicide rates (American Indian/Alaskan native). They frequently experience more adverse childhood events, which increases the risk of depression and suicide attempts. Pediatricians are most likely to care for these vulnerable youths, who often are less engaged in specialty mental health care for a variety of reasons, including stigma and barriers to access. By offering behavioral and mental health care to vulnerable populations in primary care, mental health equity may be achieved. Screening for depression and assessment for suicide are within the scope of pediatric practice and among the competencies recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Board of Pediatrics.

Probing the digital exposome: associations of social media use patterns with youth mental health

Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory highlighting the lack of knowledge about the safety of ubiquitous social media use on adolescent mental health. For many youths, social media use can become excessive and can contribute to frequent exposure to adverse peer interactions (e.g., cyberbullying, and hate speech). Nonetheless, social media use is complex, and although there are clear challenges, it also can create critical new avenues for connection, particularly among marginalized youth. In the current project, we leverage a large nationally diverse sample of adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study assessed between 2019-2020 (N = 10,147, M age = 12.0, 48% assigned female at birth, 20% Black, 20% Hispanic) to test the associations between specific facets of adolescent social media use (e.g., type of apps used, time spent, addictive patterns of use) and overall mental health. Specifically, a data-driven exposome-wide association was applied to generate digital exposomic risk scores that aggregate the cumulative burden of digital risk exposure. This included general usage, cyberbullying, having secret accounts, problematic/addictive use behavior, and other factors. In validation models, digital exposomic risk explained substantial variance in general child-reported psychopathology, and a history of suicide attempt, over and above sociodemographics, non-social screentime, and non-digital adversity (e.g., abuse, poverty). Furthermore, differences in digital exposomic scores also shed insight into mental health disparities, among youth of color and sexual and gender minority youth. Our work using a data-driven approach supports the notion that digital exposures, in particular social media use, contribute to the mental health burden of US adolescents.

The Management of Children and Youth With Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior. However, challenges in providing optimal care to these patients include lack of personnel, capacity, and infrastructure, challenges with timely access to a mental health professional, the nature of a busy ED environment, and paucity of outpatient post-ED discharge resources. These factors contribute to prolonged ED stays and boarding, which negatively affects patient care and ED operations. Strategies to improve care for MBH emergencies, including systems level coordination of care, is therefore essential. The goal of this policy statement and its companion technical report is to highlight strategies, resources, and recommendations for improving emergency care delivery for pediatric MBH.

The Management of Children and Youth With Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior. However, challenges in providing optimal care to these patients include lack of personnel, capacity, and infrastructure, challenges with timely access to a mental health professional, the nature of a busy ED environment, and paucity of outpatient post-ED discharge resources. These factors contribute to prolonged ED stays and boarding, which negatively affects patient care and ED operations. Strategies to improve care for MBH emergencies, including systems level coordination of care, is therefore essential. The goal of this policy statement and its companion technical report is to highlight strategies, resources, and recommendations for improving emergency care delivery for pediatric MBH.

The Management of Children and Youth With Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies

Mental and behavioral health (MBH) emergencies in children and youth continue to increasingly affect not only the emergency department (ED), but the entire spectrum of emergency medical services for children, from prehospital services to the community. Inadequate community and institutional infrastructure to care for children and youth with MBH conditions makes the ED an essential part of the health care safety net for these patients. As a result, an increasing number of children and youth are referred to the ED for evaluation of a broad spectrum of MBH emergencies, from depression and suicidality to disruptive and aggressive behavior. However, challenges in providing optimal care to these patients include lack of personnel, capacity, and infrastructure; challenges with timely access to a mental health professional; the nature of a busy ED environment; and paucity of outpatient post-ED discharge resources. These factors contribute to prolonged ED stays and boarding, which negatively affect patient care and ED operations. Strategies to improve care for MBH emergencies, including systems-level coordination of care, are therefore essential. The goal of this policy statement and its companion technical report is to highlight strategies, resources, and recommendations for improving emergency care delivery for pediatric MBH.

Clinical Update: Collaborative Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents in Pediatric Primary Care

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this Clinical Update is to review the principles, structures, processes, and outcomes of collaborative mental health care in the pediatric primary care setting.

METHOD

A search of the literature on this topic from 2001was conducted initially in 2016, yielding 2,279 English-language citations. These citations were supplemented by references suggested by topic experts and identified through Web searches, increasing the yield to 2,467 total citations, of which 1,962 were unduplicated. After sequential review by Update authors at title/abstract and then full-text levels, the citations were winnowed to 219 based on topic relevance. A follow-up search from 2016 was conducted in 2021, yielding 2 additional citations based on nonduplication from initial search and topic relevance.

RESULTS

The collaborative care approach, arising in the 1990s and gaining momentum in the 2000s, aims to extend behavioral health care to the primary care setting. The goal of collaborative care is to conserve the sparse specialty care workforce for severe and complex psychiatric disorders through shifting certain specialty mental health tasks (eg, assessment; patient self-management; brief psychosocial intervention; basic psychopharmacology; care coordination) to primary care. Collaborative care can be delivered on a spectrum ranging from coordinated to co-located to integrated care. Although each of these models has some empirical support, integrated care-a multidisciplinary team-based approach-has the strongest evidence base in improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction while constraining costs. Challenges to integrated care implementation include insufficient mental health education and insufficient specialist consultative and care coordination support for primary care practitioners; space, time, and reimbursement constraints in the primary care setting; discomfort among primary care practitioners in assuming mental health tasks previously undertaken by specialists; and continuing need for and unavailability of ongoing specialty mental health care for severe and complex cases. Essential supporting activities for effective collaborative care include patient and family engagement, professional education and training, evaluation/demonstration of impact, fiscal sustainability, and advocacy for model dissemination.

CONCLUSION

Health professionals who are educated in the collaborative care approach can improve access to and quality of behavioral health care for children and adolescents with behavioral health needs.

Emergency Department Use by Children and Youth with Mental Health Conditions: A Health Equity Agenda

There are growing concerns regarding the referral of children and youth with mental health conditions to emergency departments (EDs). These focus on upward trends in utilization, uncertainty about benefits and negative effects of ED visits, and inequities surrounding this form of care. A review was conducted to identify and describe available types of data on ED use. The authors' interpretation of the literature is that it offers compelling evidence that children and youth in the U.S. are being sent to EDs for mental health conditions at increasing rates for reasons frequently judged as clinically inappropriate. As a major health inequity, it is infrequent that such children and youth are seen in EDs by a behavioral health professional or receive evidence-based assessment or treatment, even though they are kept in EDs far longer than those seen for reasons unrelated to mental health. The rate of increase in these referrals to EDs appears much greater for African American and Latinx children and youth than White children and is increasing for the publicly insured and uninsured while decreasing for the privately insured. A comprehensive set of strategies are recommended for improving healthcare quality and health equity. A fact sheet is provided for use by advocates in pressing this agenda.

Association of Behavioral and Mental Health Professionals in Continuity Clinic with Resident-Reported Competence

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether residents who trained with a colocated or integrated behavioral/mental health professional (B/MHP) reported greater competence in the assessment and management of behavioral/mental health (B/MH) conditions than those who trained without an onsite B/MHP. We hypothesized that having an onsite B/MHP would be associated with greater self-reported competence, especially if integrated into clinic.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey of applicants for the initial American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) certifying examination. The independent variable was training in a continuity clinic with no onsite B/MHP, a colocated B/MHP, or an integrated B/MHP. Outcome variables were self-reported competence in 7 B/MH assessment skills and 9 treatment skills, summarized as 2 composite measures. Competence was rated on a 5-point scale; high competence was defined as mean scores ≥4. Logistic regression assessed relationships between independent and outcome variables adjusting for covariates including individual and residency program characteristics.

RESULTS

Of 1503 eligible respondents, 645 (42.9%) reported no onsite B/MHP, 390 (26.0%) a colocated B/MHP, and 468 (31.1%) an integrated B/MHP. In multivariable models, respondents with a colocated B/MHP reported greater levels of B/MH assessment competence (aOR 1.40, 95% CI1.06-1.86) and treatment competence (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.03-2.05) compared with those with no B/MHP. Respondents with an integrated B/MHP similarly reported greater odds of assessment (aOR 1.33, 95%CI 1.02-1.74) and treatment competence (aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.10-2.13) than the reference group.

CONCLUSIONS

Although specific mechanisms were not tested, training with an onsite B/MHP within a continuity clinic may improve pediatric trainees' competence for addressing B/MH conditions.

Addressing Pediatric Developmental and Mental Health in Primary Care Using Tele-Education

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an early childhood tele-education program in preparing community pediatric clinicians to manage developmental and mental health disorders in young children. Community pediatric clinicians from rural, underserved, or school-based health center practices in the mid-Atlantic region participated in a weekly tele-education videoconference. There was a significant knowledge gain evidenced by the percentage of questions answered correctly from pre- to post- didactic exposure (P < .001). Participants reported an increase in knowledge from pre- (P < .001) and in confidence from pre- to post- participation (P < .001). Practice management changes demonstrated an encouraging trend toward managing patients in the Medical Home, as compared with immediately deferring to specialists following participation. This early childhood tele-education videoconferencing program is a promising response to the urgent need to confidently increase the role of pediatricians in the provision of care for childhood developmental and mental health disorders.

Facilitators and Inhibitors to Assessing Entrustable Professional Activities in Pediatric Residency

OBJECTIVE

Research on entrustable professional activities (EPAs) has focused on EPA development with little attention paid to implementation experiences. This constructivist grounded theory study sought to begin filling this gap by exploring the experiences of pediatric residency programs with implementing EPA-based assessment.

METHODS

Interviews with 19 program leader and clinical competency committee participants from 13 sites were held between January and July 2019. Participants were asked about their experiences with implementing EPA-based assessment. Data collection and analysis were iterative.

RESULTS

Participants described a range of facilitators and inhibitors that influenced their efforts to implement EPA-based assessment. These fell into 4 thematic areas: 1) alignment of EPA construct with local views of performance and assessment, 2) assessing EPAs illuminates holes in the residency curriculum, 3) clinical competency committee structure and process impacts EPA-based assessment, and 4) faculty engagement and development drives ability to assess EPAs. Areas described as facilitators by some participants were noted to be inhibitors for others. The sum of a program's facilitators and inhibitors led to more or less ability to assess EPAs on the whole. Finally, the first area functions differently from the others; it can shift the entire balance toward or away from the ability to assess EPAs overall.

CONCLUSION

This study helps fill a void in implementation evidence for EPA-based assessment through better understanding of facilitators and inhibitors to such efforts.

Implementing the Behavioral and Mental Health Entrustable Professional Activity: Insights for a Path Forward

OBJECTIVE

Mental health problems in children are growing exponentially. General pediatricians, while in a unique position to address these issues as they arise, report they lack adequate training in assessing and managing behavioral/mental health (B/MH) problems. Underscoring the importance of this area, the American Board of Pediatrics has defined B/MH as one of only 17 foundational entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for general pediatric practice. Our goal was to explore the facilitators and barriers associated with implementing and assessing the B/MH EPA among pediatric residency programs in order to identify best practices and potential solutions to common barriers.

METHODS

In this qualitative study, 18 key faculty members from 4 residency programs with 3 years' experience implementing and assessing their residents on the B/MH EPA were purposively sampled. Semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant, and interviews were analyzed utilizing a thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Five themes were defined in the thematic analysis 1) B/MH training: who's responsible? 2) local context can serve as a barrier or facilitator, 3) B/MH may require longitudinal, integrated, and multidisciplinary training, 4) B/MH specialists: indispensable, yet a hurdle?, and 5) resident and faculty confidence and skill impact B/MH training.

CONCLUSIONS

The need for robust training to prepare pediatric residency graduates to meet the needs of patients with B/MH problems has never been greater. This study provides important insights about gaps in B/MH training. These should inform future directions focused on addressing this need.

Preparing Future Pediatricians to Meet the Behavioral and Mental Health Needs of Children

The increasing prevalence of behavioral and/or mental health (B/MH) problems among children, adolescents, and young adults is rapidly forcing the pediatric community to examine its professional responsibility in response to this epidemic. Stakeholders involved in pediatric workforce training were brought together in April 2018, invited by the American Board of Pediatrics and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, to consider facilitators and barriers for pediatrician training to enhance care for B/MH problems and to catalyze commitment to improvement efforts. During the interactive meeting, parents, young adult patients, and trainees, together with leaders of pediatric training programs and health care organizations, acknowledged the growing B/MH epidemic and discussed past and current efforts to improve training and care, including integrated delivery models. Attendees committed in writing to making a change within their department or organization to improve training. There also was agreement that organizations that set the standards for training and certification bear some responsibility to ensure that future pediatricians are prepared to meet the needs of children and adolescents. Reports on commitments to change 12 months after the meeting indicated that although attendees had encountered a variety of barriers, many had creatively moved forward to improve training at the program or organizational level. This article describes the context for the April 2018 meeting, themes arising from the meeting, results from the commitments to change, and 3 case studies. Taken together, they suggest we, as a pediatric community, can and must collaborate to improve training and, by extension, care.

Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice

Pediatricians have unique opportunities and an increasing sense of responsibility to promote healthy social-emotional development of children and to prevent and address their mental health and substance use conditions. In this report, the American Academy of Pediatrics updates its 2009 policy statement, which proposed competencies for providing mental health care to children in primary care settings and recommended steps toward achieving them. This 2019 policy statement affirms the 2009 statement and expands competencies in response to science and policy that have emerged since: the impact of adverse childhood experiences and social determinants on mental health, trauma-informed practice, and team-based care. Importantly, it also recognizes ways in which the competencies are pertinent to pediatric subspecialty practice. Proposed mental health competencies include foundational communication skills, capacity to incorporate mental health content and tools into health promotion and primary and secondary preventive care, skills in the psychosocial assessment and care of children with mental health conditions, knowledge and skills of evidence-based psychosocial therapy and psychopharmacologic therapy, skills to function as a team member and comanager with mental health specialists, and commitment to embrace mental health practice as integral to pediatric care. Achievement of these competencies will necessarily be incremental, requiring partnership with fellow advocates, system changes, new payment mechanisms, practice enhancements, and decision support for pediatricians in their expanded scope of practice.

Advancing the Agenda in Pediatric Mental Health Education

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

There is an urgent need to advance mental health (MH) education and/or training in pediatric residency programs, yet no consensus on how to achieve this. We created an operational framework from ideas provided by a diverse group of stakeholders on how to advance MH education.

METHODS

Concept-mapping methodology was used, which involves brainstorming ideas by completing a focus prompt, sorting ideas into groups, and rating them for importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis grouped ideas into clusters. Average importance and feasibility were calculated for each statement and cluster and compared statistically in each cluster and between subgroups.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine ideas were generated. Sorted ideas yielded a 7-cluster concept map: (1) modalities for MH training, (2) prioritization of MH, (3) systems-based practice, (4) self-awareness and/or relationship building, (5) training in clinical assessment of patients, (6) training in treatment, and (7) diagnosis-specific skills. Two hundred and sixteen participants rated ideas for importance and 209 for feasibility. Four clusters had a statistically significant difference between their importance and feasibility ratings (P < .001). Suburban and rural area respondents (versus urban) rated clusters higher in importance and feasibility (P < .004), trainees rated all clusters higher in feasibility than practicing clinicians, and MH professionals rated prioritization of MH higher in feasibility (3.42 vs 2.98; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

This comprehensive set of ideas, especially those rated highly in both importance and feasibility, should inform curricular and policy initiatives. Differences between importance and feasibility may explain why there has been little progress in this field.