Use, persistence, and intensity: patterns of care for children's mental health across one year.

This paper explores the use, persistence, and intensity of services for children's mental health problems across a variety of service sectors during a one year period. Data come from the Great Smoky Mountains Study. Analyses focus on children's psychiatric symptomatology and impairment, service use, and factors that may influence the relationship between psychiatric problems and service use across a one year period. Findings show that approximately 20% of children used some mental health services from some sector during the year. Child's symptomatology and characteristics of parents were associated with use and persistence of services. Parent's perceptions of impact on the family were associated with service use, persistence, and intensity.