NYAPRS Note: As NY continues to build toward a system that values and pays for peer supports, new evidence from OMH research indicates greater satisfaction and medication understanding among youth and families with access to peers. One important goal for the system as it changes from a fee for service to a managed care model will be using peer supports for youth transitioning into adulthood, as they face new social and service realities that often exacerbate behavioral health struggles. That is a time period that young adults often leave the system due ultimately to lack of satisfaction.
Youth and Families with Access to Peer Advocates Express Greater Satisfaction
with Mental Health Services1
OMH News; Marlene Radigan, DrPH, Director, Office of Performance Measurement and Evaluation, March 2014
Self-reported consumer satisfaction with mental health services is an important outcome measure and quality assurance indicator. In New York State, understanding youth and family perceptions of mental health services provides feedback essential to improving mental health programs to meet the needs of children and families. Over the past two decades, family and youth consumers’ roles in shaping the children’s mental health service system have expanded. The need to include the voices of families and children in the development of services is supported by evidence showing that providing services with family-centered values is associated with positive functional outcomes for children.
More recently, children’s mental health services have included access to family and youth peer-advocates. Peer advocates assist youth and families to seek information and support from their peers in mental health service settings. In New York, the Office of Mental Health (OMH) has focused on credentialing and supporting peer family and youth advocacy. In 2002, OMH created a network of family support programs consisting of approximately 200 family support programs and 400 professional family peer advocates. OMH is in the process of expanding the number of peer advocates, has implemented a training curriculum to establish certification and professionalization of this workforce and is developing quality indicators for family support.
OMH recently studied associations between access to a youth or family advocate and youth or caregiver satisfaction with mental health services. The 2012 study included 768 youth and 1,231 caregivers of youth who participated in a youth or family assessment of care satisfaction survey. The surveys were conducted with youth ages nine and older and/or caregivers of children of all ages who were in care and had been receiving care for emotional or behavioral issues for more than one month in selected programs. Programs included both state and locally-operated inpatient and outpatient mental health service agencies throughout the state. Surveys were distributed by program staff during service delivery or were mailed to consumers’ homes. Surveys were completed anonymously and returned to OMH for processing.
The surveys included questions on access to youth or family advocates and degree of satisfaction with mental health services. This study found that the majority of caregivers and approximately one-third of youth who participated in the satisfaction surveys reported having access to a peer advocate. A larger proportion of youth or caregivers with access to peer advocates compared to those without access expressed satisfaction with access to services, appropriateness of services, participation in services and overall satisfaction.
Access to a youth peer advocate was positively associated with youth understanding of psychotropic medication choices. Earlier research indicates that improving shared decision making among youth, parents and practitioners enhances psychotropic medication adherence. Access to peer advocates was also positively associated with perceptions of child functioning and social connectedness for caregivers compared to those without access. This OMH study adds to the growing understanding of the important role peer advocates play in engaging youth with mental health needs and their caregivers in mental health services.
1 Radigan, M., Wang, R.,Chen, Y., & Xiang, J. (2014). Youth and caregiver access to peer advocates and satisfaction with mental health services. Community Mental Health Journal, 50(2). Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10597-014-9709-8.
http://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/resources/newsltr/2014/Mar/research-to-practice.html