A Call for Help? Adolescent Neglect Reports as Indicators of Mental and Behavioral Health Struggles.

Adolescent behavior concerns were the most common type of neglect allegation in CPS referrals.

• Adolescent behavior concerns accounted for 44% of neglect allegations.
• The study analyzed a random sample of 993 CPS referrals from California covering the years 2017-2019.
• Data included both structured and unstructured elements categorizing adolescent and family concerns.

Mental health concerns were noted in nearly one-third of neglect-related CPS referrals for adolescents.

• The adolescent's mental health was a concern in 31% of neglect allegations.
• Mental health was the second most common category of concern after adolescent behavior.
• The study categorized concerns including parental substance use, domestic violence, adolescent behavior, and mental health.

Suicidality was a frequently identified concern within mental health-related CPS referrals for adolescents.

• Suicidality was noted in 31% of mental health-related referrals.
• Suicidality accounted for 1 in 10 referrals overall across the full sample.
• The sample consisted of 993 CPS referrals from California (2017-2019).

Parental substance use and lack of protection were commonly identified family-level concerns in adolescent neglect referrals.

• Parental substance use and lack of protection were described as 'commonly denoted family concerns' in the abstract.
• These family concerns were identified alongside adolescent-level concerns such as behavior and mental health.
• Data were drawn from a random sample of 993 CPS referrals from California spanning 2017-2019.

CPS interventions are less frequent for adolescents despite their increased risk for negative outcomes related to maltreatment.

• The authors note that adolescents facing maltreatment are at increased risk for negative outcomes.
• CPS interventions are described as 'less frequent for this age group' compared to younger children.
• The authors argue that clarifying the concerns leading to neglect allegations is crucial to enhancing CPS responses and support for adolescents.

The authors concluded that adolescents referred for neglect are often facing acute behavior and mental health challenges requiring improved mental health service access.

• The paper calls for 'improved access to mental health services and direct adolescent engagement in care.'
• Findings indicate that neglect reports may function as indicators of underlying mental and behavioral health struggles in adolescents.
• The study design used a random sample of 993 CPS referrals from California (2017-2019) with both structured and unstructured data elements.