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Review
. 2018 Jan 27;17(1):12.
doi: 10.1186/s12939-018-0727-y.

What is known about pathways to mental health care for Australian Aboriginal young people?: a narrative review

Alexandra Kilian  1 , Anna Williamson  2
Affiliations
Review

What is known about pathways to mental health care for Australian Aboriginal young people?: a narrative review

Alexandra Kilian et al. Int J Equity Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: To (1) gain an understanding of current trajectories of Aboriginal young people through the mental health care system in Australia; (2) summarize what mental health care pathways have been developed or evaluated to guide mental health care delivery for Aboriginal young people; and (3) identify barriers and facilitators to the adoption of effective mental health care pathways for Aboriginal young people.

Methods: Databases, including, AMED, Embase, Global Health, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, Healthstar, MEDLINE, PsychINFO via Ovid, CINAHL via EBSCO, The Cochrane Library, Indigenous Collections, Informit and Health Systems Evidence, were searched to identify evidence concerning mental health service delivery for Aboriginal young people in a primary care setting.

Results: We did not identify any reports or publications explicitly describing the current trajectories of Aboriginal young people through the mental health care system in Australia. Furthermore, we were unable to locate any mental health-related treatment pathways which had been explicitly developed or modified to meet the needs of Aboriginal young people. The use of appropriate assessment tools, engagement of family and community, flexibility, and central coordination have been identified in the literature as potential facilitators of culturally appropriate mental health service delivery for Aboriginal children and adolescents.

Conclusions: Aboriginal children and adolescents may face additional difficulties navigating the mental health care system in Australia due to complex socio-cultural factors and the dearth of culturally appropriate and effective mental-health related treatment pathways. Additional research regarding (1) practice trends in Aboriginal settings and (2) how Aboriginal child and adolescent mental health can be improved is urgently needed to inform clinical practice and improve mental health service access and outcomes for Aboriginal young people in Australia.

Keywords: Aboriginal; Adolescents; Children; General practice; Indigenous; Mental health; Primary care; Youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

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Not applicable.

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Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare they have no competing interest.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Emerging themes in the research related to the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal young people. Black: Most emphasized challenges in care for Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing. Grey: Most emphasized solutions/interventions that may translate to improved services for Aboriginal young people
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zubrick S, Lawrence D, Silburn S, Blair E, HM H, Wilkes T, et al. The western Australian aboriginal child health survey: the health of aboriginal children and young people. Telethon Institute for Child Health Research: Perth; 2004.
    1. Williamson A, D'Este C, Clapham K, Redman S, Manton T, Eades S, et al. What are the factors associated with good social and emotional wellbeing amongst aboriginal children in urban new South Wales, Australia? Phase one findings from the study of environment on aboriginal resilience and child health (SEARCH) BMJ Open. 2016;6:e011182. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zubrick S, Silburn SR, Lawrence DM, Mitrou FG, Dalby RB, Blair EM, et al. The western Australian aboriginal child health survey: the social and emotional wellbeing of aboriginal children and young people. Perth: Curtin University of Technology and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; 2005.
    1. Department of Families H, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Footprints in time: the longitudinal study of Indigenous children—key summary report from wave 3. Canberra: FaHCSIA; 2012.
    1. Centre for Epidemiology and Research . Report on child health from the new South Wales population health survey. Sydney: NSW Department of Health; 2005. p. 2008.

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