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US child mental health care need, unmet needs, and difficulty accessing services

02.16.26 | JAMA Network

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About The Study: This nationally representative study showed that, in 1 in 5 U.S. households, parents perceived a mental health treatment need for their children. Among these parents, 24.8% reported an unmet need, 16.6% reported difficulty in accessing care, and 21.8% cited such difficulty as the reason their children did not receive care. This burden was even greater for households with a single parent and multiple children.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Alyssa L. Burnett, MPH, email alyssa_burnett@populationmedicine.org .

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.6162)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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JAMA Pediatrics

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How to Cite This Article

APA:
JAMA Network. (2026, February 16). US child mental health care need, unmet needs, and difficulty accessing services. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1GRM6NX8/us-child-mental-health-care-need-unmet-needs-and-difficulty-accessing-services.html
MLA:
"US child mental health care need, unmet needs, and difficulty accessing services." Brightsurf News, Feb. 16 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1GRM6NX8/us-child-mental-health-care-need-unmet-needs-and-difficulty-accessing-services.html.