Survey Results

Survey Items: Survey instrument item number for children 0-5 years: C18; for children 6-11 years: C16; for children 12-17 years: C17
Variable name in public use data file: K4Q22_R

Denominator: Children, ages 3 through 17, reported by their parents to have been diagnosed by a health care provider with a mental/behavioral condition (depression, anxiety problems, or behavioral or conduct problems)

Numerator: Children, ages 3 through 17, reported by their parents to have been diagnosed by a health care provider with a mental/behavioral condition (depression, anxiety problems, or behavioral or conduct problems) who received treatment or counseling

Revisions and Changes: IIn the 2011/12 NSCH, this question was asked among children 2-17 years, and the denominator of this measure was children age 3-17 who were found to have an emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem from the CSHCN Screener (qualified on the CSHCN Screener question #5). In the 2016 NSCH, the denominator of this measure is children age 3-17 years who currently have anxiety, depression, or a behavioral/conduct disorder, The 2016 NSCH question was asked among all children 0-17 years old, and the “No” response from the 2011/12 NSCH was broken down in 2 responses in the 2016 NSCH: “No, but needed to see a mental health professional” and “No, did not need to see a mental health professional”. For more information on content changes, click here .
Due to changes in the survey’s mode of data collection and sampling frame, as well as adjustments to item wording where necessary, MCHB alerts data users that it is not possible to compare estimates from the redesigned survey to those from previous iterations of the NSCH or NS-CSHCN or to conduct related trend analyses. The redesigned NSCH will support trend analyses beginning with data from 2016.

Additional Notes: The denominator of this measure is children age 3-17 who currently have one of the three diagnosed conditions: depression, anxiety problems, or behavioral or conduct problems. Children with mental or behavioral conditions were conservatively identified based on a subset of diagnosed conditions for a purpose. These children are grouped according to whether or not they received treatment from a mental health professional during the past 12 months (K4Q22_R). Two response options to K4Q22_R “Did not receive mental health care, but needed”, and “Did not receive mental health care, but did not need” were combined to identify children who did not receive mental health care.

Treatment of Unknown Values: Missing values due to non-response or a “don’t know” response are not included in the denominator when calculating prevalence estimates and weighted population counts displayed in the data query results table. In the majority of cases, the proportion of missing values is less than 2%. Exceptions are noted in the form of a Data Alert at the bottom of a results table. The exclusion of these values does not change the prevalence estimates (%) and only marginally affects the weighted population counts (Pop. Est.). If missing cases are handled in any other way, details can be found in the "Additional notes" section above.

History and Development:
Overview of the Title V Block Grant: The Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant Program is a federal-state partnership in 59 states and jurisdictions to improve the health and well-being of MCH populations through the development of public health systems of care which are family-centered, community-based and culturally appropriate. To improve accountability and demonstrate the impact of the Title V Block Grant Program, significant revisions were implemented with the 2015 application and annual report guidance, which included changes to National Performance Measures (NPM) and National Outcome Measures (NOM). More information about the block grant can be obtained at the MCHB website.
About NSCH: The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) funds and directs the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), and develops survey content in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and a Technical Expert Panel. The Technical Expert Panel consists of experts in survey methodology and children’s health, federal and state stakeholders, clinicians and researchers. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey, oversees the sampling, and produces a final data set of survey results. Respondents’ cognitive understanding of the survey questions was assessed during the pretest phase and revisions were made. Previously validated questions and scales are used when available.
Prior to 2016, the NSCH and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs were each conducted three times as interviewer-assisted telephone surveys using random digit dial sampling. In 2016, the two surveys were combined into a single self-administered questionnaire. Due to decline in the number of households with landline telephones, the NSCH now utilizes an address-based sampling method to select participating households, thus all invitations are sent by mail. Participants may choose to complete the survey either online using a secure website or a mailed paper version of the survey. All final data components are verified by the Census Bureau, MCHB and DRC/CAHMI staff prior to public release. More information can be found in the “Review the Surveys” section of this website.