Disparities in Access to Care for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Carrie Henning-Smith, University of Minnesota
Christine G. Kunitz, University of Minnesota

Emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are increasingly diagnosed in children, constituting one of the most common chronic childhood conditions. Left untreated, EBD pose long-term individual and population-level consequences. Using data from the Integrated Health Interview Series (IHIS), we investigate: 1. How rates of EBD vary by race/ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and region for children age 4-17; 2. Whether having an EBD affects access to care; and 3. The role demographic characteristics play in access to care for children with EBD. We find that children with EBD are more likely to be older, male, and poor. Yet, children with EBD are less likely to be uninsured than their counterparts without EBD. However, children with EBD are also more likely to experience unmet need for health care, even after controlling for frequency of visits and demographic characteristics.