Documenting the Full Value of Vaccination: A Systematic Review of Value Frameworks.

OBJECTIVES: Economic evaluations of vaccination may not fully account for nonhealth patient impacts on families, communities, and society (ie, broader value elements). Omission of broader value elements may reflect a lack of established measurement methodology, lack of agreement over which value elements to include in economic evaluations, and a lack of consensus on whether the value elements included should vary by vaccination type or condition. We conducted a systematic review of value frameworks to identify broader value elements and measurement guidance that may be useful for capturing the full value of vaccination. METHODS: We searched Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, and the gray literature to identify value frameworks for all health interventions, and we extracted information on each framework's context, value elements, and any available guidance on how these elements should be measured. We used descriptive statistics to analyze and compare the prevalence of broader value elements in vaccination value frameworks and other healthcare-related value frameworks. RESULTS: Our search identified 62 value frameworks that met inclusion criteria, 9 of which were vaccination specific. Although vaccination frameworks included several broader value elements, such as reduced transmissibility and public health benefits, the elements were represented inconsistently across the frameworks. Vaccination frameworks omitted several value elements included in nonvaccination-specific frameworks, including dosing and administration complexity and affordability. In addition, guidance for measuring broader value elements was underdeveloped. CONCLUSIONS: Future efforts should further evaluate inclusion of broader value elements in economic evaluations of vaccination and develop standards for their subsequent measurement.

Selecting evidence to frame the consequences of adverse childhood experiences: testing effects on public support for policy action, multi-sector responsibility, and stigma.

While clinical and public health researchers have produced a high volume of research evidence about the consequences of ACEs, there is limited research on public understanding of ACEs or how to most effectively communicate about this body of science. The objective of this study was to determine which messages describing evidence about the consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect public perceptions. We conducted an online experiment with a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults in July-August 2020. Participants were randomized to control groups receiving messages describing ACE prevalence or resilience, or treatment groups receiving messages describing consequences of ACEs on mental health and substance use, economics, racial equity, or biology. We compared respondents' perceptions of prevention policies and likelihood of policy engagement, attributions of multi-sector responsibility, and blame and stigma across experimental groups. Messages about economic consequences increased respondents' support for policy and attributions of multi-sector responsibility relative to control groups, while also increasing parental blame. The message describing racial equity lowered respondents' perceptions of importance of state policy action and attributions of responsibility to health care. None of the messages affected stigmatizing attitudes. Describing the economic consequences of ACEs on public systems boosts public support for policy action. More research is needed on how the public responds to messaging connecting systemic racism with childhood adversity and health.

State Policies that Impact the Design of Children's Mental Health Services: A Modified Delphi Study.

To identify the state-level policies and policy domains that state policymakers and advocates perceive as most important for positively impacting the use of children's mental health services (CMHS). We used a modified Delphi technique (i.e., two rounds of questionnaires and an interview) during Spring 2021 to elicit perceptions among state mental health agency officials and advocates (n = 28) from twelve states on state policies that impact the use of CMHS. Participants rated a list of pre-specified policies on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = not important, 7 = extremely important) in the following policy domains: insurance coverage and limits, mental health services, school and social. Participants added nine policies to the initial list of 24 policies. The "school" policy domain was perceived as the most important, while the "social" policy domain was perceived as the least important after the first questionnaire and the second most important policy domain after the second questionnaire. The individual policies perceived as most important were school-based mental health services, state mental health parity, and Medicaid reimbursement rates. Key stakeholders in CMHS should leverage this group of policies to understand the current policy landscape in their state and to identify gaps in policy domains and potential policy opportunities to create a more comprehensive system to address children's mental health from a holistic, evidence-based policymaking perspective.

Population-Based Approaches to Mental Health: History, Strategies, and Evidence.

There is growing recognition in the fields of public health and mental health services research that the provision of clinical services to individuals is not a viable approach to meeting the mental health needs of a population. Despite enthusiasm for the notion of population-based approaches to mental health, concrete guidance about what such approaches entail is lacking, and evidence of their effectiveness has not been integrated. Drawing from research and scholarship across multiple disciplines, this review provides a concrete definition of population-based approaches to mental health, situates these approaches within their historical context in the United States, and summarizes the nature of these approaches and their evidence. These approaches span three domains: (a) social, economic, and environmental policy interventions that can be implemented by legislators and public agency directors, (b) public health practice interventions that can be implemented by public health department officials, and (c) health care system interventions that can be implemented by hospital and health care system leaders.

Associations Between Cross-Sector Partnerships and Local Health Department Participation in Population-Based Activities to Prevent Mental Health Conditions.

Objectives. To describe partnerships between US local health departments (LHDs) and community organizations and assess the relationship between the types of activities performed in these partnerships and LHD engagement in population-based activities to prevent mental health conditions.Methods. Data were derived from 457 LHDs that responded to module 1 of the 2016 Profile Study conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials. These data were used to assess the presence of partnerships with community organizations and examine associations between the types of activities performed in such partnerships and LHDs' participation in population-based activities to prevent mental health conditions.Results. LHDs had higher odds of participating in population-based activities to prevent mental health conditions if they shared personnel or resources or had written agreements with mental health or substance use disorder providers, held regularly scheduled meetings with hospitals, or shared personnel or resources with community health centers. Odds were reduced if they exchanged information with community health centers or shared personnel or resources with faith-based organizations.Conclusions. This study offers an improved understanding of how the types of activities performed in cross-sector partnerships affect LHDs' participation in population-based activities to prevent mental health conditions, which is important as public policies, programs, and funding initiatives continue to encourage cross-sector partnership building.

A road map for the future: An exploration of attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs among African Americans to tailor health promotion of cancer-related genetic counseling and testing.

African Americans (AA), the second largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States (US), carry the largest mortality burden of cancer compared with other racial/ethnic groups (Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans, 2019-2021, American Cancer Society).One solution to address this disparity is through cancer-related genetic counseling and testing (CGT). Although CGT is utilized among the general population, it remains underutilized among AA populations. Community-engaged and community-driven health promotion programs within faith-based organizations (FBOs) have been successfully implemented and delivered among AA populations (Israel et al., American Journal of Public Health, 100, 2010, 2094). FBOs are well positioned for cancer-related health promotion and equipped as conduits of health education and information distribution for cancer prevention. In the present pilot study, a community-based participatory approach (CBPR) was used to collect exploratory data on attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs toward CGT and uptake among an AA sample in the Midwest. Focus groups were conducted in two churches where respondents (N=34) answered a pre-focus group survey prior to a discussion. Respondents were largely unaware of CGT and thought of testing as primarily for ancestral discovery and not for an inheritable disease. Themes identified through qualitative analysis included emotional experiences with cancer; perception of cancer risk; different pictures of genetic testing; other things to worry about; trust in the healthcare system/faith in God and the healthcare system; and ideas and insights regarding promotion of CGT. These primary themes showed participants' perceptions of CGT were shaped by their experiences with cancer, faith, faith communities/FBOs, and cost and access to CGT. Overall, participants within these organizations had positive perceptions about the church as a conduit of genetic testing information but had mixed opinions about the rationale for completing CGT. These findings have implications for genetic counselors, medical providers, and health promotion personnel as to how AA faith populations view CGT and the utility of FBOs as promoters of CGT information.

Depression and alcohol misuse among older adults: exploring mechanisms and policy impacts using agent-based modelling.

PURPOSE: To: (1) explore how multi-level factors impact the longitudinal prevalence of depression and alcohol misuse among urban older adults (≥ 65 years), and (2) simulate the impact of alcohol taxation policies and targeted interventions that increase social connectedness among excessive drinkers, socially isolated and depressed older adults; both alone and in combination. METHODS: An agent-based model was developed to explore the temporal co-evolution of depression and alcohol misuse prevalence among older adults nested in a spatial network. The model was based on Los Angeles and calibrated longitudinally using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Interventions with a social component targeting depressed and socially isolated older adults appeared more effective in curbing depression prevalence than those focused on excessive drinkers. Targeting had similar impacts on alcohol misuse, though the effects were marginal compared to those on depression. Alcohol taxation alone had little impact on either depression or alcohol misuse trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that improve social connectedness may reduce the prevalence of depression among older adults. Targeting considerations could play an important role in determining the success of such efforts.

Perceptions of patient-provider communication and receipt of mental health treatment among older adults with depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to: (1) determine if and how perceptions towards healthcare providers differ between older adults with and without clinically signifcant depressive symptoms (CSDS), and (2) assess whether perceptions towards providers are associated with receipt of mental health treatment among older adults with CSDS. METHODS: Data from the 2013 and 2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used to examine CSDS prevalence, receipt of mental health treatment, and perceptions of provider communication among community-dwelling adults ≥ age 65 (N = 6,936) using four of the 'How Well Doctors Communicate' composite items from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems(CAHPS). Multivariate logistic regression was used. RESULTS: CSDS are associated with greater odds of having 'poor' perceptions of provider communication on all four CAHPS communication measures. Perceptions of provider communication are similar among older adults with CSDS who received and did not receive mental health treatment, except on an item measuring a provider's ability to explain information in ways patients understand. CONCLUSION: Older adults with CSDS have more negative perceptions of the quality of their communication with healthcare providers than their peers. Healthcare systems should consider how to accommodate these patients' unique needs and communication preferences to ensure receipt of quality care.

Examining the possible impact of daily transport on depression among older adults using an agent-based model.

OBJECTIVES: Daily transport may impact depression risk among older adults through several pathways including facilitating the ability to meet basic needs, enabling and promoting contact with other people and nature, and promoting physical activity (e.g. through active transportation such as walking or walking to public transit). Both daily transport and depression are influenced by the neighborhood environment. To provide insights into how transport interventions may affect depression in older adults, we developed a pilot agent-based model to explore the contribution of daily transport and neighborhood environment to older adults' depression in urban areas. METHOD: The model includes about 18,500 older adults (i.e. agents) between the ages of 65 and 85 years old, living in a hypothetical city. The city has a grid space with a number of neighborhoods and locations. Key dynamic processes in the model include aging, daily transport use and feedbacks, and the development of depression. Key parameters were derived from US data sources. The model was validated using empirical studies. RESULTS: An intervention that combines a decrease in bus fares, shorter bus waiting times, and more bus lines and stations is most effective at reducing depression. Lower income groups are likely to be more sensitive to the public transit-oriented intervention. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest that promoting public transit use may be a promising strategy to increase daily transport and decrease depression. Our results may have implications for transportation policies and interventions to prevent depression in older adults.

Complex Systems Approaches to Understand Drivers of Mental Health and Inform Mental Health Policy: A Systematic Review.

We conducted a systematic review of studies employing complex systems approaches (i.e., agent based and system dynamics models) to understand drivers of mental health and inform mental health policy. We extracted key data (e.g., purpose, design, data) for each study and provide a narrative synthesis of insights generated across studies. The studies investigated drivers and policy intervention strategies across a diversity of mental health outcomes. Based on these studies and the extant literature, we propose a typology of mental health research and policy areas that may benefit from complex systems approaches.

Unintended consequences of disseminating behavioral health evidence to policymakers: Results from a survey-based experiment.

Background: Communication research demonstrates that messages often have unintended consequences, but this work has received limited attention in implementation science. This dissemination experiment sought to determine whether state-tailored policy briefs about the behavioral health consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), compared to national policy briefs on the topic, increased state legislators'/staffers' perceptions of the policy brief relevance and parental blame for the consequences of ACEs, and whether effects differed between Democrats and Republicans. Method: A preregistered, web-based survey experiment with U.S. state legislators/staffers was conducted in 2021 (n = 133). Respondents were randomized to view a policy brief about the behavioral health consequences of ACEs that included state-tailored data (intervention condition) or national data (control condition) and then answered survey questions. Dependent variables were perceived policy brief relevance and parental blame for the consequences of ACEs. Results: The mean policy brief relevance score was 4.1% higher in the intervention than in the control condition (p = .24), but the mean parental blame score was 16.5% higher (p = .02). When outcomes were dichotomized, 61.2% of respondents in the intervention condition rated parents as "very much to blame" for the consequences of ACEs compared to 37.1% in the control condition (p = .01). When the sample was stratified by political affiliation, the effect of the state-tailored policy brief on parental blame was larger in magnitude among Democrats and not significant among Republicans. The intervention policy brief increased the mean parental blame score by 22.8% among Democrats relative to the control policy brief (p = .007) and doubled the proportion rating parents as "very much to blame" (52.2% vs. 26.1%, p = .03). Conclusions: Despite limited statistical power, state-tailored policy briefs significantly increased state legislators'/staffers' perceptions of parental blame for the behavioral health consequences of ACEs, relative to a policy brief with national data. Unintended messaging effects warrant greater attention in dissemination research and practice.

Prior studies have tested the effects of dissemination strategies on policymakers' engagement with research evidence. However, little research has assessed the potential unintended consequences of disseminating evidence to policymakers. This knowledge gap is important because a large body of communication research has found that messages often have negative and unintended effects. This paper adds to the literature on disseminating evidence about behavioral health issues to policymakers. A web-based survey experiment was conducted in which U.S. state legislators/staffers were randomized to view a policy brief about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that was tailored to present data from their state (intervention condition) or a policy brief that presented national data and then completed a survey. Legislators/staffers who viewed the state-tailored policy brief perceived the brief as slightly more relevant, but also rated parents as being significantly more to blame for the behavioral health consequence of ACEs. The effect of the state-tailored policy brief on parental blame is an unintended messaging effect that signals cause for caution when disseminating evidence about ACEs to policymakers and other practice audiences. More broadly, the findings highlight a need to consider unintended messaging effects in dissemination research and practice.

Newspaper Coverage of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress in the United States, 2014-2020: Consequences, Causes, and Solutions.

News media can shape public opinion about child adversity and influence the translation of research into public policy. Research about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress has increased dramatically in recent years, but little is known about how these concepts are covered in news media. We reviewed how newspapers in the United States have portrayed the consequences of, causes of, and solutions to address ACEs and toxic stress, examined trends in newspaper coverage, and assessed differences in coverage of ACEs versus toxic stress. Quantitative content analysis was conducted of 746 newspaper articles mentioning "adverse childhood experience(s)" and/or "toxic stress" published in 25 U.S. newspapers between January 1, 2014, and May 30, 2020. κ statistics of interrater reliability were calculated, and variables with κ ≥ .60 were retained for quantitative analysis. We found that newspaper coverage of ACEs and toxic stress increased dramatically between 2014 and 2018 and then sharply declined. Only 13.3% of articles mentioned both ACEs and toxic stress. There were many statistically significant (p < .05) differences in the causes, consequences, and solutions identified in articles focused on ACEs versus toxic stress. Coverage of both concepts predominantly focused on consequences for individuals, not society. However, 54.6% of articles identified a structural cause of ACEs and/or toxic stress. Increased volume in newspaper coverage about ACEs and toxic stress could increase public awareness about the relationship between childhood adversity and adult outcomes. There is a need to portray ACEs and toxic stress as complementary concepts more coherently in news media.

Public Opinion About Adverse Childhood Experiences: Social Stigma, Attribution of Blame, and Government Intervention.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are receiving increasing attention in academic, policy, and media discourses. However, no public opinion research has focused on ACEs. We conducted a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults to address this knowledge gap. A web-based survey was conducted using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel (N = 503, completion rate = 60.5%) in fall 2019. We found that inter-personal stigma and parental blame related to ACEs were prevalent, with 25.0% of respondents unwilling to have a person with "a lot of ACEs" as a close co-worker and 65.2% believing that parents were very much to blame for the consequences of ACEs. Fifty percent of respondents believed that government intervention to prevent ACEs was very important. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, inter-personal stigma toward people with ACEs and conservative ideology were significantly associated with lower perceived importance of government intervention to prevent ACEs. Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and female gender were significantly associated with higher perceived importance of government intervention. These findings provide an empirical foundation to inform strategies to communicate ACE science to public and policymaker audiences.

Partisan differences in the effects of economic evidence and local data on legislator engagement with dissemination materials about behavioral health: a dissemination trial.

BACKGROUND: State legislators make policy decisions that influence children's exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as child maltreatment, and their effects on behavioral health. Effective dissemination of scientific research can increase the likelihood that legislators' decisions are aligned with evidence to prevent ACEs and their consequences, and effective dissemination requires legislators to engage with dissemination materials. Informed by the elaboration likelihood model of persuasive communication and Brownson's Model of Dissemination Research, we tested the hypothesis that inclusion of economic evidence and local data would increase legislator engagement with dissemination materials about evidence-supported policies related to ACEs and behavioral health. METHODS: A three-arm randomized dissemination trial was conducted. A university researcher e-mailed dissemination materials which contained evidence about ACEs and behavioral health problems to state legislators (two e-mails sent 2 weeks apart, 12,662 e-mails delivered to 6509 legislators). The e-mail subject lines, text, and policy brief content were manipulated across the study arms. The intervention condition received state-tailored data about rates of ACEs and state-tailored economic evidence about the costs of ACEs for public systems, the enhanced control condition received state-tailored data and not economic evidence, and the control condition received national data and not economic evidence. Outcomes were rates of e-mail views, policy brief link clicks, requests for researcher consultation, and mentions of child maltreatment terms in legislators' social media posts. RESULTS: For the first e-mail, the e-mail view rate was 42.6% higher in the intervention than in the enhanced control condition (22.8% vs. 14.8%) and 20.8% higher than in the control condition (22.8% vs. 18.5%) (both p < .0001). Similar results were observed for the second e-mail. These differences remained significant after adjustment for demographic differences across study conditions in individual-level models, but not multilevel models. There was a significant interaction between the experimental condition and political party (p < .0001) in which the intervention increased e-mail view rates among Democrats but not Republicans. The intervention had no effect on policy brief link clicks or requests for consultation and a mixed effect on social media posts. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusion of state-tailored economic evidence in dissemination materials can increase engagement with research evidence among Democrat, but not Republican, legislators. Dissemination strategies tailored for legislators' political party affiliation may be needed.

Simulating the role of knowledge brokers in policy making in state agencies: An agent-based model.

OBJECTIVE: To model children's mental health policy making dynamics and simulate the impacts of knowledge broker interventions. DATA SOURCES: Primary data from surveys (n = 221) and interviews (n = 64) conducted in 2019-2021 with mental health agency (MHA) officials in state agencies. STUDY DESIGN: A prototype agent-based model (ABM) was developed using the PARTE (Properties, Actions, Rules, Time, Environment) framework and informed through primary data collection. In each simulation, a policy is randomly generated (salience weights: cost, contextual alignment, and strength of evidence) and discussed among agents. Agents are MHA officials and heterogenous in their properties (policy making power and network influence) and policy preferences (based on salience weights). Knowledge broker interventions add agents to the MHA social network who primarily focus on the policy's research evidence. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: A sequential explanatory mixed method approach was used. Descriptive and regression analyses were used for the survey data and directed content analysis was used to code interview data. Triangulated results informed ABM development. In the ABM, policy makers with various degrees of decision influence interact in a scale-free network before and after knowledge broker interventions. Over time, each decides to support or oppose a policy proposal based on policy salience weights and their own properties and interactions. The main outcome is an agency-level decision based on policy maker support. Each intervention and baseline simulation runs 250 times across 50 timesteps. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Surveys and interviews revealed that barriers to research use could be addressed by knowledge brokers. Simulations indicated that policy decision outcomes varied by policy making context within agencies. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first application of ABM to evidence-informed mental health policy making. Results suggest that the presence of knowledge brokers can: (1) influence consensus formation in MHAs, (2) accelerate policy decisions, and (3) increase the likelihood of evidence-informed policy adoption.

Review: Structural Racism, Children's Mental Health Service Systems, and Recommendations for Policy and Practice Change.

OBJECTIVE: Racism is a public health crisis that impacts on children's mental health, yet mental health service systems are insufficiently focused on addressing racism. Moreover, a focus on interpersonal racism and on individual coping with the impacts of racism has been prioritized over addressing structural racism at the level of the service system and associated institutions. In this paper, we examine strategies to address structural racism via policies affecting children's mental health services. METHOD: First, we identify and analyze federal and state policies focused on racism and mental health equity. Second, we evaluate areas of focus in these policies and discuss the evidence base informing their implementation. Finally, we provide recommendations for what states, counties, cities, and mental health systems can do to promote antiracist evidence-based practices in children's mental health. RESULTS: Our analysis highlights gaps and opportunities in the evidence base for policy implementation strategies, including the following: mental health services for youth of color, interventions addressing interpersonal racism and bias in the mental health service system, interventions addressing structural racism, changes to provider licensure and license renewal, and development of the community health workforce. CONCLUSION: Recommendations are provided both within and across systems to catalyze broader systems transformation.

Policy Makers' Priorities for Addressing Youth Substance Use and Factors That Influence Priorities.

OBJECTIVE: Understanding public policy makers' priorities for addressing youth substance use and the factors that influence these priorities can inform the dissemination and implementation of strategies that promote evidence-based decision making. This study characterized the priorities of policy makers in substance use agencies of U.S. states and counties for addressing youth substance use, the factors that influenced these priorities, and the differences in priorities and influences between state and county policy makers. METHODS: In 2020, a total of 122 substance use agency policy makers from 35 states completed a Web-based survey (response rate=22%). Respondents rated the priority of 14 issues related to youth substance use and the extent to which nine factors influenced these priorities. Data were analyzed as dichotomous and continuous variables and for state and county policy makers together and separately. RESULTS: The highest priorities for youth substance use were social determinants of substance use (87%), adverse childhood experiences and childhood trauma (85%), and increasing access to school-based substance use programs (82%). The lowest priorities were increasing access to naloxone for youths (49%), increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder among youths (49%), and deimplementing non-evidence-based youth substance use programs (41%). The factors that most influenced priorities were budget issues (80%) and state legislature (69%), federal (67%), and governor priorities (65%). Issues related to program implementation and deimplementation were significantly higher priorities for state than for county policy makers. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can inform the tailoring of dissemination and implementation strategies to account for the inner- and outer-setting contexts of substance use agencies.

Inter-agency collaboration is associated with increased frequency of research use in children's mental health policy making.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the self-report frequency of inter-agency collaboration about children's mental health issues is associated with the self-report frequency of using research evidence in children's mental health policy and program decision making in mental health agencies (MHAs). DATA SOURCES: Primary data were collected through web-based surveys of state (N = 221) and county (N = 117) MHA officials. DESIGN: The primary independent variable was a composite score quantifying the frequency of collaboration about children's mental health issues between officials in MHAs and six other state agencies. The dependent variables were composite scores quantifying the frequency of research use in children's mental health policy and program decision making in general and for specific purposes (i.e., conceptual, instrumental, tactical, imposed). Covariates were composite scores quantifying well-established determinants of research use (e.g., agency leadership, research use skills) in agency policy and program decision making. DATA METHODS: Separate multiple linear regression models estimated associations between frequency of inter-agency collaboration and research use scores, adjusting for other determinants of research use, respondent state, and other covariates. Data from state and county officials were analyzed separately. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The frequency of inter-agency collaboration was positively and independently associated with the frequency of research use in children's mental health policy making among state (ß = 0.22, p = 0.004) and county (ß = 0.39, p < 0.0001) MHA officials. Inter-agency collaboration was also the only variable significantly associated with the frequency of research use for all four specific purposes among state MHA officials, and similar findings we observed among county MHA officials. The magnitudes of associations between inter-agency collaboration and frequency of research use were generally stronger than for more well-established determinants of research use in policy making. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies that promote collaboration between MHA officials and external agencies could increase the use of research evidence in children's mental health policy and program decision making in MHAs.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health Safety Net Services for Youths: A National Survey of Agency Officials.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health agencies provide critical safety net services for youths. No research has assessed impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on services these agencies provide or youths they serve. This study sought to characterize agency officials' perceptions of the pandemic's impacts on youths and challenges to providing youth services during the pandemic and to examine associations between these challenges and impacts. METHODS: Surveys were completed in September-October 2020 by 159 state or county mental health agency officials from 46 states. Respondents used 7-point scales (higher rating indicated more severe impact or challenge) to rate the pandemic's impact on youth mental health issues, general service challenges, and telepsychiatry service challenges across patient, provider, and financing domains. Multiple linear regression models estimated associations between service challenges (independent variables) and pandemic impacts (dependent variables). RESULTS: Most agency officials perceived the pandemic as having disproportionately negative mental health impacts on socially disadvantaged youths (serious impact, 72%; mean rating=5.85). Only 15% (mean=4.29) perceived the pandemic as having a seriously negative impact on receipt of needed youth services. Serious service challenges were related to youths' lack of reliable equipment or Internet access for telepsychiatry services (serious challenge, 59%; mean=5.47) and the inability to provide some services remotely (serious challenge, 42%, mean=4.72). In regression models, the inability to provide some services remotely was significantly (p≤0.01) associated with three of five pandemic impacts. CONCLUSIONS: Officials perceived the COVID-19 pandemic as exacerbating youth mental health disparities but as not having a dramatic impact on receipt of needed services.

Perceived Persuasiveness of Evidence About Adverse Childhood Experiences: Results From a National Survey.

OBJECTIVE: Advocates must make decisions about the types of evidence they emphasize when communicating to cultivate support for adverse childhood experience (ACE) prevention policies. This study sought to characterize public perceptions of the persuasiveness of 12 ACE evidence statements and assess differences by ideology in the strength of these evidence messages as rationales for ACE prevention policies. METHODS: A web-based survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults was conducted using the KnowledgePanel (N = 503, completion rate = 60.5%). Respondents read ACE evidence statements and answered questions about the extent to which each was perceived as persuasive. Data were collected and analyzed in 2019. RESULTS: The evidence statements perceived as most persuasive (scoring range 3-17) were those about ACEs as risk factors for mental health and substance use conditions (mean = 12.39) and suicide (mean = 12.14); ACEs generating financial costs for society (mean = 12.03); and the consequences of ACEs being preventable by a supportive adult (mean = 11.97). The evidence statements perceived as least persuasive were about ACEs generating health care costs for individuals (mean = 9.42) and ACEs as risk factors for physical health conditions (mean = 9.47). A larger proportion of liberals than conservatives rated every statement as providing a "strong reason" for ACE prevention policies. These differences were largest for evidence about ACEs generating financial costs for society (84.6% vs 42.8%, P < .0001) and socioeconomic disparities in ACEs (65.1% vs 32.9%, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Many ACE evidence statements commonly used in policy advocacy differ from those perceived as most persuasive among a nationally representative sample of US adults.