Smoothing the move from child to adult mental health care for young people with mental, behavioral, and developmental conditions
Health care transition utilization and outcomes for youth with mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders
This project explores whether state and federal policies and care practices help adolescents and young adults with mental, behavioral, or developmental conditions keep getting timely, high-quality care as they move from pediatric to adult services.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11304581 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're a teen or young adult with a mental, behavioral, or developmental condition, researchers will link nationwide health and mental health records to see how and when people move from pediatric to adult care. They will use differences in when states passed mental health parity laws as a natural comparison to see whether these policies affect whether transitions happen, how soon they occur, and whether gaps appear. The team will also examine whether better transitions are tied to higher-quality care and fewer poor mental health outcomes, including hospitalizations or suicide-related events. The work uses large, restricted national datasets covering many states and years to provide broad, policy-relevant answers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescents and young adults with mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders who are nearing or undergoing the switch from pediatric to adult-focused healthcare.
Not a fit: People without mental, behavioral, or developmental conditions or those already stably engaged in adult mental health care are less likely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could identify policies and practices that reduce care gaps and lower the risk of adverse mental health outcomes during the transition to adult services.
How similar studies have performed: Few prior studies have examined transitions at a national level or used staggered policy implementation as a natural experiment, so this approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wisk, Lauren Elisabeth — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Wisk, Lauren Elisabeth
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.