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Children with conduct disorders (CD) and their families are in contact with multiple agencies, but there is limited evidence on their patterns of service utilization. The aim of this study was to establish the patterns, barriers and correlates of service use by analysing the cohort of the 2004 Great Britain child mental health survey ( N = 7,977). Use of social services was significantly higher by children with CD than emotional disorders (ED) in the absence of co-morbidity, while use of specialist child mental health and paediatric was significantly higher by children with hyperkinetic disorders (HD) than CD. Children who had comorbid physical disorders used more primary healthcare services compared to those without physical disorders. Utilization of specialist child mental heath and social services was significantly higher among children with unsocialized CD than socialized CD and oppositional defiant disorders. Services utilization and its correlates varied with the type of service. Overall, specialist services use was associated with co-morbidity with learning disabilities, physical and psychiatric disorders. Several correlates of services use in CD appeared non-specific, i.e. associated with use of different services indicating the possibility of indiscriminate use of different types of services. The findings led to the conclusion that there is the need for effective organization and co-ordination of services, and clear care pathways. Involvement of specialist child mental health services should be requested in the presence of mental health co-morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Children with conduct disorders and their families come into contact with a range of community and specialist agencies. Methods The aim of this study was to establish the lifetime service utilisation rates among children with conduct disorders from the Great Britain National Study (N = 10,438), and to examine the association between comorbid disorders, family and social factors, and service utilisation. The Development and Well-Being Assessment, a service checklist, and a battery of family and social functioning measures were used. Results The weighted prevalence of oppositional and conduct disorders was 5.4 %. Within this group (N =403), 241 (59.8%) had conduct disorder only 79 (19.6%) comorbid emotional, 72 (17.9%) comorbid hyperkinetic, and 11(2.7%) comorbid emotional and hyperkinetic disorders. These subgroups were compared on service utilisation with children with other psychiatric disorders (N=351). Children with conduct disorders had significantly higher lifetime rates of utilisation of social and educational services than children with other psychiatric disorders. Contact with primary health, specialist health, and educational services was significantly associated with comorbid physical and psychiatric disorders. In contrast, contact with social services was associated with family discord and social sector tenancy. Conclusions The findings are discussed in the context of organisation and coordination of health, other statutory, and non-statutory services, also taking into account previous research on interventions for children with conduct disorders and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]