| Studies of consumer satisfaction with children's mental health services often assume that parent and youth satisfaction are similar enough that youth need not be surveyed. The Kansas Satisfaction Survey for Children's Mental Health has collected data on parent and youth (12 and older) satisfaction with services received at community mental health centers. All youth had a diagnosis of SED (serious emotional disorder) and were receiving case management services.;For this dissertation, the ratings given by parents and youth to the same service were compared using the Wilcoxin signed-rank test. Youth were significantly more satisfied than their parents with case management and attendant care, and parents were significantly more satisfied than youth with individual, group and family therapy. Youth and parent ratings of perceived outcomes of services were compared, and youth rated the outcomes of services significantly higher than their parents did. Parent and youth ratings of perceived outcomes of services were also compared to their ratings of satisfaction with services. Parent ratings of services were more highly correlated with perceived outcomes than were youth ratings. A multiple regression model for youth satisfaction with case management services was constructed.;The author contacted families who had completed the survey and asked them to participant in interviews about their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with case management services. Families were selected by sampling for maximum variation. Twelve parents and fifteen youth participated in interviews. Youth emphasized 'trust' as a key element of services. Both parents and youth valued workers who were reliable, honest, and courteous. Both wanted the worker to have a respectful relationship with the other person, and for the case manager to give both youth and parents enough time to discuss their problems. Youth wanted workers who were trustworthy, who valued them, and who helped their lives be more normal. Families also told about worker behaviors that damaged their relationship, sometimes to the point of making them refuse further services. Youth and parents concluded by giving advice for training new case managers. |
