Measuring well-being among children and adolescents in the public behavioral health system: Clinicians’ perspectives on current practices

Well-being among children and adolescents in the public behavioral health system is impacted by a range of influences and has the potential to impact assessment and treatment decisions. The current qualitative study explored the perspectives of child/adolescent public behavioral health clinicians. Specifically, the research questions examined 1) how clinicians define and measure child and adolescent well-being in current practice and 2) barriers to the assessment of well-being among children and adolescents in the public behavioral health system. Constant comparative analysis of data from a sample of 21 child/adolescent public behavioral health clinicians suggests 5 themes: Hierarchy of Need; Cultural Relevance; All About Relationships; Subjectivity of Well-Being; and Current Practice: Barriers and Recommendations. Results are discussed in the context of implications for future research to develop and implement child and adolescent well-being measures in public behavioral health settings.