The Impact of Single Mothers’ Health Insurance Coverage on Behavioral Health Services Utilization by Their Adolescent Children

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Abstract

Adolescents living in single-mother households are more likely to have behavioral health conditions, but are less likely to utilize any behavioral health services. Using nationally representative mother-child pair data pooled over 6 years from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the study finds that when single mothers were uninsured, their adolescent children were less likely to utilize any behavioral health services, even when the children themselves were covered by insurance. The extension of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to uninsured single mothers could improve the behavioral health of the adolescent population.

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Notes

Acknowledgements

The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Copyright information

© National Council for Behavioral Health (outside the USA) 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationRockvilleUSA

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