575 - A systematic review of mental and behavioral health screening tools for Asian American children and adolescents

Mental and behavioral health disparities exist in Asian American children and adolescents, especially surrounding engagement in diagnosis and treatment. Mental and behavioral health screening tools provide consistent and objective measures towards diagnosis and treatment, but it is unknown whether these tools are consistently adapted or validated for specific Asian subgroups in existing health data. 

Objective:

To characterize the adaptation and validation of mental and behavioral health screening tools in original research studies involving Asian American children and adolescents.

Design/Methods:

A systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase was performed for studies published before Dec. 1, 2021 on mental and behavioral health in Asian American children and adolescents. Three authors independently evaluated study texts for demographic information and immigrant generation of Asian and Asian subgroups, inclusion of screening tools, and adaptation and validation of the screening tools to the target populations. Studies were summarized and evaluated using descriptive and qualitative measures. 

Results:

Data were extracted from 60 studies published between 2011-2021 thus far. 7 articles were excluded after extraction, leaving 53 articles for synthesis. 47% were cross-sectional surveys. 62% of studies had Asians as one of several ethnic groups studied. 47% had Asian participants across at least two immigrant generations. 37 (70%) studies used mental/behavioral health screening tools. Of these, 62% adapted screening tools from a variety of existing tools and surveys, while 38% primarily administered screens used in clinical settings. 35% specifically discussed validation and adaptation for Asians and/or specific Asian subgroups studied, while the rest of the studies did not address validation or adaptation of the scales. 

Conclusion(s):

Preliminary findings show inconsistent cultural adaptation and validation of mental and behavioral health screening tools for studies involving Asian American children and adolescents, leaving this population at risk for missed diagnoses and opportunities for intervention. Focused efforts to ensure that adaptation of these scales in research and clinical practice for this population are vital to tailor appropriate care to a diverse and growing community.