Integrated Primary Medical-Behavioral Health Care for Adolescent and Young Adult Depression: Predictors of Service Use in the Youth Partners in Care Trial.

Objectives: Depression, a chronic and disabling condition, frequently has its first onset during adolescence, underscoring the value of early effective treatment and prevention. Integrated medical-behavioral health care provides one strategy for improving treatment access for adolescents and young adults (AYA).

Methods: This study examined predictors of accessing treatment in a multisite randomized controlled trial evaluating an integrated collaborative care intervention aimed at improving access to evidence-based depression treatment through primary health care, compared with usual care.

Results: The integrated care intervention was able to overcome barriers to care associated with an initial reluctance to pursue active treatment and older age. Service use was low in both conditions among less acculturated/non-English-speaking families.

Conclusions: Results support the value of integrated medical-behavioral health care for improving rates of care. Findings highlight mechanisms by which integrated care may lead to improved rates of care and outcomes for AYA, an underserved and understudied group.