Bringing Inclusion Into Pediatric Primary Health Care: A Systematic Review of the Behavioral Health Treatment of Racial and Ethnic Minority Youth.

Introduction Currently, pediatric behavioral health care accounts for one of the fastest growing health care expenditures. Children representing racial and ethnic minority groups are still found to experience significant behavioral health needs. Primary health care represents the first level of contact with the health care system. Method The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize articles discussing the behavioral health needs and treatment of racial and ethnic minority in primary care settings. Results Results yielded 40 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Themes included: provider screening, provider selected treatments, prevalence and need, and stigma and patient-provider communication. Conclusions Themes were discussed through the Ecological Systems Theory lens. Study limitations included its exclusion of intellectual disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder, lack of literature utilizing large minority samples, and lack of attention to the intersection between race and/or ethnicity alongside other demographics of concern like gender, age, social class, and geographical location.