(PS3-22) Parental preferences for appointment modality within a youth anxiety clinic

Abstract Text:

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to telehealth therapy services, and the use of telehealth in mental health settings has persisted. Increasingly, clinicians may offer both in-person and telehealth services. However, little is known about current preferences among families for telehealth vs in-person services. Improving understanding of family preferences and what family characteristics are associated with those preferences can guide: (1) efforts to support client treatment engagement, and (2) clinical operations related to staffing telehealth vs in-person clinicians.

Methods: We analyzed administrative data from families who sought treatment for their child at a specialty anxiety program embedded in an urban community mental health center over 12 months between 2024 and 2025 (n=178). Families interested in services complete an initial screening form where they indicate their preferences for in-person or virtual appointments. Families additionally report on youth demographics, primary symptom concerns, address, and custody status. We characterized overall preferences for service modality and what youth factors related to preference.

Results: Treatment seeking youth were mostly female (61.8%), with a M age of 10.74; 48.9% of youth were White, 21.0% were Black, and 18.2% were Asian. Youth were mostly non-Hispanic (73.9%). Nearly half of families indicated a preference for in-person appointments (44.9%); 14.2% indicated a preference for virtual appointments; 37.5% indicated no preference. Preference for appointment type did not differ as a function of client race, ethnicity, gender, primary symptom concern, or custody status (all ps > .05). Families who preferred telehealth lived a greater distance in miles from the clinic (M = 19.43) than those who preferred in-person appointments (M = 5.62; t(102) = -3.67, p < .001. Youth whose families indicated a preference for telehealth were slightly older (M = 12.06, SD = 3.06) than those who preferred in-person appointments (M = 9.95, SD = 3.80; t(102) = -3.17, p < .001).

Conclusion: Families generally preferred in-person appointments regardless of characteristics such as race/ethnicity, gender, presenting problem, or custody status. Families living further from the clinic showed a preference for telehealth, consistent with the idea that virtual appointments offer increased accessibility. Families of older vs younger clients have a stronger interest in telehealth sessions, potentially due to parent concerns about younger children’s ability to engage in a virtual format. Subsequent mixed-methods research should further explore what drives family preferences towards in-person vs. telehealth treatment formats to better understand how best to meet needs of diverse families.