New research reveals that racial and ethnic disparities in children’s mental health care access differ widely across U.S. states, challenging the reliability of national averages. The study, published in Psychiatric Services, examined data from the National Survey of Children’s Health between 2016 and 2019, focusing on caregiver-reported unmet mental health needs and difficulty accessing care.
Among Black children compared to White children, significant disparities in unmet mental health needs were found in four states. In another state, Black children were more likely to face difficulty accessing treatment. Interestingly, four states showed better access for Black children than White children, suggesting that local policies and systems may play a role in shaping outcomes.
For Hispanic children, disparities were even more complex. In seven states, they were less likely than White children to have unmet mental health needs, but in one state, the reverse was true. Difficulty accessing care was lower for Hispanic children in two states, yet higher in three others.
The authors emphasized that “significant state variation in disparities was obscured by national averages.” They call for deeper policy and systems analysis at the state level to uncover structural drivers of inequity. These findings suggest that improving mental health care for children of color will require tailored, localized strategies—not one-size-fits-all solutions.
See: “State-Level Variation in Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Access to Children’s Mental Health Care” (August 14, 2025)
