Findings from the MY Study were published in a paper in Child Psychiatry & Human Development, entitled “Mental–Physical Multimorbidity in Youth: Associations with Individual, Family, and Health Service Use Outcomes”. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, correlates, and outcomes of youth with comorbid mental and physical conditions (i.e., multimorbidity) in a clinical sample of youth currently receiving mental health services.

Led by Dr. Ferro, in collaboration with researchers from the Offord Centre for Child Studies, findings indicated that 25% of youth had multimorbidity. Interestingly, youth with multimorbidity reported similar quality of life and better family functioning compared to youth with mental disorder only. Youth with multimorbidity were also less likely to receive inpatient services and had shorter stays in hospital for their mental health over the past year. The relationship between youth multimorbidity and length of stay was mediated by family functioning. This finding reinforces the need for family-centered youth mental health care.