Peer-reviewed article

Parental perceptions of barriers to psychotherapy: a comparison between parents of children with and without reported trauma exposure.

Johanna Leppin, Alexander Tewes, Hanna Christiansen, Katharina Szota · 2 Jun 2026

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground: Mental disorders often emerge in childhood, affecting individual development and family functioning. Parents are often responsible for seeking mental health care for their child and thereby encounter structural, emotional, and knowledge-related barriers. For parents of children exposed to traumatic events, additional challenges may arise.Objective: This study aims to investigate parental perceptions of barriers to psychotherapy for their child and to compare perceptions between parents of children with and without traumatic experiences.Methods: Perceived barriers were measured with a self-developed 10-item scale. Online survey was conducted with N = 271 parents who had at some point been seeking or receiving psychotherapy for their child. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney-U-tests were performed for several group comparisons: search only (n = 63) vs. treatment (n = 208); child with (n = 71) vs. without traumatic experience (n = 200); trauma- (n = 54) vs. non-trauma-related reasons for treatment (n = 154).Results: Parents reported a moderate level of barriers. The highest agreements were found for waiting time and time investment (Md = 4.00; IQR = 2.00). Parents of children who had only sought but not received psychotherapy reported greater difficulties in finding adequate treatment (p < .05, r = -0.18). Both if children had experienced a traumatic event and if the reason for therapy was trauma-related, parents reported a significantly higher degree of time investment (p < .05, r = -0.16), the concern that their child might be too burdened (p < .01, r = -0.20) and lack of confidence in professional competence (p < .01, r = -0.19).Conclusions: Structural barriers were reported as most prominent. Trauma exposure of the child may further increase perceived barriers. These findings highlight the need for parental support and trauma-informed guidance.