Researchers: Keren Hanetz- Gamliel¹, Daphna G. Dollberg¹, Sidlik Alon Sigal², Dorit Ben-Ami³

Background: Early childhood psychopathology threatens developmental trajectories and may lead to persistent mental health difficulties. Recently there has been a growing recognition that early mental health interventions (ages 0–6) are critical for both individual wellbeing and the community. However, empirical research in this area remains limited.

Objectives: 1. To examine whether early childhood intervention reduces subsequent mental health service use (ages 6–18).
2. To assess whether early intervention reduces utilization of pediatric care.
3. To identify demographic, developmental, and clinical predictors of referral to mental health service (ages 6–18) among children who received early intervention.

Method: Data were drawn from Clalit Health Services’ electronic records for children born 2003-2023. Three groups were compared: 10,924 children who received early intervention; 1,127,207 who did not; 13,047 who initiated but did not persist. Survival analyses and ANCOVA models were conducted.

Findings: Early childhood intervention reduced the risk of later referral to mental health services by 22%. Following three therapy sessions, pediatric visits significantly declined (from 9.8 to 8.0 on average, and from 27.6 to 16.4 among high utilizers). Among treated children, higher socioeconomic status and younger age at first referral predicted increased likelihood of later re-referral.

Conclusions: Early intervention in childhood provides individual and community benefits by reducing subsequent use of mental health services and pediatric healthcare demand. These findings highlight that early childhood is clinically valuable and economically sound, with broad implications for child development, family wellbeing, and the sustainability of healthcare systems.

Recommendations: Expand early childhood mental health services and strengthen early detection through pediatricians and Tipat Halav nurses. Promote pediatric and mental health liaison to to ensure continuity of care. Develop tailored interventions based on the needs of children and their families. Finally, invest in culturally sensitive training and recruit professionals from minority groups to improve accessibility and utilization of services.

Research end date: 09/2025