Barriers to and enablers of the transition from child and adolescent to adult mental health services for autistic young people and/or those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: protocol for a scoping review

Introduction Autistic young people and/or those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who have co-occurring mental health conditions experience significant challenges when transitioning from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS). However, barriers and facilitators to this service transition are poorly understood for this population. This scoping review aims to synthesise the available evidence on barriers and enablers to the transition from CAMHS to AMHS for autistic young people and/or those with ADHD. Methods and analysis Arksey and O'Malley's six-step framework for scoping reviews will be used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist will guide the reporting of this review. Electronic databases of Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest Central and Google Scholar will be searched for relevant articles published in English with no date limitations. Title, abstract and full-text screening will be completed by two independent reviewers. Studies will be eligible for inclusion if the article focuses on (1) adolescents and/or young people (aged 18-24) with a primary diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and/or ADHD (population) and (2) describes factors associated with service or care transitions (concept) (3) from CAMHS to AMHS (context). Study quality will be evaluated using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields. Data describing the factors that enable or inhibit the transition from CAMHS to AMHS will be extracted and synthesised using the Bronfenbrenner's social ecological model as a framework for organising and reporting results. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval is not required. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and presented at conferences.