Effects of Mindfulness-Based Parallel-Group Interventions on Family Functioning and Child and Parent Mental Health: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Objectives Involving parents and children in mindfulness-based interventions may holistically benefit family well-being. This meta-analysis systematically reviews and synthesizes the effects of mindfulness-based parallel-group (MBPG) interventions, which simultaneously involve parent and child, on family functioning, and the mental health of parents and children. Methods A total of 20 relevant studies were identified from 14 databases. The overall intervention effect size was estimated by pooled standardized mean difference. Moderator analyses were performed to explain the variability in intervention effects. Risk of bias and publication bias were also assessed. Results MBPG interventions showed minor-to-small positive effects on family functioning (d = 0.182, 95% CI [0.045, 0.319]), parental mental health (d = 0.238, 95% CI [0.110, 0.365]), and child mental health (d = 0.325, 95% CI [0.137, 0.513]). The effects of MBPG interventions on child mental health varied significantly by child age, child gender, recruitment setting, type of parent group, other activities in child group, other activities in parent group, and study design. Conclusions MBPG interventions show promising effects in improving mental health of both parents and children as well as in improving overall family functioning. However, significant variations exist in characteristics of participants, interventions, and study designs. Given the limited evidence currently available, more studies are needed to assess the determinants of effectiveness in MBPG interventions. Protocol Registration: PROSPERO #CRD42020164927

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Relationship Between Family Functioning, Parents’ Psychosocial Factors, and Children’s Well-Being

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x211030722 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0192513X2110307

Author(s):

Tania Gaspar ◽

Diego Gomez-Baya ◽

Joana S. Trindade ◽

Fábio Botelho Guedes ◽

Ana Cerqueira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Family Functioning ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Well Being ◽

Parental Mental Health ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Path Analyses ◽

The Impact

The main objective of this study is to explore the impact of the psychosocial factors (social support, resilience, and mental health) on the family functioning and on the parent’s perception of their children’s well-being. Participants were 1757 parents of children aged 6 to 16 years, 77.3% female ( N = 1359), and 22.7% male ( N = 398), aged between 20 and 80 years ( M = 41.61 and SD = 5.71). A path analyses model indicated that social support and resilience, which were positively associated, presented positive effects on parental mental health and on family functioning. No effect was observed on family functioning by parental mental health after including the effects by social support and resilience. Finally, this model pointed out that better family functioning, more social support, and more resilience skills were related to better child well-being. Implications to research and to prevention and psychological intervention in relation to parental skills and family functioning are presented in order to promote children well-being and healthy development.

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Cohort profile: the Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study: a longitudinal Australian cohort study of men’s mental health and well-being at the normative age for first-time fatherhood

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047909 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. e047909

Author(s):

Jacqui A Macdonald ◽

Lauren M Francis ◽

Helen Skouteris ◽

George J Youssef ◽

Liam G Graeme ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Data Collection ◽

Online Survey ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Work And Family ◽

Depressive Symptom Severity ◽

Health And Well Being

PurposeThe Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study is a prospective investigation of men’s mental health and well-being across the normative age for transitioning to fatherhood. This includes trajectories and outcomes for men who do and do not become fathers across five annual waves of the study.ParticipantsAustralian resident, English-speaking men aged 28–32 years at baseline were eligible. Recruitment was over a 2-year period (2015–2017) via social and traditional media and through engagement with study partners. Eight hundred and eighteen eligible men consented to participate. Of these, 664 men completed the first online survey of whom 608 consented to ongoing participation. Of the ongoing sample, 83% have participated in at least two of the first three annual online surveys.Findings to dateThree waves of data collection are complete. The first longitudinal analysis of MAPP data, published in 2020, identified five profiles that characterise men’s patterns of depressive symptom severity and presentations of anger. Profiles indicating pronounced anger and depressive symptoms were associated with fathers’ lack of perceived social support, and problems with coparenting and bonding with infants. In a second study, MAPP data were combined with three other Australian cohorts in a meta-analysis of associations between fathers’ self-reported sleep problems up to 3 years postpartum and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Adjusted meta-analytic associations between paternal sleep and mental health risk ranged from 0.25 to 0.37.Future plansMAPP is an ongoing cohort study. Waves 4 and 5 data will be ready for analyses at the end of 2021. Future investigations will include crossed-lagged and trajectory analyses that assess inter-relatedness and changing social networks, mental health, work and family life. A nested study of COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health and coping will add two further waves of data collection in a subsample of MAPP participants.

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Effects of Touch on Students’ Stress, Happiness, and Well-Being During Animal-Assisted Activities

Journal of Education and Development ◽

10.20849/jed.v5i1.887 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 111

Author(s):

Laura Sokal ◽

Brianne Bartel ◽

Taylor Martin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

North America ◽

Secondary Students ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Research Study ◽

Well Being ◽

Post Secondary ◽

College And University ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Repeated Measures Design

Post-secondary institutions across North America have adopted animal-assisted activities as a way to promote better mental health in their students. The current research study of 242 Canadian college and university students sought to contribute to our collective understanding of the aspects of the programs and characteristics of students that are related to promotion of better mental health in post-secondary students including decreased stress, and increased happiness and well-being. Results of a repeated measures design showed that students demonstrated greater positive effects on stress, happiness, and well-being when they touched dogs as compared to when they observed them. Furthermore, positive mental health outcomes were correlated with greater durations of contact as well as with higher levels of animal affiliation in students. Implications for post-secondary institutions are discussed.

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Vulnerability pathways to mental health outcomes in children and parents during COVID-19

Current Psychology ◽

10.1007/s12144-021-02459-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jala Rizeq ◽

Daphne J. Korczak ◽

Katherine Tombeau Cost ◽

Evdokia Anagnostou ◽

Alice Charach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Family Functioning ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Material Deprivation ◽

Reciprocal Effects ◽

Prevention Policy ◽

Economic Vulnerability ◽

Mental Health Difficulties ◽

Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors

AbstractWe examined pathways from pre-existing psychosocial and economic vulnerability to mental health difficulties and stress in families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from two time points from a multi-cohort study initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic were used. Parents of children 6–18 years completed questionnaires on pre-COVID-19 socioeconomic and demographic factors in addition to material deprivation and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions, mental health, and family functioning. Youth 10 years and older also completed their own measures of mental health and stress. Using structural equation modelling, pathways from pre-existing vulnerability to material deprivation and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions, mental health, and family functioning, including reciprocal pathways, were estimated. Pre-existing psychosocial and economic vulnerability predicted higher material deprivation due to COVID-19 restrictions which in turn was associated with parent and child stress due to restrictions and mental health difficulties. The reciprocal effects between increased child and parent stress and greater mental health difficulties at Time 1 and 2 were significant. Reciprocal effects between parent and child mental health were also significant. Finally, family functioning at Time 2 was negatively impacted by child and parent mental health and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions at Time 1. Psychosocial and economic vulnerability is a risk factor for material deprivation during COVID-19, increasing the risk of mental health difficulties and stress, and their reciprocal effects over time within families. Implications for prevention policy and parent and child mental health services are discussed.

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When the Bough Breaks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mental Health Symptoms in Mothers of Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

10.31234/osf.io/u8pnh ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nicole Racine ◽

Rachel Eirich ◽

Jessica Cookee ◽

Jenney Zhu ◽

Paolo Pador ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Children ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Random Effect ◽

Well Being ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Study Quality ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Meta Analyses

Parents have experienced considerable challenges and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact their well-being. This meta-analysis sought to identify: 1) the prevalence of depression and anxiety in parents of young children (< age 5) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) sociodemographic (e.g., parent age, minority status) and methodological moderators (e.g., study quality) that explain heterogeneity among studies. A systematic search was conducted across four databases from January 1st, 2020 to March 3st, 2021. A total of 18 non-overlapping studies (9,101 participants), all focused on maternal mental health, met inclusion criteria. Random-effect meta-analyses were conducted. Pooled prevalence estimates for clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms for mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic were 27.4% (95% CI: 21.5-34.3) and 43.5% (95% CI:27.5-60.9), respectively. Prevalence of clinically elevated depression and anxiety symptoms were higher in Europe and North America and among older mothers. Clinically elevated depressive symptoms were lower in studies with a higher percentage of racial and ethnic minority individuals. In comparison, clinically elevated anxiety symptoms were higher among studies of low study quality and in samples with highly educated mothers. Policies and resources targeting improvements in maternal mental health are essential.

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Cohort Profile: Biological Pathways of Risk and Resilience in Syrian Refugee Children (BIOPATH)

10.31234/osf.io/gt9fw ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fiona McEwen ◽

Cassandra Popham ◽

Patricia Moghames ◽

Demelza Smeeth ◽

Bernadette de Villiers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Problems ◽

Refugee Children ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Child Gender ◽

Syrian Refugee ◽

Hair Samples

The BIOPATH cohort was established to explore the interplay of psychosocial and biological factors in the development of resilience and mental health problems in Syrian refugee children. Based in Lebanon, a middle-income country significantly impacted by the refugee crisis, it is the first such cohort of refugees in the Middle East. Families were recruited from informal tented settlements in the Beqaa region using purposive cluster sampling. At baseline (October 2017–January 2018), N=3,190 individuals participated (n=1,595 child-caregiver dyads; child gender, 52.7% female; mean [SD] age=11.44 [2.44] years, range=6-19]). Re-participation rate at one year follow up was 63%. Individual interviews were conducted with children and primary caregivers and biological samples collected from children. Measures include: (i) children’s well-being and mental health problems (using tools validated against clinical interviews in a subsample of the cohort); (ii) psychosocial risk and protective factors at the level of the individual (e.g., coping strategies), family (e.g., parent-child relationship), community (e.g., collective efficacy), and wider context (e.g., services); (iv) saliva samples for genetic and epigenetic (methylation) analyses; (v) hair samples to measure cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA] and testosterone. This cohort profile provides details about sampling and recruitment, data collection and measures, demographic data, attrition and potential bias, key findings on resilience and mental health problems in children, and strengths and limitations of the cohort. Researchers interested in accessing data should contact Professor Michael Pluess at Queen Mary University of London, UK (e-mail: [email protected]).

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Cultural Roots of Well-Being and Resilience in Child Mental Health

Handbook of Child Well-Being ◽

10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_93 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 2379-2407 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mónica Ruiz-Casares ◽

Jaswant Guzder ◽

Cécile Rousseau ◽

Laurence J. Kirmayer

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Cultural Roots

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Social Class, Diagnoses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Child Well-Being

Journal of Health and Social Behavior ◽

10.1177/0022146520924810 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 134-152

Author(s):

Jayanti Owens

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental Health Disorder ◽

Mental Health Stigma ◽

Testing Time ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Positive Effects

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder among U.S. children. Diagnosis can bring positives, like proper treatment, extra testing time, and social support, but may also trigger negatives, like stigmatization. Although rates of diagnosis are high across socioeconomic status (SES) groups, the balance of positive and negative consequences of diagnosis may differ by SES. In high-SES communities, mental health diagnoses are less stigmatized and parents have greater ability to connect children to support resources, suggesting greater positive effects of diagnosis for high-SES children. Alternatively, the greater academic pressure present in high-SES communities may amplify the negative effects of mental health stigma, suggesting larger negative diagnostic effects. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort of 1998–1999, I found that diagnosed and medicated high-SES but not low-SES children exhibit significantly poorer future self-competence and teacher-rated school behaviors than undiagnosed matches. Findings suggest that diagnosis may not always be a net positive.

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School-based intervention study examining approaches for well-being and mental health literacy of pupils in Year 9 in England: study protocol for a multischool, parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial (AWARE)

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029044 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. e029044 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Daniel Hayes ◽

Anna Moore ◽

Emily Stapley ◽

Neil Humphrey ◽

Rosie Mansfield ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Well Being ◽

Implementation Evaluation ◽

Cluster Randomised ◽

Parallel Group ◽

Randomised Controlled

IntroductionThe prevalence of emotional difficulties in young people is increasing. This upward trend is largely accounted for by escalating symptoms of anxiety and depression. As part of a public health response, there is increasing emphasis on universal prevention programmes delivered in school settings. This protocol describes a three-arm, parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial, investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two interventions, alongside a process and implementation evaluation, to improve mental health and well-being of Year 9 pupils in English secondary schools.MethodA three-arm, parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial comparing two different interventions, the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) or the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide (The Guide), to Usual Provision. Overall, 144 secondary schools in England will be recruited, involving 8600 Year 9 pupils. The primary outcome for YAM is depressive symptoms, and for The Guide it is intended help-seeking. These will be measured at baseline, 3–6 months and 9–12 months after the intervention commenced. Secondary outcomes measured concurrently include changes to: positive well-being, behavioural difficulties, support from school staff, stigma-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, and mental health first aid. An economic evaluation will assess the cost-effectiveness of the interventions, and a process and implementation evaluation (including a qualitative research component) will explore several aspects of implementation (fidelity, quality, dosage, reach, participant responsiveness, adaptations), social validity (acceptability, feasibility, utility), and their moderating effects on the outcomes of interest, and perceived impact.Ethics and disseminationThis trial has been approved by the University College London Research Ethics Committee. Findings will be published in a report to the Department for Education, in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences.Trial registration numberISRCTN17631228.ProtocolV1 3 January 2019. Substantial changes to the protocol will be communicated to the trials manager to relevant parties (eg, ISRCTN).

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