Paternal Incarceration and Mental Health and Behavioral Problems

AbstractChild abuse is associated with a number of emotional and behavioral problems. Nevertheless, it has been argued that these adverse consequences may not hold for societies in which many of the specific acts of abuse are culturally normed. Epigenetic modifications in the genes of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis may provide a potential mechanism translating abuse into altered gene expression, which subsequently results in behavioral changes. Our investigation took place in Tanzania, a society in which many forms of abuse are commonly employed as disciplinary methods. We included 35 children with high exposure and compared them to 25 children with low exposure. Extreme group comparisons revealed that children with high exposure reported more mental health problems. Child abuse was associated with differential methylation in the proopiomelanocortin gene (POMC), measured both in saliva and in blood. Hierarchical clustering based on the methylation of the POMC gene found two distinct clusters. These corresponded with children's self-reported abuse, with two-thirds of the children allocated into their respective group. Our results emphasize the consequences of child abuse based on both molecular and behavioral grounds, providing further evidence that acts of abuse affect children, even when culturally acceptable. Furthermore, on a molecular level, our findings strengthen the credibility of children's self-reports.

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Depression and Behavioral Problems Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Employees of the Textile Industry in India

Workplace Health & Safety ◽

10.1177/2165079917716187 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 24-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nancy Angeline Gnanaselvam ◽

Bobby Joseph

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Adolescent Girls ◽

Young Women ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Textile Industry ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

History Of

Stress and depression are common in textile industry employees due to inadequate working conditions and challenging socioeconomic conditions. The objective of the study was to assess depression and mental health among adolescent and young females currently employed in a textile factory located in Tamil Nadu compared with past employees and women who have never been employed. This cross-sectional study included a total of 107 participants in each study group who were interviewed. The Patient Health Questionnaire–9 and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were administered to screen participants for depression and mental health. More current employees (16.82%) and past employees (15.88%) suffered from depression severe enough to require treatment compared with never employed girls and young women (2.8%). Of the study participants, 59.8% of current employees, 63.6% of past employees, and 32.7% of never employed women had mental health or behavior problems. In the regression model, history of abuse was significantly associated with depression. Participants who were current employees and reported family debt and a history of abuse were significantly more likely to have mental health or behavior problems. Mental health issues such as depression and behavior problems were more likely among adolescent girls currently employed in textile industries. Further studies into the causes of this phenomenon are needed.

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Examining the Effectiveness of a Case Management Program for Custodial Grandparent Families

Nursing Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2012/124230 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Lenora Campbell ◽

Dana L. Carthron ◽

Margaret Shandor Miles ◽

LaShanda Brown

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Case Management ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Child Behavior Checklist ◽

Short Form ◽

Well Being ◽

Management Program ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Case Management Program

Researchers have identified complex needs of custodial grandparent families and lack of access to needed resources such as housing, financial and legal assistance, and health care. Case management links these families with needed services while helping them develop skills to promote their health and well-being. This paper describes a case management program for custodial grandparent families using a nurse-social worker case management team. data were collected from 50 grandparents and 33 children using surveys and semi-structured instruments. Physical and mental health outcomes were measured using Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF 12) to measure the perceived quality of health for grandparents and the Child Behavior Checklist to measure the emotional and behavioral functioning of grandchildren. Grandparents more positively perceived their mental health after participating in the program. Perceptions about physical health were generally the same before and after the program. Grandparents' reported that many grandchildren had emotional and behavioral problems in the clinical range. These findings highlight the need for further research on the mental health needs of children being parented by grandparents as well as determining effective models and interventions to minimize adverse effects of parenting on grandparents.

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Consequences of prenatal substance use

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh.2012.016 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Thitinart Sithisarn ◽

Don T. Granger ◽

Henrietta S. Bada

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Drug Exposure ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Child And Adolescent ◽

In Utero ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Prenatal Substance Use

Abstract Background: Prenatal substance use is a major public health problem and a social morbidity, with consequences on the drug user and the offspring. Objective: This review focuses on the child and adolescent outcomes following in utero drug exposure. Methods: Studies on the effects of specific substances, legal and illegal; i.e., tobacco or nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and methamphetamine were evaluated and analyzed. Results: In general, manifestations of prenatal exposure to legal and illegal substances include varying deficits in birth anthropometric measurements, mild-to-moderate transient neurobehavioral alterations in infancy and long-term behavioral problems noted from early childhood to adolescence. Severity of expression of behavioral problems is influenced by environmental factors. Further, behavioral alterations following in utero drug exposure often exist with mental health co-morbidities. Conclusion: Because of the long-term consequences of prenatal drug exposure on child and adolescent mental health, health providers need to promote substance use prevention, screen for exposure effects and provide or refer affected youths for intervention services. Preventive measures and treatment should consider other factors that may further increase the risk of psychopathology in the exposed children.

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Use of the Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment Program to Decrease Mental Health Problems in Ugandan Children Surviving Severe Malaria: A Randomized Controlled Trial

10.21203/rs.3.rs-75439/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Paul Bangirana ◽

Annet Birabwa ◽

Mary Nyakato ◽

Ann J. Nakitende ◽

Maria Kroupina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Severe Malaria ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Health Problems ◽

Control Groups ◽

Caregiver Depression ◽

Randomized Controlled

Abstract Background: Severe malaria is associated with long-term mental health problems in Ugandan children. This study investigated the effect of a behavioral intervention for caregivers of children admitted with severe malaria, on the children’s mental health outcomes six months after discharge.Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at Naguru Hospital in Kampala, Uganda from January 2018 to July 2019. Caregiver and child dyads were randomly assigned to either a psychoeducation arm providing information about hospital procedures during admission (control group) or a behavioral arm providing information about the child’s possible emotions and behavior during and after admission and providing age appropriate games for the caregiver and child (intervention group). Pre- and post-intervention assessments for caregiver anxiety and depression (Hopkins Symptom Checklist) and child mental health problems (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Child Behavioral Checklist) were done during admission and six months after discharge respectively. T-tests, analysis of covariance and Chi-Square were used to compare outcomes between the two treatment arms.Results: There were 120 caregiver-child dyads recruited at baseline with children aged 1.45 years to 4.89 years (mean age 2.85 years, SD = 1.01). The intervention and control groups had similar sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics at baseline. Caregiver depression at baseline, mother’s education and female sex of the child were associated with behavioral problems in the child at baseline (p<0.05). At six months follow-up, there was no difference in the frequency of behavioral problems between the groups (6.8% vs 10% in intervention vs. control groups, respectively, p = 0.72). Caregiver depression and anxiety scores between the treatment arms did not differ at six months follow-up. Conclusion: This behavioral intervention for caregivers and their children admitted with severe malaria had no effect on the child’s mental health outcomes at six months. Further studies need to develop interventions for mental health problems after severe malaria in children with longer follow-up time.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03432039

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