scholarly journals Mental health from childhood to adulthood: Results of the 11-year follow-up of the BELLA study

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Wüstner ◽  
C Otto ◽  
F Reiss ◽  
C Voss ◽  
A-K Meyrose ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mental health problems in children, adolescents and young adults are highly prevalent and cause a significant burden for both individuals and society, resulting in a high relevance to public health. Longitudinal studies are needed to provide profound population-based data on mental health and well-being. In the present study, first results of the 11-year follow-up of the German BELLA study are presented. These include age- and gender-specific courses of general health and well-being, long-term health outcomes of mental health problems, and the utilisation of mental health services. Methods The longitudinal BELLA study is the module on mental health and well-being within the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). The BELLA study has gathered data since 2003 at five measurement points using standardised measures. In the most recent 11-year follow-up, N = 3,492 young people aged 7 to 31 years participated. Individual growth modeling, linear regression and descriptive analyses were conducted. Results Self-reported general health and well-being were both better in younger than older and in male compared to female participants using data from all five measurement points. Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence (measured at baseline) were associated with adverse general, mental and physical health outcomes at 6-year and 11-year follow-ups. About 75 % of children and adolescents with a diagnosed mental disorder were under mental health treatment. Conclusions With its 11-year follow-up, the longitudinal BELLA study provides new data on mental health and well-being in German children, adolescents and young adults. Our findings are important for the development of targeted mental health promotion and early prevention strategies. Promising future analyses are planned. Key messages The BELLA study provides data on developmental trajectories of mental health from childhood to adulthood, on long-term health outcomes of mental health problems and on mental health care use. The findings of the present study are of great relevance for the development of targeted health promotion and prevention programs.

Author(s):  
Christiane Otto ◽  
Franziska Reiss ◽  
Catharina Voss ◽  
Anne Wüstner ◽  
Ann-Katrin Meyrose ◽  
...  

Abstract Mental health and well-being are of great interest in health policy and research. Longitudinal surveys are needed to provide solid population-based data. We describe the design and methods of an 11-year follow-up of the German BELLA study in children, adolescents and young adults, and we report on age- and gender-specific courses of general health and well-being, long-term health-related outcomes of mental health problems, and mental health care use. The BELLA study is the module on mental health and well-being within the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). Standardised measures were used at each of the five measurement points of the BELLA study. In the 11-year follow-up, young people aged 7–31 years participated (n = 3492). Individual growth modelling, linear regression and descriptive analyses were conducted. Self-reported general health and well-being were both better in younger (vs. older) and in male (vs. female) participants according to the data from all five measurement points. Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence (measured at baseline) predicted impaired health outcomes at 6-year and 11-year follow-ups. Approximately one out of four children with a diagnosed mental disorder was not undergoing mental health treatment. With its 11-year follow-up, the prospective longitudinal BELLA study provides new and solid data on mental health and well-being from childhood to adulthood in Germany, and these data are important for health promotion and prevention practices. These results are consistent with previous findings. Promising future analyses are planned.


Author(s):  
Morten Birkeland Nielsen ◽  
Michael Rosander ◽  
Stefan Blomberg ◽  
Ståle Valvatne Einarsen

Abstract Objective This study examines under which conditions being an observer of bullying can be detrimental to health and well-being. It was hypothesized that health-related problems following observations of bullying are determined by (1) whether the observer has been exposed to bullying her/himself and (2) whether the observer have tried to intervene in the bullying situation that they witnessed. Methods The study was based on a longitudinal probability survey of the Swedish workforce, with an 18-month time lag between assessment points (N = 1096). Results Witnessing bullying at work were associated with an increase in subsequent levels of mental distress among the observers, although this association became insignificant when adjusting for the observers’ own exposure to bullying. Intervening against bullying moderated the relationship between observations of bullying and mental health problems. Observers who did not try to intervene reported a significant increase in mental health problems at follow-up, whereas there were no significant changes in levels of mental health problems among those who did intervene. Conclusions the findings suggest that observer interventions against bullying may be highly beneficial for both the targets and observers of bullying. Organizations should therefore invest in ways to increase constructive bystander behavior in negative social situations at the workplace.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110175
Author(s):  
Roberto Rusca ◽  
Ike-Foster Onwuchekwa ◽  
Catherine Kinane ◽  
Douglas MacInnes

Background: Relationships are vital to recovery however, there is uncertainty whether users have different types of social networks in different mental health settings and how these networks may impact on users’ wellbeing. Aims: To compare the social networks of people with long-term mental illness in the community with those of people in a general adult in-patient unit. Method: A sample of general adult in-patients with enduring mental health problems, aged between 18 and 65, was compared with a similar sample attending a general adult psychiatric clinic. A cross-sectional survey collected demographic data and information about participants’ social networks. Participants also completed the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale to examine well-being and the Significant Others Scale to explore their social network support. Results: The study recruited 53 participants (25 living in the community and 28 current in-patients) with 339 named as important members of their social networks. Both groups recorded low numbers in their social networks though the community sample had a significantly greater number of social contacts (7.4 vs. 5.4), more monthly contacts with members of their network and significantly higher levels of social media use. The in-patient group reported greater levels of emotional and practical support from their network. Conclusions: People with serious and enduring mental health problems living in the community had a significantly greater number of people in their social network than those who were in-patients while the in-patient group reported greater levels of emotional and practical support from their network. Recommendations for future work have been made.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gökmen Arslan ◽  
Murat Yıldırım ◽  
Mega M. Leung

Research Problem: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a multi-faceted crisis worldwide. Researchers and health authorities in various parts of the world echoed the dire condition of the public's mental health. This study sought to examine the mediating effect of personal meaning on the association between coronavirus (COVID-19)-related suffering, mental health problems, and life satisfaction. Participants included 231 adults (mean age = 46.65 ± 13.98; 68% female) and completed measures of suffering related to COVID-19, meaning, life satisfaction, and mental health problems online.Results: Findings from mediation analysis showed that suffering had significant associations with personal meaning, mental health, and well-being. Furthermore, personal meaning was significantly associated with adults' mental health and well-being and mediated the negative effect of suffering on mental health and well-being.Discussion: Overall, results from this study indicate that personal meaning is an important promotive factor that may help to understand the negative effect of coronavirus-related suffering on mental health and well-being amid the public health crisis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Martinez-Donate ◽  
J Tellez Lieberman ◽  
L Bakely ◽  
C Correa ◽  
C Valdez ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In the United States (U.S.), over 4 million citizen children live with an unauthorized immigrant parent who is at risk of deportation. Children of Mexican immigrants are disproportionately represented among this population, as 1 out of 3 deported immigrants are from Mexico. Parental deportation can have profound and long-lasting consequences for children, yet research on this topic is sparse. We present preliminary findings from an ongoing, longitudinal study examining changes in health, well-being, behavior, and environmental factors among U.S. citizen children of recently deported Mexican immigrants. Methods Forty-eight deported Mexican parents were recruited from deportation processing stations on the Mexican border region. We completed phone interviews with one of their U.S.-based, citizen children and an adult caregiver, collecting retrospective information on health, health behavior, household, academics, and socio-ecological health determinants from a year earlier, as well as shortly after deportation of their parent. Pre-post analyses of caregivers' survey data were conducted to assess changes in outcomes associated with parental deportation. Results Following deportation of their parents, children were reported to have more frequent health problems (p=.008), including mental health problems (p=.002), externalizing (p=.040) and internalizing (p=.011) behaviors, school absences (p=.092), and experiences of food insecurity (p=.007) than a year before. Academic expectations were also significantly worse (p=.006) than those prior to parental deportation. Conclusions Children are the unintended victims of indiscriminate immigration enforcement. Deportation of parents is associated with significant deterioration of physical and mental health, behavior, academics, and home environment for their U.S. citizen children. Our results call for immigration policy reform and interventions to support families affected by the deportation of a parent. Key messages Immigration policies that separate families can have significant detrimental impacts on the health and well-being of U.S. citizen children. Policies must be revised to keep families together and protect children in mixed-legal status families.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S356-S356
Author(s):  
Christine Fruhauf ◽  
Loriena Yancura ◽  
Aimee Fox ◽  
Nathaniel Riggs ◽  
Heather Greenwood-Junkiermeyer ◽  
...  

Abstract Many grandparents raising grandchildren experience depression. Few interventions take a strengths-based approach to improve their mental health. To address this gap, this study utilized an adapted version of Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) for grandparents (PTC-G) to improve their self-care, communication, and self-efficacy. Grandparents completed self-assessments including the CES-D short form prior to the intervention, immediately after the 6-week program, and at 6-months. Focus groups were also conducted during the 6-month follow-up to further explore positive behavior change. Data from all sources were analyzed to show that the PTC-G program significantly lowered depressive symptoms of grandparents raising grandchildren. Qualitative data shows that grandparents report increased awareness and use of self-care practices and community services. By improving the health and well-being of grandparents raising grandchildren, the PTC-G intervention shows promise in reducing depression and improving long-term mental health outcomes in vulnerable grandfamilies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinitha Jithoo

Emerging adults are an important group not only because their opinions and knowledge will determine future attitudes but also because of the emergence of mental health problems during young adulthood. In order to provide relevant support, academics, health care providers as well as policy makers need to be more cognisant of how emerging adults make meaning of their psycho-social developmental context. The objective of the study was to explore how a cohort of 150 university students made meaning of emotional well-being and mental illness, the causes of mental health problems, the negative connotations associated with mental ill health, help-seeking behaviours, and how culture was used as a lens through which mental well-being was understood. The main findings indicate that students struggle to fully understand these concepts mainly because it is shrouded in mystery and complexity and not engaged with freely because of stigma and stereotypical attitudes, and while culture provides a lens to understand the causes and interventions, emerging adults often adopt a level of scepticism and are beginning to vacillate between tradition and modernity. Emerging adults face many barriers to accessing health care services including limited knowledge and stigma related to services, lack of confidentiality, fear of mistreatment, location of facilities, and the high cost of services. Universities and government should actively engage with research evidence to inform policies and programmes to improve the health and well-being of emerging adults.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-360
Author(s):  
Richard K. Morriss

SummaryMany people with mental health problems spend a large proportion of their life online and an increasing number of apps address mental health and well-being. This article offers reasons why psychiatrists should learn how to use mental health apps to enhance patient care and gives some caveats for both professionals and patients regarding their use.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Emi Wuri Wuryaningsih

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have a high dependency on the activities of daily life (ADL) for a whole life. This can affect mental health and well-being of caregivers of CP. This study aimed to assess the mental health problems in caregiver of a child with CP who joined in self-help group (SHG) at Mojokerto East Java Province, focusing on depression symptoms. Using total sampling approach, the family member who has a role as caregivers of a  child with CP were chosen and enrolled in a descriptive study, counted 37 respondents. The self-reporting questionnaire -20 (SRQ-20) with Cronbach alpha value 0.84 was used to measure their mental health status. SRQ-20 is also available in the Indonesia Ministry of Health's online application.This study shows that the majority caregiver role is a mother (94,6%). 40.5% caregiver has a risk of mental health problems that require counseling by a health professional. Caregiver experienced several complaints both physical, psychological, and social. Perceived physical complaints include frequent headaches (40.5%); difficulty sleeping (45.9%); indigestion is disturbed (29,7); tired easily (37.8%); and a bad taste in the stomach (40.5%). While the psychic complaints experienced by the caregiver on average feel tense, anxious or worried (37.8%); difficult to make decisions (35.1%); and found it difficult to enjoy daily activities (24.3%). There are 2 caregivers who have the idea of ​​suicide. These complaints are a form of response to stressors (caring for children with CP) which is a manifestation of signs and symptoms of mental health problems among them. These signs and symptoms indicate that caregivers are susceptible to depression, anxiety, helplessness, and despair. Caregiver of children with CP is a vulnerable population to psychiatric problems because of its role in fulfilling daily life care of a child with CP for a long time even a lifetime. Nurses can contribute to providing informational and emotional support to help the caregiver to achieve mental health and well-being.      


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