Determinants of Health in Childhood

Author(s):  
Michael Baker ◽  
Mark Stabile

This article reviews the empirical studies to examine the validity of the notion that health in childhood has both short-term and longer-term economic consequences, and that childhood health is itself a function of a broader set of policies, investment decisions and parental choices, and a function of parental health stock and economic background. Economic research on the relationship between child mental health and economic outcomes is discussed in three categories. The article also includes the role that maternal behavior plays in the development of child health and behavior. It further examines the relationship between maternal substance abuse and child mental health as measured by a behavioral problems index. This article describes the determinants and role of investments in child health on later outcomes. It also identifies some priorities for future research.

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Uma Hirisave ◽  
M. Nithya Poornima

Psychological research on preventive intervention and promotion of mental health of children has been gaining impetus over the last few decades. This chapter presents key concepts of preventive mental health as applicable to working with young children between the ages of 0 to 6 years. The context of preventive child mental health in India has been clarified by briefly tracing models of child development, empirical studies and national policies and programmes. Recent research focussing on modes of prevention and wellness promotion has been reviewed. The studies reviewed have far-reaching implications for promotion of mental health among young children at various levels. Directions for future research that have been derived from the analysis have been outlined.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136749352110147
Author(s):  
Shaun Liverpool ◽  
Julian Edbrooke-Childs

Carers may not always express child mental health concerns to health professionals. Therefore, identifying factors delaying help-seeking is important. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between carer affect and help-seeking. In a secondary analysis of data collected from school-aged children ( N = 1,857, mean age = 9.85 years, 51% female), we used logistic regression to examine the associations between carer worry, help-seeking and child mental health. Regarding worry, higher levels of emotional problems (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.33–1.52), conduct problems (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.36), peer problems (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.05–1.27) or functional impairment (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.2–.56) were associated with higher levels of carer worry. Regarding help-seeking, higher levels of functional impairment were associated with higher levels of help-seeking (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.09–2.11). After controlling for mental health problems, carers who reported being worried about their child’s mental health were less likely than other carers to seek help (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.05–0.35). Knowledge of these factors may inform early interventions. Alongside implications for future research and practice, limitations of the study are discussed.


Author(s):  
Adrian Meier ◽  
Emese Domahidi ◽  
Elisabeth Günther

The relationship between computer-mediated communication (e.g., Internet or social media use) and mental health has been a long-standing issue of debate. Various disciplines (e.g., communication, psychology, sociology, medicine) investigate computer-mediated communication in relation to a great variety of negative (i.e., psychopathology) and positive (i.e., well-being) markers of mental health. We aim at charting this vast, highly fragmented, and fast growing literature by means of a scoping review. Using methods of computational content analysis in conjunction with qualitative analyses, we map 20 years of research based on 1,780 study abstracts retrieved through a systematic database search. Results reveal the most common topics investigated in the field, as well as its disciplinary boundaries. Our review further highlights emerging trends in the literature and points to unique implications for how future research should address the various relationships between computer-mediated communication and mental health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon L. Boring ◽  
Kaitlyn T. Walsh ◽  
Namrata Nanavaty ◽  
Vani A. Mathur

The experience of pain is subjective, yet many people have their pain invalidated or not believed. Pain invalidation is associated with poor mental health, including depression and lower well-being. Qualitative investigations of invalidating experiences identify themes of depression, but also social withdrawal, self-criticism, and lower self-worth, all of which are core components of shame. Despite this, no studies have quantitatively assessed the interrelationship between pain invalidation, shame, and depression. To explore this relationship, participants recounted the frequency of experienced pain invalidation from family, friends, and medical professionals, as well as their feelings of internalized shame and depressive symptoms. As shame has been shown to be a precursor for depression, we further explored the role of shame as a mediator between pain invalidation and depressive symptoms. All sources of pain invalidation were positively associated with shame and depressive symptoms, and shame fully mediated the relationship between each source of pain invalidation and depression. Relative to other sources, pain invalidation from family was most closely tied to shame and depression. Overall, findings indicate that one mechanism by which pain invalidation may facilitate depression is via the experience of shame. Future research may explore shame as a potential upstream precursor to depression in the context of pain. Findings provide more insight into the harmful influence of pain invalidation on mental health and highlight the impact of interpersonal treatment on the experiences of people in pain.


Author(s):  
Erika Melonashi

The present chapter aims to explore the relationship between social media and identity by reviewing theoretical frameworks as well as empirical studies on the topic. Considering the complexity of the concept of identity, a multidisciplinary theoretical approach is provided, including Psychological Theories, Sociological Theories and Communication Theories. These theories are revisited in the context of online identity formation and communication through social media. Different aspects of identity such as gender identity, professional identity, political identity etc., are discussed and illustrated through empirical studies in the field. Moreover, the role of social media as a factor that might either promote or hinder identity development is also discussed (e.g., phenomena such as cyber-bulling and internet addiction). Finally recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided, including the need for multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to the investigation of the relationships between social media and identity.


Author(s):  
Sabine Sonnentag ◽  
Dana Unger ◽  
Elisabeth Rothe

Recovery after work is essential in order to stay energetic when facing work demands. This chapter discusses how unwinding and restoration processes after work relate to experiences at the work–family interface. Empirical studies have shown that specific activities (e.g., sport and exercise) and experiences (e.g., psychological detachment from work during nonwork time) are important to achieve recovery. Boundary management strategies at the work–family interface (e.g., a preference for segmentation) predict recovery experiences. Moreover, recovery experiences moderate the relationship between work–family conflict (particularly family-to-work conflict) and strain outcomes. This chapter presents directions for future research and highlights practical implications by describing what individuals, families, and organizations can do in order to foster recovery processes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-213
Author(s):  
Xin-Xue Zhang ◽  
Detlef H. Rost ◽  
Jin-Liang Wang ◽  
Katherine J Reynolds

Introduction: The increasing popularity of social networking sites (SNS) has stimulated research on the relationship between SNS usage and users' mental health. The current study aims to shed light on the possible reciprocal relationship between type of SNS usage and subsequent mental health among Chinese college students. Method: A latent variable cross-lagged panel analysis (two waves) was conducted (N = 266). Results showed that negative emotions (loneliness, depression) at Time 1 (T1) was positively related to both active SNS usage and passive SNS usage at Time 2 (T2). However, neither active nor passive SNS usage at T1 was found to be associated with negative emotions at T2. Discussion: In this current research, the key finding is that type of usage did not impact on users' mental health. Future research might investigate the role of individual and social factors (e.g., self-esteem and life satisfaction) in moderating the relationship between SNS use and mental health.


Interpreting ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Wu

Abstract This paper reports on an exploratory study examining the relationship between text characteristics, perceived difficulty and task performance in sight translation (ST). Twenty-nine undergraduate interpreters were asked to sight-translate six texts with different properties. Correlation analysis shows that Sophisticated Word Type and Mean Length of a T-unit are, respectively, the lexical and the syntactic variables having the highest correlations with all the three dependent variables (i.e. perceived difficulty, accuracy and fluency in ST performance). Surprisingly, the discoursal variables are weakly or modestly correlated with the dependent variables. Thematic analysis of the students’ reflective essays points to two hypothesized causal links among the three Ps in ST: task properties may cause decoding difficulties and cognitive overload in the cognitive process, which in turn lead to inaccuracy and dysfluency in ST performance. The research findings lend empirical support to the “shallow-scan hypothesis” in previous research. Finally, this study proposes a three-tier conceptual framework to inform and guide future research to operationalize variables in ST empirical studies. The pedagogical implications of ST are also discussed.


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