Parent and child mental health trajectories April 2020 to May 2021: Strict lockdown versus no lockdown in Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110653
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Westrupp ◽  
Christopher J Greenwood ◽  
Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz ◽  
Craig A Olsson ◽  
Emma Sciberras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Parent Child

Objective: To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July–October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes in Victoria vs non-Victoria and (2) identify baseline demographic, individual and COVID-19-related factors associated with mental health trajectories. Methods: Online community sample of 2004 Australian parents with rapid repeated assessment over 14 time-points over April 2020 to May 2021. Measures assessed parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21), child depression symptoms (13-item Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and child anxiety symptoms (four items from Brief Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale). Results: Mental health trajectories shadowed COVID-19 infection rates. Victorians reported a peak in mental health symptoms at the time of the second-wave lockdown compared to other states. Key baseline predictors, including parent and child loneliness (standardized regression coefficient [β] = 0.09–0.46), parent/child diagnoses (β = 0.07–0.21), couple conflict (β = 0.07–0.18) and COVID-19 stressors, such as worry/concern about COVID-19, illness and loss of job (β = 0.12–0.15), predicted elevated trajectories. Effects of predictors on parent and child mental health trajectories are illustrated in an online interactive app for readers ( https://lingtax.shinyapps.io/CPAS_trend/ ). Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence of worse trajectories of parent and child mental health symptoms at a time coinciding with a second COVID-19 outbreak involving strict lockdown in Victoria, compared to non-locked states in Australia. We identified several baseline factors that may be useful in detecting high-risk families who are likely to require additional support early on in future lockdowns.

Parent and child mental health trajectories April-October 2020: Strict lockdown versus no lockdown in Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Westrupp ◽  
Christopher Greenwood ◽  
Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz ◽  
Tomer S Berkowitz ◽  
George Joseph Youssef ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Parent Child

Objective: To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July-October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes; and (2) identify baseline demographic, individual, and COVID-19-related factors associated with mental health trajectories. Method: Online community sample of 1,877 Australian parents with rapid repeated assessment over 10 time-points over April-October, 2020. Measures assessed parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21); child depression symptoms (13-item Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire); and child anxiety symptoms (four-items from Brief Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale).Results: Mental health trajectories shadowed COVID-19 infection rates. Victorians reported a large peak in mental health symptoms at the time of the second-wave lockdown compared to other states. Key baseline predictors, including parent and child loneliness (standardized regression coefficient [β]=·09-·39), parent/child diagnoses (β=·11-·22), couple conflict (β=·09-·19), and COVID-19 stressors, such as worry/concern about COVID-19, illness, and loss of job (β=·07-·22), predicted elevated trajectories. Effects of predictors on parent and child mental health trajectories are illustrated in an online interactive app for readers (https://lingtax.shinyapps.io/CPAS_trend/).Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence of worse trajectories of parent and child mental health symptoms associated with strict, sustained, COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria, compared to non-locked states in the rest of Australia. We identified several baseline factors that may be useful in detecting high risk families who are likely to require additional support early on in future lockdowns.

scholarly journals Fathers’ Childhood Experiences, Adult Mental Health Problems and Perceptions of Interactions With Their 36 Month-Old Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Roni Mermelshtine ◽  
Jacqueline Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Parenting Support ◽  
Paternal Mental Health

Perceptions of poor care in the family of origin can relate to adverse mental health and poor adaptation for mothers but there is less evidence about fathers. This study investigated the relevance of fathers’ recollections of their own parents (Generation 1) for their (Generation 2) current mental health symptoms and for interactions with their 3-year-old children (Generations 2/3), in a community sample of 482 British fathers. Recollections of G1 maternal and paternal behaviour were associated in uncontrolled correlations with G2 paternal mental health, but taking family social class and maternal (G2) mental health into account they did not significantly predict G2 fathers’ mental health symptoms at 36 months postpartum, though a trend remained for G1 paternal care. Significant predictors were paternal depression symptoms in the first year postpartum and G2 mothers’ current mental health. Predictors of more dysfunctional father-child (G2/G3) interactions at 36 months postpartum were working class status, recall of more G1 maternal controlling behaviour and more concurrent paternal mental health symptoms; predictors of less G2/G3 dysfunction were G2 paternal use of more positive discipline. Potential implications of the results for parenting support and advice are discussed, recognising that intergenerational transmission of parent-child relationships is likely for fathers.

scholarly journals Who should we ask about mental health symptoms in adolescents with CFS/ME? Parent-child agreement on the revised children’s anxiety and depression scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-380
Author(s):  
Teona Serafimova ◽  
Maria Loades ◽  
Daisy Gaunt ◽  
Esther Crawley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Child Report ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Children’S Anxiety ◽  
Parent Child

Background: One in three adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) have mental health problems. Multi-informant perspectives are key to psychological assessment. Understanding parent-child agreement is crucial to accurate diagnosis, particularly where severe fatigue limits self-report. Methods: Agreement on the revised children’s anxiety and depression scale (RCADs) was assessed between parents and children with CFS/ME ( n = 93) using Bland-Altman plots, cross tabulations and regression analyses. Results: Diagnostic thresholds were met more frequently based on child-report. Parent- and child-report had similar sensitivity and specificity on RCADS compared to gold-standard diagnostic interviews. Regression analysis found similar accuracy between both reports. For anxiety diagnoses, odds ratio (OR) for child-report was 1.10 (CI = 1.06–1.14), and 1.10 (CI = 1.05–1.14) for parent-report. For depression, OR for child report was 1.26 (CI = 1.11–1.43), while for parent-report is was 1.25 (CI = 1.10–1.41). For total score, OR for child-report was 1.10 (CI = 1.05–1.13) while OR for parent-report was 1.09 (CI = 1.05–1.13). Conclusions: Reasonable agreement was observed between parent- and child-report of mental health symptoms in paediatric CFS/ME. While parent-report can facilitate psychological evaluation in CFS/ME, this is not a substitute for a child’s own report.

Abstract P248: Assessing for Bi-Directional Relationships between Body Mass Index and Mental Health Symptoms in Girls

Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen M McTigue ◽  
Elan Cohen ◽  
Alison Hipwell ◽  
Charity Moore ◽  
Rolf Loeber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Depression Score ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Oppositional Defiant

Introduction Obesity and mental health problems are increasing in youth; both are often under-treated. The interplay between mental health and body weight development in adolescent girls is not well understood. Hypothesis Bi-directional associations will be established between mental health symptoms (depression and conduct symptoms) and BMI in urban pre-adolescent girls. Methods We examined data from participants in an accelerated longitudinal cohort study of largely disadvantaged urban girls from a single US city (n=2,451; 53% African American). Data were collected annually over 6 years, starting in 2003 when girls were age 8-11. Depression and conduct symptoms (oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder symptoms combined) were collected via the validated Child Symptom Inventory (CSI-4) and height and weight were measured. Transitional models assessed for bi-directional associations between mental health symptoms and BMI. Random-effects mixed models identified within-subject and between-subject effects in models examining whether mental health symptoms predicted BMI. All models were adjusted for race, age, and receipt of public assistance, and when applicable, included interaction terms. Results Transitional models showed that prior depression symptoms (β=0.27; p<0.001) predicted an increase in BMI while prior conduct symptoms (β=0.04; p=0.05) showed a small and borderline significant effect on BMI. An increase in prior BMI predicted an increase in depression symptoms (β=0.074, p<0.001) but not conduct symptoms (β=0.028, p=0.125). Mixed models revealed significant between-girl and within-girl effects (β = 0.38 and 0.038, respectively, both with p<0.001) for depression symptoms predicting BMI. Conduct symptoms showed a significant between-girl effect (β=0.51; p=0.045) but a non-significant within-girl effect (β=0.011; p=0.080) when used to predict BMI. Conclusions We identified a clear bi-directional relationship between depression symptoms and BMI in under-privileged girls, and mixed models confirmed that a change in depression score is associated with increased BMI. While an increase in conduct symptoms shows a weak positive association with BMI, the association was not bi-directional. The potential for BMI and depression to each reinforce the other may represent a mechanism for the development of high-risk weight patterns in girls. Early identification of those at risk may facilitate preventive measures for both weight and mental health outcomes.

scholarly journals Always on my mind: Cross-brain associations of mental health symptoms during simultaneous parent-child scanning

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 100729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly T. Cosgrove ◽  
Kara L. Kerr ◽  
Robin L. Aupperle ◽  
Erin L. Ratliff ◽  
Danielle C. DeVille ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Parent Child

scholarly journals Global connectivity of the frontoparietal cognitive control network is related to depression symptoms in the general population

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Schultz ◽  
Takuya Ito ◽  
Levi I. Solomyak ◽  
Richard H. Chen ◽  
Ravi D. Mill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Control Network ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Control Network ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACTWe all vary in our mental health, even among people not meeting diagnostic criteria for mental illness. Understanding this individual variability may reveal factors driving the risk for mental illness, as well as factors driving sub-clinical problems that still adversely affect quality of life. To better understand the large-scale brain network mechanisms underlying this variability we examined the relationship between mental health symptoms and resting-state functional connectivity patterns in cognitive control systems. One such system is the frontoparietal cognitive control network (FPN). Changes in FPN connectivity may impact mental health by disrupting the ability to regulate symptoms in a goal-directed manner. Here we test the hypothesis that FPN dysconnectivity relates to mental health symptoms even among individuals who do not meet formal diagnostic criteria but may exhibit meaningful symptom variation. We found that depression symptoms severity negatively correlated with between-network global connectivity (BGC) of the FPN. This suggests that decreased connectivity between the FPN and the rest of the brain is related to increased depression symptoms in the general population. These findings complement previous clinical studies to support the hypothesis that global FPN connectivity contributes to the regulation of mental health symptoms across both health and disease.AUTHOR SUMMARYUnderstanding how large-scale network interactions in the brain contribute to (or serve a protective role against) mental health symptoms is an important step toward developing more effective mental health treatments. Here we test the hypothesis that cognitive control networks play an important role in mental health by being highly connected to other brain networks and able to serve as a feedback mechanism capable of regulating symptoms in a goal-directed manner. We found that the more well-connected the frontoparietal cognitive control network was to other networks in the brain the less depression symptoms were reported by participants. These results contribute to our understanding of how brain network interactions are related to mental health symptoms, even in individuals who have not been diagnosed with a disorder.

Association of coping strategies with mental health trajectories during the first twenty-one weeks of COVID-19 lockdown

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meg Fluharty ◽  
Feifei Bu ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Daisy Fancourt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Social Study ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Over Time

The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is well evidenced. However, there is little research on how individuals’ coping strategies during the pandemic were related to changes in mental health over time. The current study used data from the COVID-19 Social Study (N=26,505) to explore whether particular coping strategies (problem-focused, emotion-focused, avoidant, and supportive) were associated with (i) better mental health as lockdown was introduced, and (ii) faster recovery from symptoms across 21 weeks. People with greater use of problem-focused, avoidant, and supportive coping displayed more mental health symptoms, while greater use of emotion-focused coping was associated with fewer mental health symptoms. Symptoms decreased over time for all coping strategies, but only supportive coping was associated with a faster decrease in anxiety and depressive symptoms, indicating a potential protective effect of social support on psychological distress.

Resilience and acculturation among unaccompanied refugee minors

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serap Keles ◽  
Oddgeir Friborg ◽  
Thormod Idsøe ◽  
Selcuk Sirin ◽  
Brit Oppedal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Heritage Culture ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Good Mental Health ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Culture Competence

The present study was designed to understand differences between unaccompanied refugees who retained or achieved good mental health ( healthy or resilient) and those who maintained or developed poor mental health ( clinical and vulnerable). Using person-based analyses, the role of pre-migration traumatic exposure and acculturation-related factors in long-term trajectories of psychological adjustment among unaccompanied refugees was explored. This study included three waves of data collection in a population-based sample. The participants were 918 unaccompanied refugees who had received asylum and residence status in Norway. The pattern of change in depression symptoms over time was used to characterize subgroups displaying resilient, vulnerable, clinical or healthy trajectories. Results indicated that the extent of post-migration acculturation hassles and heritage culture competence, as well as pre-migration traumatic events and gender, distinguished the refugee groups in terms of mental health trajectories. The implications for clinical practice and immigration policy are discussed.

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