Maternal pre- and postnatal mental health trajectories and child mental health and development

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mervi Vänskä ◽  
Raija-Leena Punamäki ◽  
Asko Tolvanen ◽  
Jallu Lindblom ◽  
Marjo Flykt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Early Postpartum ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Low Levels

Pregnancy and early motherhood involve uncertainty and change, which can evoke mental health problems. We identified maternal mental health trajectories in pre- and postnatal period, and examined their association with later child mental health and development. Finnish mothers reported psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire [GHQ-36]) and depressive (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI-13]) symptoms in pregnancy (T1; N = 788) and two months (T2; N = 657) and 12 months (T3; N = 545) postpartum. Both parents accounted their child’s mental health (Behavior Assessment System for Children [BASC]) and social (Social Skills Rating System [SSRS], Child Behavior Scale [CBS]) and cognitive development (Five to Fifteen [FTF]) when the child was 7–8 years old (T4; N = 485). We identified five trajectories depicting unique timing and course of maternal mental health from pregnancy into 1 year of mothering: Stable low levels of mental health symptoms (75%) and prenatal (6%), early postpartum (9%) and late postpartum (6%) mental health problems. The fifth trajectory, heterogeneous high levels of mental health problems (4%) was an unclassified post hoc class, combining mothers with chronic high or highly variable mental health profiles. Results show some trajectory-related timing effects on children’s mental health and cognitive development. The trajectories of early postpartum and heterogeneous high levels of mental health problems predicted higher level of internalizing symptoms as compared to stable low-levels trajectory. The heterogeneous high-levels trajectory predicted higher levels of problems in executive functions than the stable low and late postpartum trajectories, and in memory tasks than children in other trajectories. We discuss the timing and course of maternal mental health from the viewpoint of infant and child development.

scholarly journals Association of Child Mental Health with Child and Family Characteristics in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5107
Author(s):  
Huan Wang ◽  
Cody Abbey ◽  
Xinshu She ◽  
Scott Rozelle ◽  
Xiaochen Ma
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional

Assessing the mental health problems encountered by school children and understanding the contributing factors are crucial to inform strategies aimed at improving mental health in low-resource contexts. However, few studies have investigated the mental health problems among disadvantaged children in poorer countries. This study examines the prevalence of mental health problems in rural China and their association with child and family characteristics. The study uses survey data from 9696 children in 120 rural primary schools and measures child mental health using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Overall, 17.9% of the sample children were found to be in the abnormal range of the SDQ total difficulties scores. The mean score was 12.93 (SD = 4.94). Abnormal scores were associated with child and family characteristics, including older child age (Odds Ratio, OR = 0.704, 95% CI: 0.611, 0.810; p < 0.001), gender (OR = 1.235, 95% CI: 1.112, 1.371; p < 0.001), and academic performance (OR = 0.421, 95% CI: 0.369, 0.480; p < 0.001). Reading time was found to be protective for mental health. Risk factors include excessive screen time (OR = 1.685, 95% CI: 1.409, 2.016; p < 0.001) and being bullied (OR = 3.695, 95% CI: 3.301, 4.136; p < 0.001). Our study suggests that future mental health illness prevention programs in rural China should consider targeting different aspects of children’s social contexts.

scholarly journals Measuring child exposure to violence and mental health reactions in epidemiological studies: challenges and current issues

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiane Seixas Duarte ◽  
Isabel Altenfelder Santos Bordin ◽  
Genevieve Rachel Green ◽  
Christina W. Hoven
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Exposure To Violence ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Traumatic Grief ◽  
Child Exposure ◽  
Grief In Children

This paper examines challenges and current issues involved in measuring exposure to different types of violence which are associated mental health problems in children and adolescents. Standardized measures suitable for epidemiological studies, selected based on their relevance in the current literature, are briefly described and commented. The assessment of child's exposure to violence may focus on a specific event (e.g., kidnapping), a specific context (e.g., war) or even of a certain type of exposure (e.g., intrafamilial physical violence). The assessment of child mental health after exposure to violence has traditionally focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - most frequently measured through non-diagnostic scales. However, other mental health reactions may be present and screening as well as diagnostic instruments which may be used to assess these reactions are also described. Two issues of emerging importance - the assessment of impairment and of traumatic grief in children - are also presented. Availability of culturally appropriate instruments is a crucial step towards proper identification of child mental health problems after exposure to violence.

scholarly journals Maternal mental health and childhood injury: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Hope ◽  
Jessica Deighton ◽  
Nadia Micali ◽  
Catherine Law
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Millennium Cohort Study ◽  
Childhood Injury ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Uk Millennium Cohort Study ◽  
The Uk

ObjectiveWe assessed whether maternal mental health problems increased rates for child injury during the preschool years and mid-childhood, and the extent to which associations could be accounted for by a range of potential explanatory factors.DesignWe analysed the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample with data collected throughout childhood. Multinomial regression was used to investigate whether two measures of maternal mental health (diagnosed depression/anxiety and psychological distress) were associated with subsequent childhood injury. Models adjusted for sociodemographics, parenting and child externalising behaviours.Main outcome measureMaternal report of unintentional injuries (none, 1, 2+) recorded at three data collection periods (3–5 years; 5–7 years; 7–11 years).ResultsThe analytic sample comprised n=9240 families who participated 3–11 years with complete data on exposures and outcomes (multiply imputing missing covariates). Exposure to maternal mental health problems was associated with increased rates of subsequent childhood injuries. Associations attenuated after adjustment for potential explanatory factors, although they remained elevated. For example, high maternal distress was associated with injuries 3–5 years (adjusted relative risk ratio (aRRR): 1 injury=1.18, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.61; 2+ injuries=2.22, 95% CI 1.22 to 4.02); injuries 5–7 years (aRRR: 1 injury=1.31, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.76; 2+ injuries=1.84, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.09); and injuries 7–11 years (aRRR: 1 injury=1.03, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.31; 2+ injuries=1.33, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.81).ConclusionsChildren exposed to mothers with mental health problems had higher rates of childhood injury than those not exposed. If further investigation of this association suggests causality then it will be important to test measures that address mothers’ mental health issues with a view to reducing injuries among their children.

scholarly journals Maternal mental health and infant emotional reactivity: a 20-year two-cohort study of preconception and perinatal exposures

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 827-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Spry ◽  
Margarita Moreno-Betancur ◽  
Denise Becker ◽  
Helena Romaniuk ◽  
John B. Carlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Prior Exposure ◽  
Differential Sensitivity ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum

AbstractBackgroundMaternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum predicts later emotional and behavioural problems in children. Even though most perinatal mental health problems begin before pregnancy, the consequences of preconception maternal mental health for children's early emotional development have not been prospectively studied.MethodsWe used data from two prospective Australian intergenerational cohorts, with 756 women assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy between age 13 and 29 years, and during pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum for 1231 subsequent pregnancies. Offspring infant emotional reactivity, an early indicator of differential sensitivity denoting increased risk of emotional problems under adversity, was assessed at 1 year postpartum.ResultsThirty-seven percent of infants born to mothers with persistent preconception mental health problems were categorised as high in emotional reactivity, compared to 23% born to mothers without preconception history (adjusted OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.1). Ante- and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were similarly associated with infant emotional reactivity, but these perinatal associations reduced somewhat after adjustment for prior exposure. Causal mediation analysis further showed that 88% of the preconception risk was a direct effect, not mediated by perinatal exposure.ConclusionsMaternal preconception mental health problems predict infant emotional reactivity, independently of maternal perinatal mental health; while associations between perinatal depressive symptoms and infant reactivity are partially explained by prior exposure. Findings suggest that processes shaping early vulnerability for later mental disorders arise well before conception. There is an emerging case for expanding developmental theories and trialling preventive interventions in the years before pregnancy.

Do Pediatricians Think They Are Responsible for Identification and Management of Child Mental Health Problems? Results of the AAP Periodic Survey

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth E.K. Stein ◽  
Sarah McCue Horwitz ◽  
Amy Storfer-Isser ◽  
Amy Heneghan ◽  
Lynn Olson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems
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