Do adolescents in care systematically under-report their mental health difficulties in population studies? A narrative review

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-272
Author(s):  
Michael Tarren-Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Population Studies ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Clinical Level ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Family Based

The present article reports findings of a narrative review of self- and carer-report mental health data that addressed the research question: Do adolescents who reside in statutory out-of-home care (OOHC) systematically underreport their mental health difficulties in population studies? A literature search was conducted to identify population studies of the mental health of older children and adolescents in OOHC that obtained self-report data. Studies were selected for review if mental health data were gathered in population studies (i.e., not clinical or treatment studies); data were collected while participants were in care; and participants were not selected on the basis of their clinical status. With few exceptions, adolescents in family-based (foster and kinship) care report less informant-standardized mental health difficulties than do their carers in population studies, with substantially lower rates of clinical-level scores. Conversely, self- and carer-report mean scores obtained for adolescents in residential care are more closely aligned. Foster carer-reported rates of clinical-level difficulties concord with rates estimated from clinician-administered semi-structured psychiatric interviews, suggesting carer-report data are accurate. The reviewed studies collectively suggest that adolescents in family-based care systematically underreport their mental health difficulties in population studies. Several hypotheses for why this phenomenon occurs are discussed in relation to available evidence and theory. Epidemiological investigations of this population’s mental health should not solely employ self-report measures. The findings have no relevance or implications for clinical assessments.

scholarly journals Weight-related psychological inflexibility as a mediator between weight self-stigma and health-related outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-330
Author(s):  
Julie M. Petersen ◽  
Carrie Durward ◽  
Michael Levin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
High Weight ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychological Inflexibility ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Average Body Mass ◽  
Self Report Data

Weight self-stigma, the internalization of negative societal stereotypes, is a problem among populations with high weight. Weight self-stigma is associated with psychological inflexibility and maladaptive health-related behaviors. In this study, the authors explore how weight-related psychological inflexibility may influence weight self-stigma and health-related outcomes in 79 adults with high weight. Participants were primarily White (92.4%) and female (82.3%), with an average age of 39.56 years and average body mass index of 33.78. The study uses baseline, self-report data from a larger trial. Results indicate that weight self-stigma was negatively correlated with maladaptive eating behaviors, weight, and mental health. Weight-related psychological inflexibility was found as a significant mediator for the relationship between weight self-stigma and emotional eating, sedentary behavior, and mental health. Weight-related psychological inflexibility did not mediate the relationships between weight self-stigma and other eating measures and physical activity. These results support targeting weight-related psychological inflexibility and weight self-stigma in interventions.

Using statewide administrative data and brief mental health screening to estimate the prevalence of mental illness among probationers

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonya B. Van Deinse ◽  
Gary S. Cuddeback ◽  
Amy Blank Wilson ◽  
Michael Lambert ◽  
Daniel Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Community Supervision ◽  
Mental Health Assessment ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data

There is little published information about the measures that probation agencies in the United States use to identify individuals with mental illnesses who are under community supervision. This study used statewide administrative data to estimate and compare the prevalence of mental illnesses among probationers using officer report and offender self-report data. Prevalence estimates of mental illnesses ranged from 15 percent to 19 percent, which is consistent with prior studies that used formal diagnostic assessments. In the absence of costly and time-consuming diagnostic assessments, probation agency-developed mental health scales can aid in identifying those who might be in need of additional mental health assessment.

scholarly journals What Family Circumstances, During COVID-19, Impact on Parental Mental Health in an Inner City Community in London?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Whitaker ◽  
Claire Cameron ◽  
Hanan Hauari ◽  
Katie Hollingworth ◽  
Margaret O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parental Mental Health ◽  
City Community ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

The introduction of lockdown due to a public health emergency in March 2020 marked the beginning of substantial changes to daily life for all families with young children. Here we report the experience of families from London Borough of Tower Hamlets with high rates of poverty and ethnic and linguistic diversity. This inner city community, like communities worldwide, has experienced a reduction or closure in access to education, support services, and in some cases, a change in or loss of income, job, and food security. Using quantitative survey items (N = 992), we examined what differences in family circumstances, for mothers and fathers of young children aged 0–5 living in Tower Hamlets, during March 2020 to November 2020, were associated with their mental health status. We measure parental mental health using symptoms of depression (self-report: Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale: PHQ-8), symptoms of anxiety levels (self-report: General Anxiety Disorder: GAD-7), and perceptions of direct loneliness. We find parental mental health difficulties are associated with low material assets (financial security, food security, and children having access to outside space), familial assets (parents time for themselves and parent status: lone vs. cohabiting), and community assets (receiving support from friends and family outside the household). South Asian parents and fathers across ethnicities were significantly more likely to experience mental health difficulties, once all other predictors were accounted for. These contributing factors should be considered for future pandemics, where restrictions on people's lives are put in place, and speak to the importance of reducing financial insecurity and food insecurity as a means of improving the mental health of parents.

scholarly journals Converging evidence for enduring perceptions of low social status in individuals in remission from depression.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Gillard ◽  
Siobhan Gormley ◽  
Kirsty Griffiths ◽  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Jason Stretton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Depressive Episodes

BackgroundThe risk of depressive relapse and recurrence is amplified by social risk factors including the perception of low social status. MethodsWe aimed to identify enduring difficulties with the perception of social status in a community sample with a self-reported history of mental health difficulties (Study 1) and, more specifically, in individuals in clinical remission from depression, relative to a never-depressed control group, and relative to a group experiencing a current depressive episode (Study 2). ResultsIn Study 1, elevated depressive symptoms were associated with perceptions of low social status which significantly differed between individuals with and without a self-reported history of mental health difficulties. Study 2 found enduring deficits in perceptions of social status in remitted depressed individuals, in the absence of current symptoms. LimitationsWe were unable to discern between historical or current clinical diagnosis in the community sample of Study 1, as we were reliant on self-report. We were unable to explore the effects of medication or causal relationships between depressive symptoms and social status as the studies were cross-sectional in nature. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that disrupted socio-cognitive profiles across a range of affiliative processes may confer increased vulnerability to future depressive episodes in those in remission.

scholarly journals Emotional self-awareness in autism: A meta-analysis of group differences and developmental effects

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132096430
Author(s):  
Charlotte F Huggins ◽  
Gemma Donnan ◽  
Isobel M Cameron ◽  
Justin HG Williams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Autistic Adults

Emotional self-awareness is increasingly suggested to be an area of difficulty in autism that may predict socioemotional outcomes for this population. However, whether emotional self-awareness is consistently diminished in autism across age and methodology remains unclear. We systematically reviewed 47 papers measuring emotional self-awareness in autistic ( n = 1387) and non-autistic ( n = 1433) participants. Most studies relied on self-report. Of studies testing for group differences, the majority (32/41) found significantly poorer emotional self-awareness in autism. Meta-analyses of self-report measures found that emotional self-awareness was significantly poorer in autism ( d = 1.16). However, when examining age groups individually, autistic children of age 12 years and under were not significantly different from their peers ( d = 0.03). Instead, difficulties emerged during adolescence ( d = 0.63) and increased with age ( d = 1.16 – 1.58). The pattern of emotional self-awareness difficulties being more common in autism, and worsening with age is similar to the development of mental health difficulties in autism. However, findings rely on self-perception and so may reflect poor self-beliefs of socioemotional competence. We propose that negative self-beliefs in autistic populations may account for findings of low emotional self-awareness. Lay abstract Autistic people are thought to have difficulties with identifying and understanding their own emotions. This is referred to as emotional self-awareness. It is important to study emotional self-awareness as people who are more able to understand their own emotions, whether they are autistic or not, are more able to respond to them appropriately, as well as to identify them in other people. It has not yet been confirmed whether autistic people have difficulties with emotional self-awareness, or if any reported difficulties are actually due to the way in which emotional self-awareness is measured in autistic people. If these difficulties do exist, it is also not known when these difficulties emerge. In this research, we reviewed 47 existing studies that measured emotional self-awareness in autistic and non-autistic adults and children. We also compared studies that measured emotional self-awareness in different ways. We found that autistic adults did seem to have poorer emotional self-awareness compared to their neurotypical peers. However, this was not the case with autistic children of age 12 years and below. Instead, differences in emotional self-awareness only seemed to emerge during adolescence. Moreover, these difficulties seemed to increase with age. These results suggest that difficulties with emotional self-awareness may not be inherent in autism. Instead, they may emerge alongside the greater social and mental health difficulties that are experienced by many autistic people during adolescence. We therefore suggest that it is important to find out more about, and subsequently support, the emotional self-awareness difficulties that autistic adolescents may encounter.

Psychosocial Factors Associated with the Adjustment of Basic Trainees in the U. S. Army

1983 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 757-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judson J. Swihart ◽  
Theodore Borek ◽  
Walter R. Schumm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Urban Background ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Adjustment Difficulties ◽  
Military Mental Health ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data

Self-report data from 114 basic trainees referred to a military mental health facility at Fort Bragg for adjustment difficulties were compared to equivalent data obtained from a random sample of 40 trainees at the same installation in the summer of 1968. Greater adjustment difficulties were associated with involuntary enlistment, failure to complete high school, poorer grades in high school, previous arrest record or psychiatric care, urban background, abuse of drugs or alcohol, and self-description as a “loner.” No significant differences were found by race, age, or marital status.

scholarly journals Eclectic approach to anxiety disorders among rural children

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atefeh Ahmadi ◽  
Mohamed Sharif Mustaffa ◽  
Ali Akbar Haghdoost ◽  
Syed Mohamed Shafeq Mansor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Children’S Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Children's Mental Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Group Guidance

Abstract Introduction Anxiety disorders in primary school-aged children negatively affect their mental health and psychological development. Available non-medical treatments for these conditions are time-consuming and expensive. In this context, eclectic therapy is a therapeutic approach that incorporates some therapeutic techniques and philosophies to create the ideal treatment. In this study, eclectic therapy consisted of art therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy designed for children suffering from high level of anxiety in their middle childhood years. The therapy also included group guidance sessions for their mothers. The effectiveness of this intervention was examined in the study. Methods 61 students aged 9-12 years with high levels of anxiety participated in the study. Intervention A (n = 20) consisted of 9-hour eclectic therapy for children with 3-hour group guidance sessions for their mothers. Intervention B (n = 20) consisted of 9-hour eclectic therapy for children. There was also a control group (n = 21). Results Teacher ratings of children’s mental health difficulties and self-report ratings of anxiety disorders indicated a significant difference from pretest to posttest, revealing a large effect size between the two interventions. Higher levels of pretest scores significantly predicted higher posttest scores for all domains of anxiety and mental health difficulties. Furthermore, age, gender, mothers working a 15-hour day, mother’s educational level, parental divorce rates, parental death, and family monthly income predicted therapy outcomes. Conclusion Results provide support for the effectiveness of eclectic art and CBT to improve children’s mental health and reduce anxiety through changing thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that may cause fear and anxiety.

scholarly journals Mental health difficulties among professional jockeys: a narrative review

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e001078
Author(s):  
Lewis King ◽  
Sarah Jane Cullen ◽  
Adrian McGoldrick ◽  
Jennifer Pugh ◽  
Giles Warrington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Eating Attitudes ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

IntroductionEmerging academic literature and high-profile disclosures of mental health difficulties and mental illness from current and former professional jockeys suggest that further exploration of the mental health of jockeys is required. To date, a comprehensive review of jockeys’ mental health has yet to be conducted.ObjectivesTo examine the existing literature related to jockeys’ mental health, including the prevalence of symptoms associated with mental health difficulties and help-seeking.DesignA narrative review of the literature was conducted with articles screened from inception until January 2021.ResultsSixteen studies were included in the narrative review. Studies covered a range of mental health difficulties which included mood (depression), anxiety, distress, disordered eating and substance misuse. Rates of help-seeking among jockeys were also explored. Results indicated that jockeys reported higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms compared with other elite athletes. Substance misuse, in particular adverse alcohol use, also appears greater among jockeys than other elite athletes. Distress symptoms appear comparable with other elite athletes. Risk factors for mental health difficulties included injury, perceived stress, athlete burnout, career dissatisfaction and the contemplation of retirement. Weight-making negatively impacts jockeys’ mood and attitudes towards eating, with lower competitive riding weights associated with more disordered eating attitudes. Moreover, help-seeking from mental health professionals appears low.ConclusionThe review identifies a high prevalence of symptoms of mental health difficulties among professional jockeys. Applied recommendations and future research considerations are proposed throughout the review article.

scholarly journals Anger and Aggression in UK Treatment-Seeking Veterans with PTSD

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Turgoose ◽  
Dominic Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Treatment Seeking ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Prevalence rates of anger and aggression are often higher in military personnel, so it is important to understand more about why this is and factors with which they are associated. Despite this, there is little evidence relating to anger and aggression in UK veterans who are seeking treatment for mental health difficulties such as PTSD. This study investigated the prevalence rates of anger and aggression in this population, as well as the associations between anger and aggression, and various sociodemographic, functioning and mental health variables. A cross-sectional design was used, with participants completing a battery of self-report questionnaires. Prevalence rates for significant anger and aggression were 74% and 28% respectively. Both women and those over 55 were less likely to report difficulties. Those with high levels of PTSD and other mental health difficulties were more likely to report anger and aggression. Other factors related to anger and aggression included childhood adversity; unemployment due to ill health; and a perceived lack of family support. Findings show that veterans who are seeking support for mental health are likely to experiencing significant difficulties with anger and aggression, especially if they have co-morbid mental health difficulties. The associations between anger and aggression and other variables has implications for the assessment and treatment of military veterans.

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