scholarly journals Antipoverty programs mitigate socioeconomic disparities in brain structure and psychopathology among U.S. youths

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G Weissman ◽  
Mark Hatzenbuehler ◽  
Mina Cikara ◽  
Deanna Barch ◽  
Katie A McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Socioeconomic Disparities ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Cost Of Living ◽  
Internalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Antipoverty Programs

Low socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood is associated with altered neural development and elevated risk for psychopathology. Can public policies that increase financial resources for families with low income—including cash assistance programs and the presence of Medicaid expansion—reduce these socioeconomic disparities in brain development and mental health? Addressing this question has not been previously possible, because neuroimaging studies are typically conducted in a single community. We leverage a unique opportunity provided by the Adolescent Behavior and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which provided harmonized neuroimaging data from 11,534 youth across 21 sites (in 17 states) that differed in cost of living and anti-poverty policy climates. Lower SES was associated with smaller hippocampal volume, higher internalizing psychopathology, and greater exposure to stressful life events, but the magnitude of these associations varied significantly across states. The association of SES with hippocampal volume was about 37% smaller in states where cost of living was high but that provided more generous cash benefits for lower SES families as compared to states with less generous benefits. In high cost of living states where antipoverty programs were more generous, the association between SES and hippocampal volume resembled that of low cost of living states. Similar patterns were observed for internalizing psychopathology and stressful life events. These findings demonstrate that macroeconomic conditions moderate the degree to which family income influences children’s neurodevelopment and mental health and that anti-poverty policies exert a buffering effect against the negative impacts of low SES.

PP21  Perceptions and experiences of employee mental health support: a cross-sectional survey of UK ambulance service staff

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. e10.2-e10
Author(s):  
Sasha Johnston ◽  
Jennifer Wild ◽  
Kristy Sanderson ◽  
Bridie Kent
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
Service Staff

BackgroundMental ill health among ambulance staff is widespread. Evidence suggests that, with the right support, staff experiencing mental ill health can continue to work, symptom severity can be reduced and suicide prevented. To identify whether organisational support meets staff needs, this research explored the perceptions and experiences of staff working in a large ambulance trust covering the south west of England.MethodsBetween September and October 2018, ambulance staff were invited to complete an online questionnaire, which assessed demographics, work-related stressful life events, related psychological impact assessed by the avoidant subscale of Weiss and Marmar’s Impact of Event Scale-Revised, mental ill health sickness absence during the previous 12 months, perceptions and experiences of organisational support and acceptability of a proposed wellbeing intervention offering mandatory time-to-talk at work.ResultsOver 11% (N=540) of the workforce responded. The majority reported experiencing work-related stressful life events (n=444; 82%), that were associated with subsequent avoidant symptoms. Avoidant symptom severity peaked between six-months to five-years after an event (F (5,438) = 2.4, p=0.03), was associated with repeated exposure (F (4,439) = 2.9, p=0.01) and to sickness absence. A fifth of participants reported mental ill health sickness absence (21.6%), a third of which was not disclosed as related to mental health. Content analysis identified stigma, fear, as well as embarrassment, as barriers to disclosure and help-seeking. Perceptions and experiences of organisational support were significantly correlated (r (195) =0.46, p<0.001) and positive.ConclusionsSymptoms associated with work-related stressful life events can persist for years among ambulance staff. Given the association between organisational support and mental wellbeing, it is possible that an intervention, such as mandatory time-to-talk, supported at an organisation level could improve wellbeing among ambulance staff. Such an intervention needs to be evaluated in future research.

scholarly journals Analyzing the Relationship Between Job Stress to Mental Health, Personality Type And Stressful Life Events of the Nurses Occupied in Tehran 115 Emergency

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Tehrani ◽  
Tayebeh Rakhshani ◽  
Davood Shojaee Zadeh ◽  
Seyed Mostafa Hosseini ◽  
Samane Bagheriyan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Exposure to family stressful life events in autistic children: Longitudinal associations with mental health and the moderating role of cognitive flexibility

Autism ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 136236132110619
Author(s):  
Virginia Carter Leno ◽  
Nicola Wright ◽  
Andrew Pickles ◽  
Rachael Bedford ◽  
Anat Zaidman-Zait ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Externalizing Symptoms ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Family Level

Mental health problems are prevalent in autistic youth, but the underpinning mechanisms are not well explored. In neurotypical youth, stressful life events are an established risk factor for mental health problems. This study tested longitudinal bidirectional associations between family-level stressful life events and mental health problems and whether these were moderated by cognitive flexibility, in a cohort of autistic children ( N = 247). Family-stressful life events, assessed using the parent-reported Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, and mental health problems, assessed using the teacher-reported Child Behavior Checklist Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms subscales, were measured at multiple points between 7 and 11 years. Analyses showed no significant pathways from internalizing or externalizing symptoms to family-stressful life events or from family-stressful life events to internalizing or externalizing symptoms. There was some evidence of moderation by cognitive flexibility; the family-stressful life events to internalizing symptoms pathway was non-significant in the group with typical shifting ability but significant in the group with clinically significant shifting problems. Information about family-level stressful life event exposure and cognitive flexibility may be helpful in identifying autistic youth who may be at higher risk of developing mental health problems. Established risk factors for mental health problems in neurotypical populations are relevant for understanding mental health in autistic youth. Lay abstract Experiencing stressful life events, such as a parent having had serious illness, parental divorce, bullying and victimization, is known to increase risk for mental health difficulties in neurotypical children. However, few studies have looked at whether stressful life events have a similar impact in autistic youth and if any individual characteristics may moderate the impact of said life events. In this study, we tested whether in autistic children aged 7–11 years, exposure to family-level stressful life events predicted later mental health symptoms (and vice versa). We also tested whether associations between stressful life events and mental health symptoms differed depending on the child’s level of cognitive flexibility. We found stressful life events only predicted internalizing symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) in children with clinically significant difficulties in cognitive flexibility (as rated by their parents). Mental health symptoms did not predict future exposure to stressful life events. Results suggest that information about exposure to stressful life events and cognitive inflexibility may be helpful in identifying autistic children who may be at risk of developing anxiety and depression symptoms.

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