« S’attacher pour bien grandir » : résultats préliminaires d’un groupe thérapeutique de guidance parentale et de mise en situation centré sur l’attachement

BackgroundPreventive and therapeutic settings are very common in perinatal and early childhood mental health services. However, their theoretical basis, their methods and their efficacy are rarely described.AimsIn this paper, we present and describe the first feedback from parents about a new group therapeutic setting model that relies on parental guidance and practical experiences designed to prevent and to treat attachment-related parent–infant/child problematic issues.MethodThe group is designed to enhance the quality of parent-child attachment by promoting parents’ awareness of the nature and the importance of attachment bonds for child development and parent–child relationship, and by bringing parents and child to experience new interactions that promote child attachment security. The group is led by two psychologists, a pediatric nurse and a childcare assistant. It is designed to receive up to five families referred by a child psychiatrist after a consultation. Children are aged 1 to 3 years old. Parents and children are received for an assessment interview prior and after they complete their participation to the group, including measures of parental stress (PSI-SF), infant relational withdrawal (ADBB), parent-child relationship (PIRGAS), and child social and emotional competences and problems (BITSEA). Families attend six thematic sessions each of which addresses one of the main attachment pillars: sensitivity, reciprocity, engagement, proximity, emotional regulation and support network. Contents are delivered via slides, video clips, group discussions, practical situations and home tasks. Both parents are encouraged to participate. The feedback from the first families (n = 17) who attended the group are presented.ResultsPreliminary results on the first families who participated in this group show that all of them were satisfied about the group contents and setting. Most parents reported they have acquired new insights on their child's attachment needs and behaviors, felt more comfortable with regulating their own and their child's emotional needs and expression, and became more able to manage problematic behaviors, separation and conflict situations. Slides, video clips and experiencing practical situations and home tasks were also greatly appreciated.PerspectivesThe preliminary positive feedback from the parents supports the relevance of this new intervention model targeted on attachment issues. The group setting, the concrete materials and the active participation of parents and children promote the awareness of attachment needs and the experience of new and safer parent–child interactions.     

Increased instruction time and stress-related health problems among school children

While several studies suggest that stress-related mental health problems among school children are related to specific elements of schooling, empirical evidence on this causal relationship is scarce. We examine a German schooling reform that increased weekly instruction time and study its effects on stress-related outpatient diagnoses from the universe of health claims data of the German Social Health Insurance. Exploiting the differential timing in the reform implementation across states, we show that the reform slightly increased stress-related health problems among school children. While increasing instruction time might increase student performance, it might have adverse effects in terms of additional stress.     

A case-control study of paternal and maternal age as risk factors in mood disorders

Objective: Advanced parental age might constitute a risk factor for various disorders. We tested whether this concerns also mood disorder patients.

Methods: The study included 314 subjects (42 bipolar-BD patients; 21 manics and 21 depressives, 68 unipolar-UD, and 204 normal controls-NC). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and the calculation of the Relative Risk (RR) and the Odds Ratio (OR) were used for the analysis.

Results: Paternal age differed between NC and UD patients (29.42?±?6.07 vs. 32.12?±?5.54; p?=?.01) and manics (29.42?±?6.07 vs. 35.00?±?5.75; p?=?.001) and maternal age between NC and manics (25.46?±?4.52 vs. 31.43?±?4.75; p?<?.001) and manic and UD (31.43?±?4.75 vs. 26.75?±?6.03; p?=?.002). The RR and OR values suggested that advanced parental age constitutes a risk factor for the development of mood disorders.

Conclusions: In a non-dose dependent and gender-independent, advanced parental age constitutes a risk factor for the development of BD with index episode of mania (probably manic predominant polarity); only advanced paternal age constitutes a risk factor for the development of UD and BD with index episode of depression (probably depressive predominant polarity). This is the first study suggesting differential effect of advanced parental age depending on predominant polarity of BD.     

Prevalence and evolution of snoring and the associated factors in two-year-old children

ObjectivesTo evaluate the prevalence and persistence of snoring during the first two years of life in two Finnish birth cohorts and to assess the associated factors.Study designThe study population comprised 947 children from the CHILD-SLEEP (CS) and 1393 children from the FinnBrain (FB) birth cohorts. Questionnaires were provided to both parents when the child was 24 months of age. The questionnaire consisted of parts concerning the child's sleep and environmental factors.ResultsThe combined prevalence of habitual snoring in the two birth cohorts at the age of 24 months was 2.3% (95% CI 1.5–3.1), which is markedly lower than reported previously.Children suffering from recurrent infections (CS odds ratio (OR) 3.9, 95% CI 1.2–12.5) or asthma (FB OR 4.3, 1.4–13.5) snored habitually more often. Both the mother's (CS OR 3.2, 1.2–9.0) and father's (CS OR 3.4, 1.4–8.0) snoring every night added to the risk of the child snoring. In the multivariate models, parental snoring (CS adjusted odds ratio (OR_a) 2.8, 1.1–6.8), the mother's lower level of education (CS OR_a 2.9, 1.2–7.5, FB OR_a 2.1, 1.0–4.5), and the mother's lower monthly income (FB OR_a 2.9, 1.3–6.3) associated with the child's habitual snoring.ConclusionsThe prevalence of habitual snoring in two Finnish birth cohorts is lower than reported previously. The independent risk factors for habitual snoring at the age of two years were the parents' snoring and the mother's low income and low education.     

Comportements d’attachement d’enfants d’âge préscolaire consultant en pédopsychiatrie : lien avec des caractéristiques psychologiques maternelles

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine whether variables related to mothers’ psychological functioning could be associated with mother-child attachment insecurity in children referred to an outpatient mental health clinic.MethodTwenty-nine children (23–71 months) and their mothers participated in this study. According to child age, mother-child attachment was assessed using the Strange Situation or the Separation-Reunion Procedure. Mothers’ symptoms of depression, anxiety and parental stress were assessed using self-report inventories.ResultsAvoidant attachment was marginally related to maternal depression and significantly associated with maternal anxiety. Greater parental stress was related to more disorganized and less secure attachment behaviors. A marginal association was also found between maternal stress and ambivalent attachment behaviors.ConclusionThese results support the importance of pursuing research on possible links between maternal psychological determinants and mother-child attachment in children referred to outpatient mental health clinics.     

Parental phubbing accelerates depression in late childhood and adolescence:A two-path model

IntroductionPhubbing is a social exclusion behavior related to mobile phone use. It undermines interpersonal relationships and mental health. This study aimed to test the connections between parental phubbing and depression in late childhood and adolescence, as well as the mediating roles of parental warmth, parental rejection, and relatedness need satisfaction.MethodsWe conducted two studies. Study 1 was a cross-sectional study of 530 Chinese students (268 boys and 262 girls, M_age = 13.15 ± 0.64 years) who completed self-report questionnaires. We conducted structural modeling to test the relationship between parental phubbing and depression. Study 2 used a short longitudinal design to validate the results of Study 1 and test the mediating roles of parental warmth, parental rejection, and relatedness need satisfaction. In Study 2, we recruited 293 Chinese students (151 boys, 141 girls, and one participant with no reported gender information, M _age = 12.87 ± 0.74 years) to complete the questionnaires and applied structural equation modeling to analyze the data.ResultsTwo sequential mediation effects were found. The first was parental phubbing → parental warmth → relatedness need satisfaction → depression (protection-reduced effect). The second was parental phubbing → parental rejection → relatedness need satisfaction → depression (risk-increased effect). Gender differences were non-significant.ConclusionsThe study revealed that parental phubbing was associated with students’ depression in late childhood and adolescence through two paths. The present study highlights the need to establish family norms regulating mobile phone use to reduce phubbing.     

Adolescent social withdrawal,parental psychological control,and parental knowledge across seven years: A developmental cascade model

IntroductionSocial withdrawal can be problematic for adolescents, increasing the risk of poor self-efficacy, self-esteem, and academic achievement, and increased levels of depression and anxiety. This prospective study follows students across adolescence, investigating links between social withdrawal and two types of parenting hypothesized to impact or be reactive to changes in social withdrawal.MethodsAdolescent social withdrawal and parenting were assessed across seven years in a U.S. sample, beginning when students were in 6th grade and ending in 12th grade. The sample consisted of 534 adolescents (260 girls and 274 boys, 82% Euro- and 16% African-American). Social withdrawal was assessed in four grades using at least two informants (teachers, mothers, and/or adolescents). Mothers' and fathers' psychological control and monitoring-related knowledge were assessed by adolescents at two time points. A developmental cascade analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling to assess how withdrawal and control-related parenting impact each other transactionally over time. Analyses included a test for gender differences in the model.ResultsThe cascade model revealed that, controlling for previous levels of social withdrawal and parenting, earlier social withdrawal positively predicted psychological control and negatively predicted monitoring knowledge, and earlier parental psychological control—but not monitoring knowledge—predicted later social withdrawal. No adolescent gender differences were identified in the associations between social withdrawal and parental knowledge.ConclusionsThis study offers insight into the mechanisms by which adolescents become more or less withdrawn over time, and suggests psychological control as a point of psychoeducation or intervention for parents.     

Alcohol use among 10th-graders: Distinguishing between high-intensity drinking and other levels of use

IntroductionDrinking at levels beyond standard binge drinking thresholds poses particularly high risks to youth. Few studies have examined high-intensity drinking (HID; 10+ drinks in a row) in high school students and none have tested whether peer drunkenness and parental knowledge (e.g., about youth's whereabouts) distinguish between binge and high-intensity drinkers.MethodsWe used data from the Monitoring the Future study collected from nationally-representative samples of U.S. 10th graders (modal age 16 years old) in 2016–2018 (n = 14,824; 48.3% girls, 46.8% boys). We conducted multinomial logistic regression to examine odds of drinking at one of four mutually-exclusive levels: HID in the past 2 weeks, binge (5+) drinking in the past 2 weeks, any alcohol use in the past year, and no alcohol use in the past year.ResultsLow parental knowledge and peer drunkenness were both associated with higher odds of each drinking level, including HID vs. binge, binge vs. alcohol use, and alcohol use vs. no alcohol use. Boys had higher odds than girls of HID compared to binge drinking and of no alcohol use compared to alcohol use.ConclusionsParent and peer risk factors differentiate HID from other levels of drinking.     

Immune overload: Parental attitudes toward combination and single antigen vaccines

Parental concerns have led to a recent decline in immunization coverage, resulting in outbreaks of diseases that were once under control in the US. As the CDC vaccination schedule continues to increase in complexity, the number of required injections per office visit increases as well. Some parents perceive that there is trauma associated with the administration of multiple injections, and research shows that having multiple vaccines due in a single visit is associated with delays and lower immunization rates. Combination vaccines make vaccination more efficient by incorporating the antigens of several different diseases into a single injection, but many parents worry that they may overload the child's developing immune system and leave him or her susceptible to secondary infections. This literature review synthesizes current evidence regarding the parental fear of vaccine-induced immune system overload and the fear of vaccine-associated trauma, in an attempt to understand the scope and nature of these fears. Despite the wealth of knowledge about each of these fears individually, it is still unknown which is of greater concern and how this affects parental decision-making.