Daily mood and sleep: reciprocal relations and links with adjustment problems

Children's sleep problems are common and associated with increased risk for adjustment problems. We examined daily links between children's sleep and mood, using a daily diary method and actigraphy. We also tested children's daily mood as a mediator of relations among sleep and children's broader internalizing and externalizing symptoms. A community sample of 142 children (mean age = 10.69 years; 57% girls; 69% European American, 31% African American) and their parents participated. For 1 week, children wore actigraphs and parents completed a daily telephone interview about their child's mood. Following the week of actigraphy, mothers and fathers reported on their child's adjustment. Multi‐level models indicated within‐person relations between children's mood and subsequent sleep fragmentation (indicated by increased activity) and sleep latency, and between‐person relations between sleep latency and subsequent mood on the next day. Significant indirect effects were found such that a more negative daily mood (aggregated across diary days) mediated relations between poor sleep efficiency and longer sleep latency and parent‐reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Findings extend previous research by highlighting disruptions to children's daily mood as a potential mechanism linking sleep problems to children's mental health.     

Trauma exposure and mental health outcomes among Central American and Mexican children held in immigration detention at the United States–Mexico border

We explored the associations between early-life adversity and migration-related stress on the mental health of Central American and Mexican migrating children held in United States immigration detention facilities. Migrating children have high rates of trauma exposure prior to and during migration. Early-life adversity increases risk for developing mental health disorders. Forced separation of migrating children from their parents at the United States–Mexico border potentially exacerbates this risk. We sought to determine whether exposure to trauma prior to immigration and specific features of immigration detention were associated with posttraumatic stress symptomatology. We interviewed parents of 84 migrating children (ages 1–17) after families were released from immigration detention facilities to assess children's migration- and detention-related experiences. A modified version of the University of California Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Reaction Index was administered to assess children's PTSD symptoms and document trauma exposure. A total of 97.4% of children experienced at least one premigration traumatic event. PTSD symptom severity was most strongly predicted by premigration trauma and duration of parent–child separation. This study contributes to a growing empirical literature documenting that early-life adversity increases risk of developing mental health disorders, particularly following additional stress exposure, and that remaining with parents during immigration detention may help mitigate children's stress response.     

CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH: AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS

Research on childhood mental illness traditionally examines risk factors most proximal to the child. However, current trends reflect growing interest in how broader contextual factors contribute to psychopathology risk. In this study, we examined neighborhood‐level indicators as potential sources of chronic strain in a sample of 156 mother–child dyads; children were 8 to 12 years old. For most neighborhood indicators, data were collected at the level of census tracts using publicly available data sets. We hypothesized that these indicators would be both associated with greater overall mental health symptoms and specifically predictive of childhood symptoms of depression. We also examined potential mediators (maternal functioning and family cohesion) and moderators (maternal depression). Neighborhood indicators correlated with parents’ ratings of children's overall mental health problems, but did not correlate with children's self‐report of depression symptoms. Maternal functioning mediated neighborhood effects on children's overall mental health problems. Implications and directions for future research are presented.     

HEAD START ENROLLMENT AND CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

This secondary data analysis from a Head Start program examines the association between children's entry age and enrollment duration and the likelihood of mental health treatment. Study questions are as follows: (a) Do baseline characteristics differ among three groups of Head Start children? (children who enrolled at 3 years of age and stayed for 1 year [group 1], enrolled at 4 years of age and stayed for 1 year [group 2], and enrolled at 3 years of age and stayed for 2 years [group 3]); (b) Does the likelihood of children's mental health treatment differ among the groups?; and (c) Are baseline characteristics associated with the likelihood of mental health treatment? Except ethnicity and family size, other baseline characteristics did not differ across the three groups. Groups 1 and 3 received more mental health treatment than group 2. Different percentages of mental health treatment were found, depending on children's gender, ethnicity, family income, special needs, and bilingual status.     

Mentalization in children exposed to parental methamphetamine abuse: relations to children's mental health and behavioral outcomes

This study examined the mentalization capabilities of children exposed to parental methamphetamine abuse in relation to symptom underreporting, mental health, and behavioral outcomes. Twenty-six school-aged children in foster care participated in this study. Mentalization was assessed using the My Family Stories Interview (MFSI), a semi-structured interview in which children recalled family stories about a happy, sad or scary and fun time. An established scale of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), a self-report measure, provided information on children's symptom underreporting. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), completed by the children's foster caregivers, assessed children's mental health and behavioral outcomes. Children with higher mentalization were significantly less prone to underreport symptoms. These children had fewer mental health problems and were rated by their foster caregivers as more socially competent. The findings underscore that mentalization could be an important protective factor for children who have experienced parental substance abuse.     

Low Life Course Socioeconomic Status (SES) is Associated with Negative NEO PI-R Personality Patterns

Background

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with poor health. One potential pathway accounting for this relationship may be an association between low SES and personality characteristics that affect health.

Methods

Associations among parent's education, current SES (education and income), and personality were examined among 233 African Americans and Caucasian, male and female community volunteers.

Results

Using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to model neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness simultaneously, participant's education, household income, and father's and mother's education each had significant main effects on personality. When examining the life course—the combination of both current and childhood SES—distinctive patterns emerged for each domain, depending upon whether mother's or father's education was used to index childhood SES. When using mother's education as a childhood SES index, a high life course SES (high participant's SES/high mother's education) was associated with high extraversion and openness. Using father's education as a childhood SES index, a low life course SES (low participant's SES/low father's education) was associated with disproportionately high neuroticism and low conscientiousness. These effects did not differ by race or sex.

Conclusion

The implications of these findings for the role of personality in the SES–health relationship are discussed.     

Longitudinal predictors of adult socioeconomic attainment: the roles of socioeconomic status, academic competence, and mental health

Educational attainment and occupational status are key markers of success in adulthood. We expand upon previous research that focused primarily on the contributions of academic competence and family socioeconomic status (SES) by investigating the role of mental health in predicting adult SES. In a longitudinal study spanning 30 years, we used structural equation modeling to examine how parental mental health in early childhood and family SES, offspring academic competence, and offspring mental health in adolescence relate to occupational and educational attainment at age 30. Results were that adolescent academic competence predicted adult educational attainment, and that educational attainment then predicted occupational attainment. The pathways between academic competence and occupational attainment, family SES and educational attainment, and family SES and occupational attainment were not significant. In contrast, adolescent mental health not only predicted educational attainment, but was also directly related to adult occupational attainment. Finally, early maternal mental health was associated with offspring's adult socioeconomic attainment through its relations with adolescent academic competence and mental health. These results highlight the importance of mental health to adult socioeconomic attainment.     

How parental socioeconomic status contribute to children's sports participation in China: A cross-sectional study

Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important factor contributing to health inequality. This study aimed to investigate factors that predict junior school students' sports participation, identify the mechanisms underlying transmission of social resources and assess the mediating effects of classmate support and parental involvement on the relationship between parental SES and children's sports participation. 4829 males and 4536 females (mean age = 13.56 years, standard deviation = 0.686 years) participated in the study. Multivariate regression was adopted to analyze the determinants of junior school students' sports participation and multiple mediation analyses were used to analyze the hypothesized model. The results indicated that parental SES is significantly and directly correlated with junior school students' sports participation. In addition, parental SES has a significant indirect effect on sports participation through classmate support and parental involvement. Furthermore, the mediation effect of classmate support on the association between parental SES and sports participation is stronger than that of parental involvement. To promote and facilitate the participation of junior school students', strategies should be developed by government and social workers to strengthen classmate support and parental involvement.     

Attachment-Based Classifications of Children's Family Drawings: Psychometric Properties and Relations With Children's Adjustment in Kindergarten

Investigated an attachment-based theoretical framework and classification system, introduced by Kaplan and Main (1986), for interpreting children's family drawings. This study concentrated on the psychometric properties of the system and the relation between drawings classified using this system and teacher ratings of classroom social-emotional and behavioral functioning, controlling for childage, ethnic status, intelligence, and fine motor skills. This nonclinical sample consisted of 200 kindergarten children of diverse racial and socioeconomic status (SES). Limited support for reliability of this classification system was obtained. Kappas for overall classifications of drawings (e.g., secure) exceeded .80 and mean kappa for discrete drawing features (e.g., figures with smiles) was .82. Coders' endorsement of the presence of certain discrete drawing features predicted their overall classification at 82.5% accuracy. Drawing classification was related to teacher ratings of classroom functioning independent of child age, sex, race, SES, intelligence, and fine motor skills (with p values for the multivariate effects ranging from .043-.001). Results are discussed in terms of the psychometric properties of this system for classifying children's representations of family and the limitations of family drawing techniques for young children.     

Mental health problems and coping styles of urban and rural high school students in China

Few studies have compared urban and rural adolescents' mental health problems, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health problems and coping styles of adolescents in urban and rural areas in China. A total of 927 urban and rural high school students in Shandong Province of China were recruited for the study. The results of the study are as follows: (a) students in rural low‐socioeconomic status (SES) areas, especially females, had more mental health problems than did those in rural high‐SES and urban areas; (b) rural low‐SES students were more likely to cope by venting and fantasizing than did the other two groups; (c) regardless of residence and SES, mental health problems were inversely related to the use of problem solving as a coping strategy, but positively related to fantasizing; and (d) urban‐rural differences in mental health problems were not entirely accounted for by group differences in coping strategies. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Economic impact of divorce on children's development: Current findings and policy implications

Examined the economic impact of divorce on families' functioning and children's mental health. U.S. Bureau of the Census (1992b, 1993) data on rates of divorce and remarriage are reviewed, as well as data on economic aspects that both predispose to and result from marital dissolution (Hernandez, 1992). Research regarding the impact of economic stress and poverty on family functioning and child mental health problems is discussed. I make Jive recommendations for social policy that emphasize the need for attention to economic aspects of divorce and their impact on children's and parents' adjustment and well being. Particular attention is devoted to the need for continuity in families' economic standard following divorce, enforcement of child support laws, and new treatment approaches to help children cope with their parents' divorce.     

Mental illness depiction in children's films

Forty‐nine children's (G‐ and PG‐rated) films were viewed and rated with respect to the depiction of mental illnesses. Material about mental illnesses was included in 33 (67%) of these films. Twelve (24%) had one or more characters labeled as having a mental illness; an additional 21 films contained references to mental illnesses. Characters with mental illnesses tended to be male, adult, Caucasian, single or of unknown marital status, and identified by disparaging slang terms rather than formal diagnoses. Of the 12 movies containing characters with mental illnesses, 8 (67%) included depictions where that character was violent. Other characters responded in generally favorable ways to the mentally ill characters: most worked cooperatively with the character and helped and trusted the character. However, nearly two‐thirds also showed fear of the character. Results suggest that mental illness depictions are common in children's films, and that, despite some positive responses from other characters, mentally ill characters tend to be feared and disparaged. Study limitations and possible implications for children's developing understanding of mental illnesses are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 31: 553–560, 2003.     

Can't have one without the other: Mental health providers and community parents reducing barriers to services for families in urban poverty

University–community partnerships are widely recognized as critical to the success of community research and advocacy work but difficult to form and sustain. This article will describe a unique facet of that partnership, namely the collaboration between mental health clinicians and community consultants, a partnership that our data suggest was a cornerstone of our school‐based mental health service program called PALS, an ecological model designed to engage African American families living in urban poor communities in mental health services. The service model was designed to promote children's learning and positive behavior through supporting teachers and encouraging parental involvement in school. In PALS, parent representatives from the community and clinicians from the university worked together in school‐based teams to support children, families, and teachers. This article will discuss the evolution of our clinician–consultant partnership and several lessons that emerged regarding the incorporation of community members into the world of academia, research, and mental health service delivery. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 435–446, 2007.     

Relations among Socioeconomic Status Indicators and Health for African-Americans and Whites

This investigation explored the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) to physical and mental health in two nationally representative samples of whites and African-Americans. We examined the interrelations among SES variables and assessed their contribution to health for the two racial groups. Throughout, we assessed the contribution of a less traditional indicator of SES-wealth-in the SES-health relationship. As we expected, African-Americans had lower levels of education, household income, and wealth than whites. Unexpectedly, however, the strength of the interrelationships among the three SES indicators did not differ for African-Americans and whites. In addition, we found that SES operated to affect health in a very similar fashion for African-Americans and whites. We found that wealth, in addition to more traditional indicators of SES (education and household income), made a unique and significant contribution to explaining both physical and mental health. Examining relations of different SES indicators to health across groups is critical to eliminating persistent social inequalities in health.     

The depiction of mental illnesses in children's television programs

Concern has been expressed that negative attitudes toward people with mental illnesses begin to develop early in childhood. This study examines one of the possible sources of learning of such negative attitudes—children's television programs. Two hundred sixty‐nine (269) hours of children's television programming were videotaped, viewed, and rated. Nearly half the programs viewed contained use of mental health terms. Most of these terms were slang and disrespectful (e.g., crazy and nut) and were used to disparage others. Twenty‐ one (21) characters with a mental illness were identified. These characters tended to be depicted as aggressive and threatening, and other characters responded to them with fear, exclusion, and disrespect. Children's television programs seem to provide substantial opportunity for children to develop negative attitudes and behaviors toward those with mental illnesses. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Mediators and Treatment Factors in Intervention for Children Exposed to Interparental Violence

Changes in children's emotion differentiation, coping skills, parenting stress, parental psychopathology, and parent–child interaction were explored as mediators of treatment factors in two selective preventive group interventions for children exposed to interparental violence (IPV) and their parents. One hundred thirty-four IPV-exposed children (ages 6–12 years, 52% boys) and their parents were randomized to an IPV-focused or common factors community-based group intervention and completed baseline, posttest, and follow-up assessments for posttraumatic stress (PTS). A multilevel model tested mediators that included children's ability to differentiate emotions and coping skills, parenting stress, parental psychopathology, and parent–child interactions. In both conditions, exposure to nonspecific factors, specific factors unrelated to IPV and trauma-specific intervention factors was coded from videotaped child and parent sessions. Improved parental mental health mediated the link between greater exposure to nonspecific treatment factors and decreases in PTS symptoms. In addition, an increase in emotion differentiation and a decrease in parenting stress were associated with a decrease in PTS symptoms. Greater exposure to trauma-specific factors in child sessions was associated with a small decrease in emotion differentiation, an increase in coping skills, and a decrease in PTS symptoms over time. Greater exposure to nonspecific treatment factors in child and parent sessions was associated with more positive parent–child interaction. Parental mental health appears to be an important mechanism of change that can be promoted through exposure to nonspecific factors in parent intervention. For children, the effect of greater exposure to trauma-specific factors in intervention is less clear and may not have clear benefits.     

LETTER TO THE EDITORS: Re: Identifying population differences in lung function: results from the Allied Dunbar national fitness survey

Background: Implicit in much of the literature on childhood obesity is a hierarchical, unidirectional understanding of intergenerational relations, which highlights parents' responsibility for children's food and eating practices.

Aim: Drawing upon alternative understandings from the social science literature, which offer more nuanced insights into family life and generational relations, this paper explores, through parents' narratives, the construction of family food environments and family eating practices in families with a child with obesity.

Subjects and methods: Data were generated through individual, semi-structured interviews with parents of children attending a community-based obesity intervention programme in an inner city area in the North of England. Forty-nine interviews were conducted with 25 parental adults from 19 families.

Results: Parent's own concerns over their body weight and size and children's social experiences in a fat-averse society can both work to flatten the traditional familial, adult–child hierarchy. Both parents and children actively contribute to the construction of family life and family eating practices.

Conclusion: Findings may pose challenges for contemporary health promotion and policy agendas which presume that parents have the ability and resources to control and direct children's eating in a unidirectional and authoritative manner.     

Chronic and Episodic Stress in Children of Depressed Mothers

The goal of this study was to examine chronic and episodic stress in children of mothers with and without a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) during the children's lives. Participants were 255 mothers selected according to their history of MDD (present vs. absent during child's life) and their children (age 8–14; 53% girls, 81% Caucasian). Mothers' and children's histories of MDD were assessed using diagnostic interviews, and their depressive symptoms were assessed via self-report measures. Children's levels of chronic and episodic stress were assessed using a semistructured contextual threat interview. Children of mothers with a history of recurrent MDD, compared to single MDD or no depression, experienced more chronic stress within several domains including peers, mother–child relations, and other family member relations as well as greater episodic dependent interpersonal stress. Each of these group differences was maintained after excluding children with a history of MDD themselves and controlling for their current depressive symptoms. However, only the group difference in chronic peer stress was maintained when controlling for mothers' current depression. The results suggest that children exposed to recurrent maternal MDD experience higher levels of both chronic and episodic stress, at least some of which they contribute to themselves (dependent interpersonal stress) and which is at least partially independent of the effects of children's depression. In addition, much of this stress is associated primarily with current depression in the mother, though it appears that chronic peer stress may remain elevated even after the remission of maternal depression.     

Future Directions for Dissemination and Implementation Science: Aligning Ecological Theory and Public Health to Close the Research to Practice Gap

Dissemination and implementation science (DI) has evolved as a major research model for children's mental health in response to a long-standing call to integrate science and practice and bridge the elusive research to practice gap. However, to address the complex and urgent needs of the most vulnerable children and families, future directions for DI require a new alignment of ecological theory and public health to provide effective, sustainable, and accessible mental health services. We present core principles of ecological theory to emphasize how contextual factors impact behavior and allow for the reciprocal impact individuals have on the settings they occupy, and an alignment of these principles with a public health model to ensure that services span the prevention to intervention continuum. We provide exemplars from our ongoing work in urban schools and a new direction for research to address the mental health needs of immigrant Latino families. Through these examples we illustrate how DI can expand its reach by embedding within natural settings to build on local capacity and indigenous resources, incorporating the local knowledge necessary to more substantively address long-standing mental health disparities. This paradigm shift for DI, away from an overemphasis on promoting program adoption, calls for fitting interventions within settings that matter most to children's healthy development and for utilizing and strengthening available community resources. In this way, we can meet the challenge of addressing our nation's mental health burden by supporting the needs and values of families and communities within their own unique social ecologies.     

Admission and Discharge Criteria for Children's Mental Health Services: A Review of the issues and Options

This paper examines issues involved in the establishing of admission and discharge criteria for children's mental health programs. Four basic approaches to the establishment of such criteria was discussed. The conclusion of the analysis was that the present state of knowledge does not permit very accurate identification of the type of program that will best meet the needs of particular individuals. Instead, it was recommended that the emphasis in the children's mental health field be on the development of a full range of programs with children basically being given an opportunity first in the less restrictive, more community-based, and family-focused programs. Such an approach helps protect the rights of children and families and is consistent with a growing body o f findings that suggest children can benefit from less restrictive programs than those in which they have often been placed.