Parental involvement and mental health among Thai adolescents

The objective of this analysis was to examine the associations between parental involvement and mental health in Thai middle school students. Data from the 2671 school-going adolescents aged 12–15 y who participated in the nationally representative Global School-based Student Health Survey in Thailand in 2008 were analysed. About 16.5% of students reported symptoms of depression, and about 8.6% reported having seriously considered suicide in the past year. High levels of parental involvement – homework checks, monitoring of free time and seeking to understand children's problems – were associated with significantly lower odds of symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts for both boys and girls. Skipping school without permission was associated with significantly increased odds of poor mental health, including loneliness and anxiety. Active parenting and effective communication between schools and parents about truancy may contribute to the promotion of adolescent mental health and early detection of psychological problems.     

Survey of Australian mental health nurses on physical activity promotion

Physical activity is important to the physical and mental health of people with serious mental illness (SMI). This study investigated views of public mental health nurses on physical activity promotion for consumers with SMI, through a national electronic survey in Australia. Consumers with SMI were viewed to be less physically active than the general community. Two-thirds of nurses wanted training on exercise support of consumers. Motivation of consumers was indicated to be a major barrier. There was great variability in discussion frequency between nurses and exercise physiologists. An analysis of open comments revealed two themes: (1) access – opportunities for health education, participation in physical activity programmes and nurses' connections to exercise physiologists; and (2) commitment – nurses promoting physical activity and building competencies. Findings indicate that initiatives to increase physical activity promotion for people with SMI are likely to be supported by nurses in the mental health sector of Australia.     

Social support, ethnicity and mental health in adolescents

Objective In this study, we explored whether social support varied with ethnic group in young people, and if it explained ethnic differences in prevalence of psychological distress. Methods A representative sample of 2790 East London adolescents (11–14 years) completed a classroom-based self-report questionnaire for this cross sectional survey. Social support was assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Results High levels of social support were reported by most participants, with some variation by ethnic group and gender. Participants reporting low family and overall social support had an increased likelihood of psychological distress compared with those who reported high support. Low support from friends, family and overall was also associated with depressive symptoms. These relationships did not alter with adjustment for ethnic group. Conclusions This study identified an independent association between different sources of social support and mental health in a young, ethnically diverse sample. Differences in social support did not explain ethnic differences in psychological distress.     

Exploring age and gender differences in health risk behaviours and psychological functioning among homeless children and adolescents

This study describes the findings from quantitative examination of age and gender differences in psychological problems and health risk behaviour among 227 homeless youth. The findings indicated significant variations on health risk behaviours by gender. As compared to males, females were more likely to engage in survival sex, been victims of violence-rated sex, and more likely to have made a plan to commit suicide. While alcohol use decrease with age, marijuana use and having multiple sexual partners, on the other hand, increases with age. Approximately 87% of the participant’s exhibit moderate-to-severe psychological problems, with males having significantly higher scores on the overall psychological well-being, emotional and hyperactivity problems than females. Age-group differences were also observed on overall psychological well-being, emotional problems, conduct problems and hyperactivity. These findings from the study are discussed with reference to previous research and implications for interventions are provided.     

氟西汀治疗儿童少年抑郁症临床观察

目的:了解氟西汀治疗儿童少年抑郁症的疗效和不良反应。方法:以氟西汀开放式治疗10～18岁抑郁症患者22例。用临床疗效总评量表(CGI)、Beck抑郁量表(BDI)、Beck焦虑量表(BAI)和不良反应量表(SERS)评估。结果:治疗结束时显著进步8例,进步9例;轻度不良反应5例,中度2例。结论:氟西汀治疗儿童少年抑郁症有效,不良反应较轻。     

Sleep problems and mental health among young Norwegian adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: The present study investigated the associations between the aspects of sleep problems and mental health in Norwegian young adolescents.

Materials and methods: Adolescents (12–13 years) were recruited from the primary schools in Telemark County, Norway. Sleep related problems were assessed by asking parents three questions related to their childrens’ sleep quality, sleep sufficiency, and daytime sleepiness. Parents reported data on mental health by the extended version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and information on the child’s physical activity, screen time, eating pattern, gender, and background variables. Height and weight were objectively measured. Complete data were obtained for 690 adolescents.

Results: Multiple logistic regressions were used. Bivariate analyses indicated important associations between the sleep aspects and mental health. When adjusting the sleep variables for each other, lifestyle factors and background variables, sleep quality problems were associated with any psychiatric problem (OR_adj: 4.0, CI: 2.0-8.2), emotional problems (OR_adj: 15.1, CI: 3.4-66.8), and hyperactivity-inattention problems (OR_adj: 5.1, CI: 2.2-12.1). Daytime sleepiness problems were associated with any psychiatric problem (OR_adj: 2.3, CI: 1.2-4.4), and hyperactivity-inattention problems (OR_adj: 2.5, CI: 1.1-5.5). Bivariate associations between problems with sufficient sleep and mental health problems lost the significance when adjusted for other sleep variables.

Conclusions: The results indicate that different aspects of sleep problems may be important underlying factors for mental health problems in adolescents, independently of lifestyle factors, BMI-category, gender, and background variables. This highlights the importance of examining specific sleep problems when investigating associations between sleep and mental health.     

Mental health problems of second generation children and adolescents with migration background

Objective: Despite the growing number of young second-generation immigrant (SGI) children and adolescents, studies about their mental health are rare. The objective of this study was to investigate the mental health problems of SGI children and adolescents in Istanbul, Turkey.

Methods: In a clinical sample the mental health of 54 SGIs and 50 native children and adolescents were examined using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and Children’s Global Assessment Scale. The assessments were carried out by a blinded rater.

Results: SGI children had higher rates of psychiatric disorders such as depression (p?=?0.001), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (p?=?0.011) and anxiety disorders (p?=?0.013), more comorbid disorders and lower functionality scores compared to their native counterparts (p?=?0.001).

Conclusions: SGI children seem to have higher rates of psychiatric disorders most probably due to migration-induced burdens. The professionals treating SGI children should have more awareness for these problems to be able to approach them in a culture and language sensitive way.     

Social participation predicts cognitive functioning in aging adults over time: comparisons with physical health,depression, and physical activity

Objectives: Several risk and protective factors are associated with changes in cognitive functioning in aging adults – including physical health, depression, physical activity, and social activities – though the findings for participation in social activities are mixed. This study investigated the longitudinal association between social participation and two domains of cognitive functioning, memory and executive function. A primary goal of our analyses was to determine whether social participation predicted cognitive functioning over-and-above physical health, depression, and physical activity in a sample with adequate power to detect unique effects.

Method: The sample included aging adults (N = 19,832) who participated in a large, multi-national study and provided data across six years; split into two random subsamples. Unique associations between the predictors of interest and cognitive functioning over time and within occasion were assessed in a latent curve growth model.

Results: Social participation predicted both domains of cognitive functioning at each occasion, and the relative magnitude of this effect was comparable to physical health, depression, and physical activity level. In addition, social participation at the first time point predicted change in cognitive functioning over time. The substantive results in the initial sample were replicated in the second independent subsample.

Conclusion: Overall, the magnitude of the association of social participation is comparable to other well-established predictors of cognitive functioning, providing evidence that social participation plays an important role in cognitive functioning and successful aging.     

Utilization of public mental health services by children with serious emotional disturbances

The Integrated Database (IDB) was created to provide a broad picture of the use of state-funded mental health (MH) and substance abuse (SA) services. Assembled separately for three states (Delaware, Oklahoma, and Washington), the IDB links client-level and service-level data maintained by the state MH, SA, and Medicaid agencies. This study used the IDB to examine public MH services for children with serious emotional disturbances (SED) in 1996. Children with SED represented 9% to 22% of all children with MH service use. Between one half and two thirds of children with SED received psychotropic medication; 20% to 40% had a MH inpatient or residential stay. Medicaid was the primary funder of MH services for children with SED; only 2% to 12% of children with SED received services solely through the state MH agency.     

A review of educational outcomes in the children's mental health treatment literature

We examined the measurement of educational outcomes related to children's mental health treatments. A total of 85 papers describing 88 randomized controlled trials that included at least one educational outcome and one mental health outcome were included in these analyses. Forty-five different measures were identified as the primary educational outcome of interest in these studies. Educational measures reflected academic achievement (64.2%), academic and behavioural skills (20.1%), attendance (11.2%), quality of the learning environment (3.4%) and academic self-efficacy (1.1%). Positive educational outcomes were demonstrated by treatments delivered in school and non-school settings. There was a significant association between improvement on educational and mental health outcomes. Within the literature of children's mental health treatments, few studies (14.86%) measure educational outcomes. Of those that do, there is significant diversity in measurement methods. Nevertheless, these results offer promise that mental health treatments can succeed in improving both mental health symptoms and educational performance.     

Peer-based health interventions for people with serious mental illness: A systematic literature review

Health interventions delivered by peer specialists or co-facilitated by peer specialists and health professionals can help improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness (SMI). Yet, the quality of the studies examining these health interventions and their impact on health outcomes remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of peer-based health interventions for people with SMI. We rated the methodological quality of studies, summarized intervention strategies and health outcomes, and evaluated the inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities in these studies. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines to conduct our systematic literature review. Electronic bibliographic databases and manual searches were used to locate articles that were published in English in peer-reviewed journals between 1990 and 2015, described peer-based health interventions for people with SMI, and evaluated the impact of the interventions on physical health outcomes. Two independent reviewers used a standardized instrument to rate studies' methodological quality, abstracted study characteristics, and evaluated the effects of the interventions on different health outcomes. Eighteen articles were reviewed. Findings indicated that the strength of the evidence generated from these studies is limited due to several methodological limitations. Mixed and limited intervention effects were reported for most health outcomes. The most promising interventions were self-management and peer-navigator interventions. Efforts to strengthen the evidence of peer-based interventions require a research agenda that focuses on establishing the efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions across different populations and settings.