Mental health problems, low birthweight and academic achievement in mathematics and reading

Contains fulltext : 219595.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)The objective of the study is to investigate the role of mental health in the relationship between moderately low birthweight MLBW (>= 1500 g & <=2500) and academic achievement in a large cross-country study. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health in Europe study (n = 4305). Achievement in mathematics and reading was categorized by teachers as being below average, average or above average. Parents reported birthweight, and both parents and teachers evaluated mental health status using the Strengths and difficulties Questionnaire. When controlling for child age, number of children in the household, maternal age, education, employment status and psychological distress and country of residence, MLBW was associated with lower odds of above average performance in mathematics and reading. Once mental health was added into the model, MLBW remained significant but mental health problems largely surpassed its influence: conduct disorders decreased the probability to perform above average in mathematics RRR = 0.37 and increased the risk of performing below average RRR = 4.45 as did ADHD and emotional disorders. A similar trend was found for reading achievement except for ADHD which decreased the probability of above average performance RRR = 0.13 and did not have a significant effect on below average performance. A path analysis highlights the prominent role of mental health. Among children attending regular education settings, MLBW is associated with academic performance but mental health has much stronger effects. Teachers and parents should be sensitized to child mental health problems and be informed of the special needs of MLBW children in order to help children overcome potential academic difficulties and to adapt their teaching taking into account mental health problems.22 mei 202011 p

Mental health problems, low birthweight and academic achievement in mathematics and reading

The objective of the study is to investigate the role of mental health in the relationship between moderately low birthweight MLBW (>= 1500 g & <=2500) and academic achievement in a large cross-country study. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health in Europe study (n = 4305). Achievement in mathematics and reading was categorized by teachers as being below average, average or above average. Parents reported birthweight, and both parents and teachers evaluated mental health status using the Strengths and difficulties Questionnaire. When controlling for child age, number of children in the household, maternal age, education, employment status and psychological distress and country of residence, MLBW was associated with lower odds of above average performance in mathematics and reading. Once mental health was added into the model, MLBW remained significant but mental health problems largely surpassed its influence: conduct disorders decreased the probability to perform above average in mathematics RRR = 0.37 and increased the risk of performing below average RRR = 4.45 as did ADHD and emotional disorders. A similar trend was found for reading achievement except for ADHD which decreased the probability of above average performance RRR = 0.13 and did not have a significant effect on below average performance. A path analysis highlights the prominent role of mental health. Among children attending regular education settings, MLBW is associated with academic performance but mental health has much stronger effects. Teachers and parents should be sensitized to child mental health problems and be informed of the special needs of MLBW children in order to help children overcome potential academic difficulties and to adapt their teaching taking into account mental health problems

Bullying involvement and suicidal ideation in elementary school children across Europe

Background: Bullying involvement is associated with suicidal ideation among adolescents, yet there are no studies examining this issue among younger children. Methods: The School Children Mental Health in Europe study was conducted in seven countries in 2010 using similar methods to collect cross-sectional data from children, parents, and teachers. Suicidal ideation and thoughts of death were assessed using the Dominic Interactive among children. Parent and teacher reports were used to determine bullying involvement. The sample comprised n = 5,183 children ages 6 to 11 identified as bullies (n = 740, 14.3%), victims (n = 945, 18.2%), bully-victims (n = 984, 18.2%) and not involved in bullying (n = 2,514, 48.5%). Multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the association of bullying involvement with suicidal ideation and thoughts of death. Results: Suicidal ideation was reported by 13.3% of those not involved in bullying, 17.1% of victims, 19.6% of bullies and 24.4% of bully-victims. Similarly, thoughts of death were reported by 19.0% of victims, 24.3% of bullies, and 25.0% of bully-victims. Children identified as being involved were more likely than those not involved to report suicidal ideation in bivariate analyses. When controlling for psychopathology and for maternal distress among other factors, the association remained significant for bullies (AOR=1.30, 95%CI=1.01–1.66), bully-victims (AOR=1.54, 95%CI=1.22–1.94), but not for victims (AOR=1.02, 95%CI=0.80–1.30). Limitations: The study is cross-sectional. The assessment of bullying may have underestimated victimization. Conclusions: The association of bullying involvement and child suicidal ideation is present among elementary school children across Europe, using multiple informants to avoid shared variance biases, and adjusting for key factors

The health consequences of child mental health problems and parenting styles: Unintentional injuries among European schoolchildren

Contains fulltext : 131681.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)Objective. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for schoolchildren. We assessed the association between externalizing psychopathology, parenting style, and unintentional injury in European children in the community. Methods. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health in Europe project and included 4517 schoolchildren across seven diverse European regions. Past-year injuries serious enough to seek medical attention were reported by mothers. Child mental health problems were assessed using validated measures and reported by the mothers, teachers, and children. Parenting styles were based on The Parenting Scale and the Parent Behaviors and Attitudes Questionnaire. Results. Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and oppositional defiant symptoms had a higher risk of injury compared to other children whether based on parent report (OR = 1.47,95% C.I. 12-1.9), teacher report (OR = 136,95% C.I. 1.1-1.7), or parent and teacher report combined (OR = 1.53, 95% C.I. 1.1-2.1). Children who self-reported oppositional symptoms also had higher risk of injury (OR = 1.6,95% C.I. 1.1-2.4). Low-caring behavior of parents increased the risk of injury (OR = 1.4,95% C.I. 1.1-1.9). Conclusion. Unintentional injury is a potential adverse health consequence of child externalizing problems. Interventions to improve parent-child relationships and prevention as well as focused treatment for externalizing problems may reduce the burden of injury

Child Abuse Negl

Background Bullying behavior is recognized internationally as a serious issue associated with mental health and functioning problems among children. Objective The present study sought to determine the associations between bullying involvement and self-reported mental health among elementary school children across seven European countries. Participants and setting The School Children Mental Health in Europe study was conducted in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Turkey in 2010 using similar methodology to collect cross-sectional data from children, parents, and teachers. Methods The study focused on children who had completed the Dominic Interactive and whose mother and/or teacher had completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (n = 5,183). Results Overall 14.3 % of children were identified as bullies, 18.2 % as victims and, 19.0 % as both bullies and victims. Despite the low threshold for defining bullying status, children identified as being involved were highly likely to present with self-reported mental health problems: 31.6 % of bully-victims reported any disorder, while 25.4 % of bullies and 23.1 % of victims did. Adjusting for key factors, bullies and bully-victims were significantly more likely to present with any externalizing disorder, while victims were not. Additionally, bully-victim status was associated with significantly greater odds of presenting with each internalizing disorder: phobia (AOR = 1.48, 95 %CI = 1.01–2.19), GAD (AOR = 2.54, 95 %CI = 1.67–3.87), separation anxiety (AOR = 1.88, 95 %CI = 1.43–2.47) and depression (AOR = 2.52, 95 %CI = 1.61–3.93). However, victim status was only associated with GAD (AOR = 1.63, 95 %CI = 1.07–2.48) and bully status with separation anxiety (AOR = 1.44, 95 %CI = 1.07–1.93). Conclusions The results highlight the association of bullying involvement and child mental health in elementary school children across Europe

Psychometric Properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in Children Aged 5-12 Years Across Seven European Countries

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been used extensively to screen for possible mental disorders in epidemiological studies around the world. The present study aimed to compare the internal consistency of both the parent- and teacher-SDQ across seven European countries: Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey, and to determine the ability of the SDQ to discriminate cases from non-cases of disorders against the well-established Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA). The sample included 541 assessments of children aged 5–12 years. Internal consistency ranged from .74 to .85 for the teacher-SDQ, and .60 to .85 for the parent-SDQ with significant between-country differences. The SDQ further proved to be an adequate screening instrument for the detection of any mental disorder (area under the receiving operator characteristic [AUROC] = .74, 95% CI: .69–.78), and for externalizing disorders in particular (AUROC = .80, 95% CI: .76–.84). There were no differences in AUROC between countries (p = .09), yet sample sizes were limited thus restricting our ability to detect between-country differences in AUROCs. The results reinforce existing research on the SDQ and support its use in detecting probable cases of psychiatric disorders in children across Europe

The association between mental health problems and asthma among European school children

Background and objectives: To examine the prevalence of two ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) asthma indicators in 7 European countries and their relationship with mental health disorders in children 6–12 years. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 5712 school children aged 6–12 years using a video Self-administered instrument: Dominic Interactive and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for parents and teachers. Asthma indicators were 12 month “Wheezing or whistling in the chest” (WWC) and “Severe Asthma” (SA) based on number of attacks of wheezing, sleep disturbance due to wheezing, and limits to speech. Results: On average 7.31% of the children had WWC, from 15.09% in Turkey to 1.32% in Italy; SA 2.22% on average ranged from 4.78% in Turkey to 0% in Italy. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) from child self-reports was significantly associated with WWC and SA even after adjustment for covariates. Based on parent and teacher combined reports, emotional problems were found to have significant associations with 12-month WWC after adjustment, as well as “any problems” which summarized externalizing and internalizing disorders Emotional, hyperactivity, conduct disorders were not associated with SA. Conclusion: Asthma indicators very much differ across countries. Asthma indicators are associated with childhood GAD. Childhood self-reported mental health seems more related to Asthma indicators than parents/teachers combined reports

Understanding parent-teacher agreement of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): Comparison across seven European countries

Assessments of child psychopathology are often derived from parental and teacher reports, yet there is substantial disagreement. This study utilized data from 7 European countries to examine parent–teacher agreement and possible explanatory factors for parent-teacher disagreement such as child and family characteristics, parenting dimensions, and maternal distress were explored. Parent–teacher agreement of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were assessed using a cross-sectional survey of 4,894 school aged children 6-11 from the School Children Mental Health Europe Project. Parent-teacher agreement was low to moderate (Pearson correlation ranging from .24 (Prosocial) to .48 (Hyperactivity) for the 5 subscales across 7 countries); kappa coefficient ranged from .01 (Turkey) to .44 (Italy) for internalizing problems and .19(Romania) to .44(Italy) for externalizing problems. Child's gender and age, mother's employment status, single parent home, number of children in household, and selected parenting dimension were found to be explanatory of informant disagreement. This study not only serves to advance our understanding of parent-teacher agreement of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in 7 European countries but provides a novel approach to examining the factors that contribute to informant disagreement