Abstract

PurposeFew studies have assessed the individual and joint effects of the mother’s, father’s and teacher’s mental health symptoms on schoolchildren’s behavior and emotional well-being simultaneously in the same study.Patients and MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 8488 Chinese schoolchildren aged 6–17 years in northeast China. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used to measure the mental health of the students, their parents and the teacher in charge of the class, respectively. A total of 6173 students (72.73%) with full mental health information from all three caretakers were included in the final analysis.ResultsWe found a significantly elevated risk of mental health symptoms in children when their mothers (odds ratios (OR)=2.30, 95% CI=1.93–2.73), fathers (OR=2.08, 95% CI=1.73–2.50) and teachers (OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.01–1.39) reported poorer mental health, and the risk increased significantly with the number of the caretakers with mental symptoms. A father with poor mental health has both direct and indirect effects on a child’s emotional health, by worsening the influence of a mother’s poor mental health.ConclusionAll three caretakers have a significant negative influence on schoolchildren’s emotional well-being, in the order of mother > father > teacher. It is desirable to assess and manage students’ mental health in the both the family and school contexts.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.