Prevention of Mental Health Difficulties for Children Aged 0-3 Years: A Review.

Elizabeth Izett,Mia De Palma,Maryanne McDevitt,Rosanna Rooney,Susan L. Prescott

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.500361

Elizabeth Izett, Mia De Palma + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.500361

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Abstract

The period of infancy and early childhood is a critical time for interventions to prevent future mental health problems. The first signs of mental health difficulties can be manifest in infancy, emphasizing the importance of understanding and identifying both protective and risk factors in pregnancy and the early postnatal period. Parents are at a higher risk of developing mental health problems during the perinatal period. An understanding of the evidence around prevention and intervention for parental anxiety and depression is vital to the process of prevention of early mental health disorders in infants and young children. Here we review the existing prevention and treatment interventions in the early years focusing on the period from conception to 3 years – the majority targeting parents in order to improve their mental health, and that of their infants. Elements of successful programs for parents include psychoeducation and practical skills training, as well as work on the co-parenting relationship, developing secure attachment, and enhancing parental reflective functioning. While both targeted and universal programs have produced strong effect sizes, universal programs have the added benefit of reaching people who may otherwise not have sought treatment. In synthesizing this information, our goal is to inform the development of integrated models for prevention and novel early intervention programs as early in life as possible.

Highlights

Across the world, 10–20% of children and adolescents suffer from mental health disorders (Kessler et al, 2007)
Ensink et al (2016) found that maternal RF was found to correlate with child reflective functioning, and negatively with child externalizing behaviors. These findings suggest that maternal mentalizing capacity plays an important role in promoting infant and child emotional regulation, especially in the context of difficult early childhood experiences (Camoirano, 2017)
Due to the young age of the children concerned in this review, the majority of the programs (24) found in our search were designed to be presented to parents, addressing parental factors that would impact their infants and toddlers

Summary

Introduction

10–20% of children and adolescents suffer from mental health disorders (Kessler et al, 2007). Mental health disorders of childhood have a severe, negative impact on children’s development and their long-term capacity to live healthy, productive and fulfilling lives (Lyons-Ruth et al, 2017). The personal, social and economic costs of mental health difficulties are high, including clinical and education services, sick-leave and unemployment, and the criminal justice system (Bor et al, 2004). The direct and indirect economic cost of mental illness in Australia has been estimated at $20 billion per year, which includes the cost of lost productivity and labor force participation (Department of Health and Ageing, 2007). The burden of illness from mental health disorders accounts for approximately 12% of the total disability-adjusted

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