Child Emotional Problems Research Articles

SENSORY EFFECTS OF OCCUPATİONAL THERAPY İN CHİLDREN WİTH SCREEN EXPOSURE

As technology has improved, mobile device use has increased in younger age groups and the time of screen exposure has increased. Screen exposure has many negative effects on children's development. Being in front of the screen for a long time causes attention deficit, speech problems, sensory-motor problems, behavioral and emotional problems in children. Many factors can be effective in increasing screen exposure. Family comes first among these factors. Situations such as family members' occupations, income status, and the number of members in the family affect mobile device use, while mobile device use affects screen exposure time. One of the important effects of screen exposure is the lack of stimulus or negative stimulus. Exposure of children to negative stimuli, especially between the ages of 0-6, when neuroplasticity is the fastest, causes developmental delays. Lack of stimulus prevents children's senses from working in a systematic way. Senses that begin to develop in the womb are negatively affected by screen exposure and sensory integration problems are seen in children. Occupational therapists aim to adapt children with sensory integration problems to daily life with meaningful and purposeful activities, and accordingly, they evaluate the child individually and create and implement an individual therapy program.

Documentation of Psychosocial Distress and Its Antecedents in Children with Rare or Life-Limiting Chronic Conditions.

Children with rare or life-limiting chronic conditions and their families are at high risk of psychosocial distress. However, despite its impact on patient and family health and functioning, psychosocial distress and its antecedents may not routinely be captured in medical records. The purpose of this study was to characterize current medical record documentation practices around psychosocial distress among children with rare or life-limiting chronic conditions and their families. Medical records for patients with rare or life-limiting chronic conditions (n = 60) followed by a pediatric complex care program were reviewed. Study team members extracted both structured data elements (e.g., diagnoses, demographic information) and note narratives from the most recent visit with a clinician in the program. Psychosocial topics were analyzed using a mixed quantitative (i.e., frequency counts of topics) and qualitative approach. Topics related to psychosocial distress that were documented in notes included child and parent emotional problems, parent social support, sibling emotional or physical problems, family structure (e.g., whether parents were together), and financial concerns. However, 35% of notes lacked any mention of psychosocial concerns. Although examples of psychosocial concerns were included in some notes, none were present in over one-third of this sample. For both patients with rare or life-limiting chronic conditions and their caregivers, more active elicitation and standard documentation of psychosocial concerns may improve the ability of healthcare providers to identify and intervene on psychosocial concerns and their risk factors.

Emotional and behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder and psychological distress in their parents in Saudi Arabia: The moderating effect of marital relationship satisfaction

BackgroundThere is a well-established association between emotional and behavioral problems in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), unmet family support needs, and psychological distress in their parents. However, no studies hypothesized a buffering effect of marital relationship satisfaction. AimThe aim of this research was to investigate the moderating effect of marital relationship satisfaction in the associations among emotional and behavioral problems in children with ASD, unmet family support needs, and anxiety and depression of their parents in the context of Saudi Arabia. Design and methodsThis cross-sectional study recruited parents from five rehabilitation centers for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected with surveys completed online. A sample of 93 parents (84% female, 4.3% were 24 or younger, 36.2% between 25 and 34 years old, 40.5% between 35 and 44, and 14.7% between 45 and 54) of children with ASD was obtained. Two models of multiple regression analysis were performed to determine the relationships. ResultsAbout 56% of the parents had anxiety symptoms and 60% had depressive symptoms. Emotional and behavioral problems of children and higher levels of unmet family support needs were associated with higher levels of anxiety in parents, and adaptive behavior of children was associated with reduced levels of depression in parents. Relationship satisfaction moderated the impact of children's emotional and behavioral problems on parental anxiety. Conclusion and implicationsThe study highlighted the importance of marital relationship satisfaction in buffering the negative effects of ASD-related factors of children on the psychological well-being of their parents.

Emotional Problems in Pediatric Headache Patients.

The purpose of this review was to summarize current reports regarding emotional problems in children and adolescents with primary headaches. Emotional problems include those related to personality, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Alexithymia-like characteristics and internalized personality characteristics are considered to worsen primary headaches. Comorbid psychiatric traits such as depression and anxiety have been observed. When neurodevelopmental disorders coexist, it is necessary to pay attention not only to emotional problems but also to the side effects of concomitant drug and history of abuse. There are few reports with strong evidence for the pharmacological treatment of headaches accompanied by emotional problems. Understanding emotional problems at an initial consultation and examining the application of psychotherapy could help improve the outcome of headaches in children and adolescents.

Parental Gambling and the Health and Wellbeing of Children Derived From Two Nationally Representative Cohorts of Australian Children

Gambling-related harms can impact the lives of children living with someone experiencing a gambling problem. These harms have been associated with impacts across a number of domains. However, previous studies exploring gambling-related effects on the health and wellbeing of children have had conflicting results. This study aimed to further understand the impact of parental gambling problems on children's health and wellbeing using nationally representative data from Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The subsample of interest contained 3,695 children (49.1% female) across two cohorts aged around 12 and 16 years. Parental gambling problems were measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Child health and wellbeing was measured via the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D), the Spence Anxiety Scale, the Short Mood & Feelings Questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and self-harm and happiness questions. Across both cohorts, the study found significant associations between parental gambling problems and poorer health, anxiety and/or low mood symptoms, and behavioural and emotional problems in children. The study found that more than 10% of Australian children were living in households with adults experiencing some level of gambling problems, including 1.2% in households with severe problems. Policymakers and educators might help ensure that the appropriate information and support is being provided to these children.

The executive functioning of Burundian refugee youth: Associations with individual, family and community factors

Executive functioning (EF) may be important for refugee youth's long-term adjustment. The current study examined associations between factors on different ecological levels (individual, family, community) and inhibitory control (IC), working memory (WM), cognitive flexibility (CF), and selective attention (SA) among 226 Burundian youth aged between 7 and 15 in three refugee camps. Multiple regression models revealed positive associations between trauma exposure and CF and between posttraumatic stress symptoms and SA and WM. Having more siblings, fathers' socioeconomic status and a better father-child relationship were related to better EF including higher SA and WM. Higher levels of maltreatment by mothers were related to lower IC. Higher peer support was related to higher WM. Being orphaned, children's emotional and behavioral problems, mothers' education, community violence and the type of camp (established vs. new) were not significantly related to children's EF. The findings underscore the importance of proximal social factors for children's EF.

Maternal perception of spousal support in raising children with developmental disability in the context of family and child variables.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the variables of mental, physical, and emotional problems in children with developmental disabilities (DDs) and the spousal support perceived by the mothers of those children. One hundred forty-three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n:43), intellectual disability (ID, n:28), cerebral palsy (CP, n:47),or Down syndrome (DS, n:25)were included in this study. The support that mothers received from their spouses was evaluated using the Spousal Support Scale (SSS). Aggressive behavior in the children was evaluated using the anger-aggression subscale of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale (SCBE-30). The data obtained were then subjected to statistical comparisons. Multiple comparisons revealed no significant difference between the DD diagnosis groups (ID, CP, ASD, and DS) in terms of spousal support or spousal support sub-dimension scores (p > 0.05). Significant negative correlation was found between anger-aggression subscale scores and SSS sub-parameters (emotional support r = -0.315 p < 0.001, financial and informational support r = -0.285 p < 0.001, appreciation r = -0.299 p < 0.001, social support r = -0.381 p < 0.001, and spouse support score r = -0.389 p < 0.001). Children's anger-aggression levels were adversely affected by a lack of spousal support for their mothers.

Behavioural and emotional comorbidities in school-aged children with neurological conditions in Kilifi, Kenya, and their long-term consequences

ABSTRACT Background Neurological conditions and mental health problems are common in children in low- and middle-income countries, but the risk factors and downstream impact of these problems on children with neurological conditions are not reported. Objective To determine the association of neurological conditions with behavioural and emotional problems in children, the prevalence and risk factors of behavioural and emotional problems, and long-term impact of these conditions. Methods Data on multiple neurological conditions and mental health problems were available for 1,616 children (aged 6–9 years) from Kilifi, Kenya. Neurological conditions were diagnosed using standardised tools and clinical examination. Behavioural and emotional problems assessed using Child Behaviour Questionnaire for Parents. Long-term outcomes were obtained from census data of the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Logistic and linear regression were used to measure associations. Results Mental health problems were higher in those with any neurological condition compared to those without (24% vs. 12%, p < 0.001). Cognitive (odds ratio (OR) = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.59–3.59), motor (OR = 3.17; 95% CI: 1.72–5.82), hearing (OR = 2.07; 95% CI:1.12–3.83) impairments, and epilepsy (OR = 4.18; 95% CI: 2.69–6.48), were associated with mental health problems. Prevalence of any mental health problem was 15%, with externalizing problems more common than internalizing problems (21% vs. 17%, p = 0.004). Longitudinal follow-up indicated that the disorders affected an individual’s future schooling (e.g. OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.14–1.46 following cognitive impairments), occupation (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.09–5.44 following mental health problems), and access to household assets (OR = 2.78; 95% CI: 0.99–7.85 following epilepsy). Conclusions Neurological conditions in school-aged children in Kilifi are associated with mental health problems, and both disorders have long-term consequences. Preventive and therapeutic measures for these conditions are needed to improve outcomes of these children.

Family correlates of emotional and behavioral problems in Nepali school children.

There is a substantial gap in our knowledge about family correlates of child emotional and behavioral problems in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The present study contributes to filling this gap by examining such correlates in a larger population study in Nepal. Our study is a cross-sectional, observational study among 3840 Nepali children aged 6-18 years from 64 schools and 16 districts in the three main geographical regions in the country. We used the Nepali version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/6-18 to assess children's internalizing and externalizing problems and an additional background information questionnaire to assess possible family correlates which included parental education, family structure, migrant worker parents, parental mental and physical illness, family conflicts, and child-rearing. The associations between family variables and child internalizing and externalizing problems were analyzed using bivariate correlations and multiple regression. Using bivariate analysis, we found that mental and physical illness in parents, conflict in the family, parental disagreement in child-rearing, and physical punishment of child correlated positively with both Internalizing Problems and Externalizing Problems. The same associations were found by using multiple regression analysis. In addition, parental education, family structure, and migrant worker mothers were associated with Externalizing Problems. However, the effect sizes were small. The results suggest that in Nepal, child mental problems were associated with several family risk factors. Further, the study points to the need of strengthening prevention- and intervention measures to minimize family risk factors of child mental health disorders.

Preventive Group Training Improves Children\u2019s Outcomes after Divorce: A Dutch Quasi-experimental Study

Worldwide, many children experience parental separation and divorce. This has a significant impact on their well-being, and emotional and behavioral functioning, and calls for prevention. To assess the effects of the Children of Divorce Intervention Program in the Netherlands (CODIP-NL) on 6- to 8-year-olds, we performed a quasi-experimental effect study. The study compared children receiving CODIP-NL (intervention: I, n = 104), children not receiving CODIP-NL but having divorced parents (divorced control: DC, n = 37), and children belonging to non-divorced families (non-divorced control: NDC, n = 138). Outcomes pertained to children’s positive functioning, emotional and behavioral problems, and well-being. We assessed pre- to post-test differences in change in mother-reported outcomes between the intervention and control groups, and pre- to post-test differences in group leader reports. The intervention led to increases in mother-reported positive functioning (d = 0.97 I vs. DC; d = 1.04 I vs. NDC), and well-being (d = 1.00 I vs. DC; d = 0.84 I vs. NDC). Mother-reported child emotional and behavioral problems decreased after participation (total difficulties, d = 0.73 I vs. DC; d = 0.49 I vs. NDC). Group leader-reported pre- to post-test differences (p ≤ 0.001) pointed in the same directions. Findings support further implementation of CODIP to support children’s positive functioning and well-being, and to decrease emotional and behavioral problems after their parents’ divorce.

Do the Child Welfare and Protection Services Involve Children in Cases With Parental Mental Health Problems? A Norwegian Case-File Study.

Background: Parental mental health problems is a common source of concern reported to child welfare and protection services (CWPS). In this study we explored to what extent the child was invited to participate in the investigation process. We aimed to study: (a) what was the current practice in the child protection service in Norway when the CWPS received a report of concern about children whose parents were affected by mental health problems or substance abuse, (b) to what extent were children involved and consulted, (c) which factors predicted the decision to involve the children, and (d) in cases in which conversations with children were conducted: what was the main content of the conversations.Method: The study was a cross-sectional case file study (N = 1,123). Data were collected retrospectively from case records in 16 different child protection agencies. The cases were randomly drawn from all referrals registered in the participating agencies. Differences in how investigations were conducted in cases with and without concerns about parental mental health were analyzed using t-tests and chi-square testes. Predictors of child involvement in cases with parental mental health problems (N = 324) were estimated by logistic regression analyses.Results: When the referral to the CWPS contained concerns about parental mental health, there were more consultations with parents, more frequent home visits and the investigation took longer to conclude. The children, however, were less likely to be involved. Children in such cases were consulted in 47.5% of cases. Predictors for involving the children in those cases were child age, concern about the child's emotional problems and if the child was known from previous referrals.Conclusion: In Norwegian child protection investigations, in which there were concerns about the parent's mental health, conversations with children were conducted to a significantly lower degree compared to cases where the child's problem was the main concern. In such cases, the CWPS workers have to overcome a threshold before they consult with the child. The threshold decreases with child age and when case worker already knows the child.

Behavioral and Emotional Problems of Prisoners' Children Based on the Children's Self-Report.

The aim of the analyses was to investigate the relations between parental incarceration and the levels of behavioral and emotional problems in children of fathers serving prison sentences, based on the children’s self-report. We tested a criterion group and two control groups. The criterion group consisted of children whose fathers were in prison. The children in control group I were from complete families; the level of problem behaviors in these families and the level of psychological resiliency in these children were similar to the respective levels in the criterion group. Finally, control group II consisted of children whose fathers were not in prison; problem behaviors in their families were basically absent or slight, and their level of resiliency was significantly higher compared to prisoners’ children and control group I. Prisoners’ children exhibited a higher level of emotional and behavioral problems than children from families in which the father was not serving a prison sentence and in which the level of dysfunctions was low. As regards prisoners’ children compared to their peers with a similar level of resiliency and a similar level of problem behavior in the family, statistically significant differences were found only in a few categories of emotional and behavioral problems. Parental incarceration proved to be an additional factor increasing the level of behavioral and emotional problems in children and adolescents—particularly girls—whose fathers were imprisoned.

A study to assess school teachers’ knowledge on behavioral and emotional problems of children, Punjab

A study to assess school teachers’ knowledge on behavioral and emotional problems of children, Punjab

Predictors of maternal distress among mothers in economic hardship: A classification and regression tree analysis (CART).

A recurrent observation in poverty research is the association between many attendant stress factors and the high incidence of maternal distress. In this study, we reason that such risk factors do not preclude mothers from possessing adaptive capacities, through perceived parenting efficacy and family hardiness, as buffers against two common distress sources in low socioeconomic status (SES) households-perceived children's emotional and behavioral problems, and family's economic hardship. Using classification and regression tree analysis, we examined the moderating roles of these maternal factors in emotional distress with 513 Singaporean mothers of elementary school-age children on government financial scheme. The study affirmed that this low-resource population is not homogeneous in their perceived levels of distress and adaptive resources. These factors moderated mothers' distress along different pathways. Parenting efficacy emerged as the most important predictor across different maternal distress levels. Perceived family hardiness behaved in a unique way, evident only with mothers who reported moderate-severe distress levels. Almost half the respondents reported normal-mild distress levels. Economic hardship did not emerge as a significant predictor. The findings reiterate the usefulness of attending to both situation-specific personal efficacy beliefs and trait-like family hardiness in their potential values to buffer mothers living under economic strain. Research and practice implications were identified. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Sleep Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Systematic Review

This study aimed to asses previous research results about bio-physiological alterations during pregnancy and postpartum, and make clear outlook about prevalence and related factors of sleep disorders during pregnancy and postpartum. In this review, the articles that published from 2000 to 2019 were reviewed. Related articles were searched from databases in English language. After evaluation of inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles were chosen and reviewed based on the University of York strategies. Sleep disorders in present study were classified according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders-3. The search revealed 4449 articles, after evaluating and assessing qualified articles, finally 56 article selected to review. According to the results of this review, The prevalence of sleep disorders was almost 76%–97% in whole pregnancy. The most common sleep disorders included central disorders of hyper somnolence (waking up in the middle of the night, daytime sleepiness, sleeplessness) or insomnia, sleep-related movement disorders (restless legs syndrome), sleep related breathing disorders (obstructive sleep apnea), and parasomnia. In addition, sleep disorder may continue 3–12 months postpartum (33.2%). Sleep disorders induced by physiological processes (fetal movement, excessive weight gain, male sex of the fetus, and multiparty), health-related risks (metabolism disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mood disorders), and physical or sexual abuse in childhood. In addition, these disorders could have maternal outcomes that can be greatest trigger to postpartum psychiatric disorders and fetal outcomes that have harmful sequences during childhood (sexual, fertility, emotional, and cognitive problems). Health care providers should evaluate the mothers’ sleep quality because sleep disorder leads to harmful consequences in fetuses and children.

Heterogeneity in maternal and child mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

We used latent profile analysis on a longitudinal dataset to examine changes in maternal and child mental health during COVID-19 and factors that may protect against declines in mental health. Participants were 183 low-income mothers (M = 36 years) with young children (M = 5.31 years) in the City of Toronto with data collected prior to and during the pandemic in 2020. Mothers reported on their own stress, anxiety and depression and their children's emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer, and prosocial problems at both timepoints. We found heterogeneity in mental health changes, with 5 distinct patterns of change for mothers, and 4 distinct patterns of change for children during COVID-19. The majority (83%) of mothers experienced significant declines in at least one aspect of mental health. In contrast, the majority of children (65%) experienced either no change or improvements in mental health. Interestingly, patterns of change across these groups were not differentiated by demographic characteristics such as income, education, and family composition. However, for mothers, a higher degree of satisfaction with social support was associated with membership in a profile with better mental health both prior to, and during the pandemic. For children, having a stable history of early childhood education, and care was associated with membership in a profile that showed improvements in mental health during the pandemic. We discuss how our results support the need for proactive and global interventions for at-risk families with raised mental health concerns, and the benefits that stable early childhood education and care may provide for young children.

The Incredible Years Parenting and Child Treatment Programs: A Randomized Controlled Trial in a Child Welfare Setting in Spain.

Incredible Years (IY) is a well-established multicomponent group-based program designed to promote young children's emotional and social competence, to prevent and treat child behavioral and emotional problems, and to improve parenting practices and the parent-child relationship. This study presents the first randomized controlled trial carried out in Spain to test the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Basic Parenting and Small Group Dinosaur Programs in a sample of families involved in child welfare due to substantiated or risk for child maltreatment. One hundred and eleven families with 4- to 8-year-old children were randomly allocated to IY or to a control group who received standard services. Baseline, post-intervention, and 12-month follow-up assessments were compared. Results showed that compared to the control group, the IY intervention made a significant positive difference in parents' observed and reported use of praise, and a significant reduction in reported use of inconsistent discipline, parenting stress, depressive symptomatology, and perception of child behavior problems. A full serial mediation effect was found between participation in IY, changes in parenting practices, subsequent parenting stress reduction, and both final child abuse potential reduction and perception of child behavior problems. No moderating influence on IY effects was found. Findings provide evidence that transporting the IY Basic Parenting and the Small Group Dinosaur Programs with fidelity is feasible in Child Welfare Services in Spain.

Community social capital, migration status, and Chinese rural children's psychosocial development.

Migration's impact on Chinese rural children's psychosocial development is the subject of growing research attention. While scholars highlight the critical role of social support, they have yet to systematically examine whether and how community social capital, which provides proximal social support for families, affects rural children's psychosocial development as well as whether such associations vary by children's migration status. Using data from the child component of the 2012 Chinese Urbanization and Labor Migration Survey, this article shows that community social capital reduces children's behavioral and emotional problems; however, left-behind children and migrant children gain less from community social capital than children with at-home parents. In addition, left-behind girls fare worse and gain less from community social capital than left-behind boys. Together, these findings imply that community social capital reinforces the disadvantaged psychosocial development of rural children who experience parental migration and evidence the enduring gender inequality in rural China.

Bermain Buku Pop-Up sebagai Terapi Gangguan Mental Emosional Pasca Bencana Tsunami

Traumatic experiences can trigger mental-emotional problems in children, especially in disaster conditions. The purpose of this study is to describe mental and emotional problems in children in South Lampung after the Sunda Strait tsunami natural disaster after being given playing therapy with pop-up books. This study uses a quantitative design with quasi-experimental treatment. The population in this study were preschool and school-age children affected by the Sunda Strait tsunami who lived in temporary village shelters in three villages namely Way Muli Timur, Way Muli Barat, and Kunjir as many as 93 children. The mental-emotional state of the child will be measured before and after therapy. Data collection using the Strength Difficulties Questionnaire questionnaire. The test was conducted using the dependent t-test. The results of data analysis showed that in general the level of strength and difficulty of children was abnormally susceptible (63,4%) at the beginning of the measurement and increased towards normal, in other words, there was an effect of playing therapy with pop-up books on the child's emotional mentality. The results of the bivariate test showed that there was an effect of pop-up books play therapy on children's mental-emotional problems (p-value 0,002). It is recommended that play therapy be combined with other therapies, including consistently to reinforce for children from those closest to them, such as nuclear family and other children's closest people.

Patterns and Correlates of Changes in Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Children with Congenital Heart Disease.

The objective of this study was to examine patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems among children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and investigate associated factors in different domains. The study sample comprised 327 pairs of children with CHD (aged 1.5-12 yrs) and their parents who participated in 2 waves of a survey in Taiwan from 2017 to 2019. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to evaluate the children's emotional and behavioral problems during both waves. The scores were later used to determine the patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems. Multinomial logistic regression was then applied to examine factors associated with varied patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems. Five patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems were identified: "persistent normal," "initial problematic," "worsening," "persistent problematic," and "subclinical." Among the factors examined, parenting stress was consistently associated with different patterns of change in emotional and behavioral problems. Specifically, children with parents who had higher levels of parenting stress were more likely to belong to the "initial problematic," "persistent problematic," or "subclinical" groups than to the "persistent normal" group. Other significant factors included sex, number of surgeries, and perceived health of parents. This study highlights the potential role of parenting stress in changes in emotional and behavioral problems. Accordingly, intervention programs aimed at relieving parenting stress may help reduce the development and worsening of emotional and behavioral problems among children with CHD.