Poor Family Environment Research Articles

Pediatrics (78)

Pain experience of children with headache and their families: a controlled study. (University of Turku, Turku, Finland) Pediatrics 2000;106:270–275.This study reported the pain sensitivity of children with headache and their family members as well as the prevalence of recurring aches, psychosocial life, and family environment of children with headache at preschool age. A representative population‐based sample of 1443 families expecting their first child was followed over 7 years. A screening questionnaire relating to the child's headache was sent to parents of a representative sample of 1132 6‐year‐old children. Of 144 children suffering from headache, 106 (76%) were examined and interviewed clinically. Ninety‐six children (58 migraine and 38 tension‐type headache children) with primary headache and matched controls were included in further examinations. Children with headache were more often extremely sensitive to pain according to their parents, were more excited about physical examinations, cried more often during blood sampling or vaccination, avoided play or games more often because they were afraid of hurting themselves, and had recurring abdominal and growing pains more often than did control children. The fathers of children with headache were more often extremely sensitive to pain. Children with headache reacted with somatic symptoms, usually with pain and functional intestinal disorders in stress situations, felt more tired, and had more ideations of death during the previous month. More mothers of tension‐type headache children than those of migraine children reported that they were considerably sensitive to pain. Tension‐type headache children had a poorer family environment; the family atmosphere was more often unhappy and the relationship between parents was more often distant than in families of children with migraines. Conclude that in addition to somatic factors, it is important to consider the child's pain sensitivity, reaction to various stress situations, and family functioning when studying childhood headache. The child's coping mechanisms can be supported by information given by the parents. School entry can be considered a suitable period for careful investigation into possible occurrence of headache and also for giving information about headache and its management

Childhood stress leads to later suicidality via its effect on cognitive functioning.

The present study examined the etiology of suicidal behavior from cognitive and developmental perspectives in a sample of 181 suicidal and nonsuicidal college students. We hypothesized that cognitive functioning would serve as a mediator between early life events and suicidal behavior. The present study examined child maltreatment, family instability, and poor general family environment as early negative life events, and examined self-esteem, locus of control, hopelessness, and problem-solving deficits as cognitive factors. In addition, individuals' perceived social support before age 18 and current social support and life stress were also examined in relation to the preceding variables. A series of structural equation analyses indicated that early negative life events have a mild impact on suicidal behavior, but a stronger impact on cognitive deficits, which in turn have a strong impact on suicidal behavior.

Pain experience of children with headache and their families: A controlled study.

This study reports the pain sensitivity of children with headache and their family members, as well as the prevalence of recurring aches, psychosocial life, and family environment of children with headache at preschool age. A representative population-based sample of 1443 families expecting their first child were followed over 7 years. A screening questionnaire relating to the child's headache was sent to parents of a representative sample of 1132 6-year-old children. Of 144 children suffering from headache, 106 (76%) were examined and interviewed clinically. Ninety-six children with primary headache (58 migraine and 38 tension-type headache children) and matched controls (n = 96) were included in further examinations. Children with headache were more often extremely sensitive to pain according to their parents, were more excited about physical examinations, cried more often during blood sampling or vaccination, avoided play or games more often because they were afraid of hurting themselves, and had recurring abdominal and growing pains more often than did control children. The fathers of children with headache were more often extremely sensitive to pain. Children with headache reacted with somatic symptoms, usually with pain and functional intestinal disorders in stress situations, felt more tired, and had more ideations of death during the previous month. They had also had more problems in day care and fewer hobbies such as scout or club meetings than did control children. More mothers of tension-type headache children than those of migraine children reported that they were considerably sensitive to pain. Tension-type headache children also had a poorer family environment; the family atmosphere was more often unhappy and the relationship between the parents was more often distant than in the families of children with migraines. In addition to somatic factors, it is important to consider the child's pain sensitivity, reaction to various stress situations, and family functioning when studying childhood headache. The child's coping mechanisms can be supported by information given by the parents. School entry can be considered a suitable period for careful investigation into possible occurrence of headache and also for giving information about headache and its management.

Family environment in attention deficit hyperactivity, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders

Objective: This study aims to ascertain whether there were differences in family environment among patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder.Method: The records of 233 patients, selected for high or low scores on a scale that taps ADHD symptoms, were reviewed by three clinicians who made DSM-IV diagnoses and rated the family environment with the Global Family Environment Scale (GFES). Self-report data obtained from the parent and child versions of the Child Behaviour Checklist were also used. The quality of the family environment was then compared between the various diagnostic groups.Results: A poorer family environment was associated with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and predicted a worse outcome (e.g. admission to a non-psychiatric institution, drug and alcohol abuse). Quality of the family environment did not vary according to ADHD diagnosis or gender.Conclusions: There seems to be no association between the quality of the family environment and a diagnosis of ADHD among referred adolescents. However, there is an association with conduct disorder. Interventions that improve family environment in the early years of life may prevent the development of conduct problems.

Family environment in attention deficit hyperactivity, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders.

This study aims to ascertain whether there were differences in family environment among patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. The records of 233 patients, selected for high or low scores on a scale that taps ADHD symptoms, were reviewed by three clinicians who made DSM-IV diagnoses and rated the family environment with the Global Family Environment Scale (GFES). Self-report data obtained from the parent and child versions of the Child Behaviour Checklist were also used. The quality of the family environment was then compared between the various diagnostic groups. A poorer family environment was associated with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and predicted a worse outcome (e.g. admission to a non-psychiatric institution, drug and alcohol abuse). Quality of the family environment did not vary according to ADHD diagnosis or gender. There seems to be no association between the quality of the family environment and a diagnosis of ADHD among referred adolescents. However, there is an association with conduct disorder. Interventions that improve family environment in the early years of life may prevent the development of conduct problems.

Early Motherhood in an Intergenerational Perspective: The Experiences of a British Cohort

Using nationally representative longitudinal data from Great Britain, this study examines the fertility patterns of daughters of teen mothers. It tests several mechanisms to help explain how early motherhood is reproduced across generations, including an earlier inherited age of menarche, poor family and educational environments, and an early ideal age of childbearing among daughters of teen mothers. Some support is provided for all mechanisms except for an early inherited age at menarche. Even after controlling for family, school, and individual factors, daughters of teen mothers were more likely to have a birth in their teens and into their early 20s. Key Words: intergenerational effects, teen motherhood. Public concern surrounding the issue of teenage motherhood recently has accelerated in several industrialized countries because of high rates of teen motherhood, the public sector costs incurred by early childbearers, and the projected negative life outcomes for both mothers and children. Recent research on the long-term effects of teen motherhood has rejected a deterministic model that posits an inevitably negative life trajectory for teen mothers (Furstenberg, Brooks-Gunn, & Morgan, 1987). However, although many teen mothers have been able to avoid poverty or make the transition out of poverty, their children are frequently worse off than other children. Specifically, the experiences of children born to teen mothers reflect the obstacles they face from having access to fewer economic resources, parents with lower educational levels, and less parental involvement and cognitive stimulation (Furstenberg, Levine, & Brooks-Gunn, 1990; Hofferth, 1987; Moore, Morrison, & Greene, in press). However, the extent to which early motherhood is reproduced across generations and the mechanisms through which this happens have received little research attention. This article uses data from the British National Child Development Study (NCDS) to explore intergenerational patterns in teen motherhood. Specifically, it tests whether daughters of teen mothers have different fertility patterns than other teens and whether or not they are more likely to become teen mothers themselves. The article extends existing research by examining intervening mechanisms-including age at menarche, family and educational environments, and early ideal ages of childbearing among daughters of teen mothers-to help explain how early motherhood may be reproduced across generations. Although the data were collected in Great Britain, the results illuminate factors involved in the reproduction of disadvantage across generations in many industrialized nations. TEEN BIRTH RATES IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES Lessons from the study of Great Britain can be cautiously applied to the U.S. Demographic trends in the U.S. teen birth rate are more similar to Great Britain than to other European countries. The British teen birth rate, although much lower than the rate in the U.S., remains higher than teen birth rates in most other industrialized countries (Jones et al., 1986). Teen motherhood receives extensive media attention as a social issue in Great Britain, as it does in the U.S. (McRobbie, 1991; Phoenix, 1991). Also, in both the U.S. and Great Britain, a growing proportion of teen births are nonmarital. Figure 1 presents trends in teen birth rates for Great Britain and the U.S. The British teen birth rate rose steadily during the 1960s until it peaked in 1971 at 51 births per thousand. After that, it declined in the 1970s and has remained between 28 and 33 per thousand throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The U.S. teen birth rate peaked in the mid1950s and declined steadily until the mid-1980s. Then it rose by nearly a quarter and leveled off to 57 per thousand in 1995 (Moore, Romano, & Oakes, 1996). In 1965, the British teen birth rate was 73% as high as the U.S. birth rate for Whites. (Because there was a very low percentage of nonWhite British teens at that time and 99% of the NCDS sample is White, the comparison group in this figure is U. …

Referred adolescents as young adults: the relationship between psychosocial functioning and personality disorder.

To examine the functioning of young adults who had been referred for psychiatric treatment during adolescence. A group of 145 adolescents referred at a mean age of 14 years were interviewed at a mean age of 20 years to ascertain their functioning and whether they suffered from a personality disorder. Having a personality disorder was associated with poor functioning at follow-up independently of adolescent diagnosis. Antisocial personalities were typified by problems with the law, a poor work record and early cohabitation, while other personality disorders were characterised by social isolation and problems in interpersonal relationships. Poor quality of the family environment and having received treatment during the follow-up period were the only developmental variables associated with poor functioning. Developing a personality disorder and having a poor family environment, rather than having an adolescent disorder, appear to be the factors that result in poor functioning in young adults.

Psychopharmacology in the Prevention of Antisocial and Delinquent Behavior

Juvenile delinquency and adult sociopathy are disorders of considerable magnitude and social significance. Wolfgang, Figlio, & Sellin (1972) studied the incidence of delinquency in a birth cohort of 10,000 children from a large metropolitan area. All subjects who had a recorded police contact any time before 18 years of age were designated delinquents. Using this rather broad definition, these investigators found that 35% of all males studied were delinquent. Serious antisocial behavior in adolescents in many cases presages lifelong problems with the law, inability to earn a living, defective interpersonal relationships, and severe personal distress (Robins, 1966). It has been hypothesized that if one could successfully treat antisocial behavior in childhood, the problems of adult crime, alcoholism, divorce, and chronic unemployment might be vastly diminished (Robins, 1972). It has long been recognized that boys who become delinquent have few good influences in their lives and come from poor social and family environments.