Psychological Well-being Of Children Research Articles

Australian parents' work-family conflict: accumulated effects on children's family environment and mental health.

Many parents struggle to balance their work and family responsibilities. Yet, little research in the field of social psychiatry has explored the emergence of work-family conflict (WFC) as an important social determinant of mental health, particularly for children. The current study used longitudinal Australian population-based data to investigate the impact of parents' accumulated experiences of work-family conflict on children's mental health. Levels of parent psychological distress, marital satisfaction and parenting irritability were examined as potential explanatory factors within the family environment. The study used five waves of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), a representative community sample of Australian children and their parents. Analyses were restricted to coupled, employed mothers (1903) and fathers (1584) who reported their WFC levels in all five waves. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the association between accumulated experiences of work-family conflict across all time-points (AWFC) and children's mental health at wave 5. Family environment factors were assessed as possible explanatory mediators. There was a significant association between AWFC and children's mental health at wave 5. Parent psychological distress, marital satisfaction and parenting irritability were all found to significantly explain this association (accounting for 66% of the total effect). Children whose parents have ongoing or accumulated difficulties managing their work and family responsibilities are more likely to have poorer mental health. This has important implications for family-friendly work arrangements and demonstrates the need to further understand the intergenerational impacts of parents' jobs on their children's psychological wellbeing.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Clinical Implementation of an Immersive Virtual Reality Intervention to Address Psychological Well-Being in Children and Adolescents With Cancer.

Objective: Virtual reality (VR), a novel and highly immersive technology, offers promise in addressing potential psychological impacts of cancer treatments and hospitalization. The primary aim of this study was to examine multiple key user perspectives on the acceptability and feasibility of an Immersive VR therapeutic intervention for use with hospitalized patients with cancer. Secondary aims were to identify issues and opportunities related to the adoption and clinical implementation of VR in pediatric oncology settings. Method: The study was conducted at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), Melbourne, Australia. Thirty multidisciplinary oncology health care professionals participated in an initial test of VR intervention usability (Stage 1). Ninety oncology inpatients (7-19 years) and their parent caregivers participated in a pilot randomized controlled study to examine the effectiveness of an Immersive VR therapeutic intervention (Stage 2). This mixed methods study reports Stages 1 and 2 quantitative and qualitative data related to VR feasibility and acceptability. Results: Results indicate favorable perceptions from health care professionals with respect to ease of use and usefulness of VR, and had positive intentions to use it in the future. Parent caregivers reported high acceptability of VR for their hospitalized child. Patients reported high satisfaction of the VR intervention within minimal adverse effects. Barriers and facilitators to VR use with seriously ill children and specific recommendations for content development were elicited. Conclusion: This study shows that there are several potential clinical uses for Immersive VR intervention, beyond medical procedural distraction, to support psychological adjustment to hospitalization and patient quality of life.

Perspectives on neuropsychology and clinical care in paediatric and adolescent medicine.

As a child and adolescent neuropsychology service based within a paediatric psychology team at a large teaching hospital, we meet children and young people across the age range who experience cognitive impairment as a result of long-term health conditions or traumatic brain injury. We have a remit of providing a neuropsychological assessment and report. Typically, a neuropsychology report includes recommendations for home and for school. However, research suggests that their uptake is variable and depends on the understanding and resources of families and school systems. As a stretched service, we have very limited capacity to follow the work through to the extent that we might like. Therefore, we are always seeking effective ways to support the ongoing adaptation and implementation of the assessment recommendations in the child's various day-to-day contexts. We address both the cognitive functioning and the psychological well-being of the child as a unified whole. Drawing on systemic ideas influences our communications with children, families, schools and the medical teams in ways which help bridge the gap between hospital-based assessment and everyday life. This article describes how we are integrating our systemic and neurodevelopmental perspectives to make the assessment and the findings a meaningful intervention in themselves. We consider ways of sharing neuropsychology findings which promote the child's psychological well-being in their different contexts: hospital, home, school, community and culture.

Bibliometric mapping of psychological well-being among children with a visual impairment

Children with a visual impairment experience lower psychological well-being than normative populations. While research on this subject is abundant, an overview is lacking of the methods used and topics commonly studied, to guide future research. The aim was to provide a visual overview of common topics included in psychological well-being research from 2000 to 2018 among children with a visual impairment. We created a bibliometric map with the VOSviewer programme using the text mining functionality to construct and visualise co-occurrences of relevant terms from the titles and abstracts in the included literature. The results show that common subjective terms are behaviour, relationships, attachment and parenting, cerebral visual impairment, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability. The common methodological terms include literature and randomized control trials, with the latter restricted to specific terms such as parenting. The conclusions and implications are that the results give insight into the subject terms studied in past years and provide a roadmap for future research in the fields of visual impairment and psychological well-being of children. The topics needing more research are rare disorders, siblings, assistive technology, romantic relationships, bullying, and the frequent cooccurrences of visual impairment with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability.

Psychological functioning in children suspected for mitochondrial disease: the need for care

BackgroundMitochondrial diseases (MD) are generally serious and progressive, inherited metabolic diseases. There is a high comorbidity of anxiety and depression and limitations in daily functioning. The complexity and duration of the diagnostic process and lack of knowledge about prognosis leads to uncertainty. In this study, we investigated the psychological well-being of children who are suspected for MD and their parents.MethodsIn total 122 children suspected for MD and their parents, received questionnaires as part of standard clinical investigation.ResultsParent proxy report revealed a lower quality of life (QoL) compared to norms and even more physical problems compared to chronically ill patients. They also reported more behavioral problems in general and more internalizing problems compared to the norms. Most frequent reported somatic complaints were tiredness and pain. Parents did not report enhanced levels of stress regarding parenting and experienced sufficient social support. At the end of the diagnostic process, 5.7% of the children received the genetically confirmed diagnosis of MD, 26% showed non-conclusive abnormalities in the muscle biopsy, 54% did not receive any diagnosis, and the remaining received other diagnoses. Strikingly, children without a diagnosis showed equally QoL and behavioral problems as children with a diagnosis, and even more internalizing problems.ConclusionsThis study highlights the psychological concerns of children with a suspicion of MD. It is important to realize that as well as children with a confirmed diagnosis, children without a diagnosis are vulnerable since explanation for their complaints is still lacking.

Stereotype Threat and Psychological Wellbeing in Children of Prisoners

Stereotype Threat and Psychological Wellbeing in Children of Prisoners

Диагностика психологического благополучия младших школьников в условиях школьного и семейного обучения

The study is focused on the comparative assessment of elementary school children psychological well-being in the context of traditional school education and homeschooling. The hypothesis of the study was the assumption about the relationship between the level of psychological well-being and the form of education of elementary school children. In a study involving 60 schoolchildren aged 8-9 years (30 – in the homeschooling, 30 – in the school of education) and their parents, the Russian-language version of the “Scale of psychological well-being of children (PWB-c)” for children aged 8-9 years was used; the Dembo–Rubinstein self-esteem study method in the modification of A.V. Prikhozhan, a projective drawing “My family” and a survey of parents of primary school children on the author's questionnaire. The study showed no significant differences between the two groups on all scales of the PWB-c questionnaire. Satisfactory internal consistency of the questionnaire was shown (Cronbach's alpha=0.775). Data on the family drawing, the Dembo–Rubinstein method and the questionnaire for parents show that in families where children are taught at home, family relationships are perceived by children as more favorable and the level of claims of children is more adequate. Parents of children in family education are more focused on finding happiness for their child; parents of children in school are more focused on the academic success of their children. Authors showed prospects of further research of psychological well-being of elementary school children in the conditions of various forms of education. Ways to refine the PWB-c questionnaire and validate it are outlined.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mothers' psychological well-being of children with Autism and reduction of symptoms these children

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mothers' psychological well-being of children with Autism and reduction of symptoms these children

Under poverty and conflict: Well-being of children living in the east of Turkey.

Children living in armed conflict zones are often exposed to political violence and other risk factors that may be caused or exacerbated by the conflict, such as poverty and family violence. If left untreated, these experiences may cause psychological problems throughout life. This study investigated the psychological well-being of children living in the low-intensity armed conflict zone in Turkey in relation to their adverse experiences. We collected data from 409 caregivers for their children (236 girls) aged 5.5 to 18 years (mean [M] = 11.50, standard deviation [SD] = 3.65). Caregivers provided information regarding their children's emotional and behavioral problems (internalizing, externalizing, and total problems; posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSS]), income, family violence, and armed conflict experiences. Caregivers reported moderate levels of problems among children. The prevalence of borderline/clinical (T ≥ 60) scores was 14.3% for internalizing, 12.6% for externalizing, and 14% for total problems and 7.9% for PTSS. Notably, almost all families resided in extreme poverty. The prevalence of family violence was 36%. Children were frequently exposed to conflict-related events. Hierarchical regressions showed that after controlling for the role of demographic variables and other risk factors, income predicted total problem level (β = -.10), and family violence (βs = .17 to .26) and armed conflict (βs = .13 to .20) experiences predicted internalizing, externalizing, and total problems and PTSS levels. Our findings suggest that family violence and armed conflict pose a significant risk to children's psychological well-being and inform intervention strategies and policy decisions to promote welfare in such disadvantaged contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychological benefits of a biodiversity-focussed outdoor learning program for primary school children

This investigation sought to discover whether engaging school children (aged 8–11) with nature could produce sustained improvements in mood and wellbeing in the long-term. We designed a program of biodiversity-focused activities carried out over one academic year in the school grounds. Participation in this program produced significant improvements in children's mood and wellbeing, which were sustained across the academic year. Improvements in wellbeing were not found in a control sample of children who did not take part in the activities. Children with initially lower feelings of connection to nature became more connected over the course of their participation. Building engagement with nature into school curricula could therefore be a low-cost way to improve children's psychological wellbeing.

PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING PADA ANAK BERKEBUTUHAN KHUSUS DI SEKOLAH INKLUSIF

This study aim to determine the dynamics of the psychological well-being in children with special needs in inclusive schools and the factors that affect the psychological well-being in children with special needs in inclusive schools. Data collection in this study was conducted using semi-structured interview techniques. Analysis of the data used refers to the opinions of Miles and Hubermen through 3 steps, namely data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results showed that: 1) The four research subjects had independence in carrying out daily activities and had good environmental control; 2) In determining the purpose of life, the four subjects have had their dreams, but have not been able to direct them; 3) The positive relationship of the subject to others, is influenced by the response of others to the subject. If the environment conducts bullying actions on the subject, then the subject feels threatened to be in the environment; 4) Factors that affect psychological well-being subjects in inclusive schools, namely economic, social, learning systems, and subject characteristics.

A tale of four countries: How Bowlby used his trip through Europe to write the WHO report and spread his ideas.

Attachment theory, developed by child psychiatrist John Bowlby, is considered a major theory in developmental psychology. Attachment theory can be seen as resulting from Bowlby's personal experiences, his psychoanalytic education, his subsequent study of ethology, and societal developments during the 1930s and 1940s. One of those developments was the outbreak of World War II and its effects on children's psychological wellbeing. In 1950, Bowlby was appointed WHO consultant to study the needs of children who were orphaned or separated from their families for other reasons and needed care in foster homes or institutions. The resulting report is generally considered a landmark publication in psychology, although it subsequently met with methodological criticism. In this paper, by reconstructing Bowlby's visit to several European countries, on the basis of notebooks and letters, the authors shed light on the background of this report and the way Bowlby used or neglected the findings he gathered.

Children and adolescents with VACTERL association: health-related quality of life and psychological well-being in children and adolescents and their parents

PurposeVACTERL association is a rare and complex condition of congenital malformations, often requiring repeated surgery and entailing various physical sequelae. Due to scarcity of knowledge, the study aim was to investigate self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, depression and self-concept in children and adolescents with VACTERL association and self-reported anxiety and depression in their parents.MethodsPatients aged 8–17 years with VACTERL association and their parents were recruited from three of four Swedish paediatric surgical centres during 2015–2019. The well-established validated questionnaires DISABKIDS, Beck Youth Inventories, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory were sent to the families. Data were analysed using descriptives, t tests and multivariable analysis. Results were compared with norm groups and reference samples.ResultsThe questionnaires were returned by 40 patients, 38 mothers and 33 fathers. The mean HRQoL was M = 80.4, comparable to children with asthma (M = 80.2) and diabetes (M = 79.5). Self-reported psychological well-being was comparable to the norm group of Swedish school children, and was significantly higher than a clinical sample. Factors negatively influencing children’s HRQoL and psychological well-being were identified. The parents’ self-reports of anxiety and depression were comparable to non-clinical samples.ConclusionsAlthough children and adolescents with VACTERL association reported similar HRQoL to those of European children with chronic conditions, their psychological well-being was comparable to Swedish school children in general. Nevertheless, some individuals among both children and parents were in need of extra support. This attained knowledge is valuable when counselling parents regarding the prognosis for children with VACTERL association.

He Effectiveness of Educating Parents with Adlerian Approach in Reducing Feeling of Guilt and Improving Psychological Well-being in Children with Depression

he Effectiveness of Educating Parents with Adlerian Approach in Reducing Feeling of Guilt and Improving Psychological Well-being in Children with Depression

“At night he cries from dreams”: Perceptions of children's psychological distress and wellbeing amongst parents with refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds in Australia

ObjectiveThe objective of the current study was to gain insight into the ways in which parents who had arrived in Australia with refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds understand their young children's experiences of wellbeing and psychological distress during resettlement.MethodEight parents (three male and five female) who had arrived in Australia from Iran and Afghanistan with children aged between five and eight were recruited using purposive sampling. In‐depth interviews were conducted regarding their perceptions of their children's experiences of wellbeing and psychological distress. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.ResultsFour primary themes were developed: (a) Practical needs are a key priority, (b) the refugee experience impacts family structure and dynamics, which has a negative effect on children's wellbeing, (c) wellbeing as engagement in physical activity and education, and (d) bad dreams and difficulty sleeping are indicators of psychological distress.ConclusionsFor parents recently arrived in Australia as refugees or asylum seekers, practical concerns impact perceptions of children's wellbeing or psychological distress, particularly for those on temporary visas. While this may lead parents to overlook symptoms of psychological distress in their children, protective factors conducive to wellbeing, including safety, housing, and education, are prioritised. Future research should explore when and why parents are likely to seek assistance for their children in the context of resettlement, as well as the impacts of visa types on children's experiences of positive wellbeing and psychological distress.

Effectiveness of a musical training programme in promoting happiness and quality of life of underprivileged preschool children.

To test the effectiveness of a musical training programme in promoting happiness and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese underprivileged preschool children. The impact of poverty and income disparity on the psychological well-being of children remains a profound global public health concern. There is substantial evidence that poverty and income disparity have many negative impacts on children's psychological well-being, adversely affecting their quality of life. A nonequivalent, quasi-experimental, two-group, pretest and post-test, between-subjects design was conducted with 171 Hong Kong Chinese underprivileged preschool children (aged 3-6years). Participants (n=100) in the experimental group attended a weekly 1-hr musical training lesson for 12weeks conducted by the Music Children Foundation. Participants (n=71) in the wait list control group received the same training after all data had been collected. Data collection for both groups was conducted at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The measured outcomes were happiness level and quality of life. A TREND checklist was completed. Participants in the experimental group reported significantly higher levels of happiness (p=.002) and quality of life (p=.44) than those in the wait list control group. The present study indicates the effectiveness of a musical training programme in promoting happiness and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese underprivileged preschool children. It also demonstrated the feasibility of implementing the programme in a community context. This study aids to inform nurses the beneficial effect of the musical training programme in improving underprivileged children's psychological well-being and quality of life. Indeed, community nurses may act as facilitators to promote the musical training programme to underprivileged children. The involvement of community nurses may greatly enhance the sustainability of the programme, thus making it to be a routine health promotion activity.

Psychological Well‐being in First‐ to Fifth‐Graders in the Context of Contemporary Social Situation of Development

Psychological well-being of children in elementary school and during the transition to middle school is analyzed in the sociocultural context of the post-industrial society from the perspective that Russian psychology has on the social situation of development, its objective and subjective components, and its influence on school students’ educational outcomes and mental health. Level of aspiration, self-esteem and age satisfaction serve as integral indicators of students’ psychological well-being in this study, providing the basis for judging whether the social situation of development meets children’s age-specific needs. The method of comparative-historical research allows observing the dynamics of a child’s psychological life as a function of the social situation of development. It is shown that the age structure of both self-esteem and the level of aspiration in contemporary first to fifth-graders differs dramatically from that of their age-mates observed in studies of the last quarter of the 20th century, while age satisfaction has remained positive throughout the age period analyzed. Age crises adequate to the current social situation of development are found to bring down all the analyzed parameters of school students’ psychological well-being in Grade 4, which then rebound in Grade 5. The findings illustrate psychological well-being of contemporary school students in the context of the drastically changing social situation of development of the post-industrial society. Some gender differences have been observed in psychological readiness for middle school. The temporal structure of age satisfaction shows that girls prefer retaining their familiar social position in the teacher–student system, while boys experience the end of elementary school as a crisis of relationship that cannot foster their personal development anymore.

Migration and absent fathers: Impacts on the mental health of left-behind family members in Thailand

This paper examines whether children and main caregivers of overseas migrant fathers have fewer or more mental health symptoms compared to those of non-migrant fathers. The sample includes 997 households from the 2008 Child Health and Migrant Parents in South-East Asia project. The mental health measurements are the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Compared to children of non-migrant fathers, those of migrant fathers are more likely to demonstrate conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention. Factors which appear to impact a caregiver's mental health include the physical health status of children, caregiver's education level and household economic status. To reduce the risk of mental health problems on left-behind children, our findings imply the importance of encouraging and educating left-behind families to monitor the children's psychological well-being, especially those in father-migrant families.

A Comparison of Parent and Child Evaluations of Quality of Life in Pediatric Neurosurgery

Abstract INTRODUCTION Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) broadly encompasses many physical, economical, and psychosocial factors. In pediatric neurosurgery, patient and family HRQoL is an important factor as chronic, debilitating disease affects patients and their caregivers considerably. HRQoL affects a child's physical ability, social and psychological wellbeing, and educational performance. Understanding parental perception of their child's HRQoL is important to better understand family relationships and manage expectations. In this study we sought to examine the differences between patient and parent perceptions of HRQoL and the factors that influence these differences. METHODS A standardized survey was systematically administered by a healthcare provider in an outpatient neurosurgery clinic for a single neurosurgeon from 2015 to 2018. Surveys were administered to both patient and parents for each clinic visit. The survey tool assessed physical, psychological, and social function and school performance. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 26. This study was conducted under IRB approval. RESULTS A total of 201 encounters with 182 patients were included. On average, parent and patient assessments of overall QoL differed by 10.5% (SD 10.4) and assessments of physical function by 13% (SD 16.9). Assessments of psychosocial wellbeing differed by 11.1% (SD 9.8). Across every domain assessed, parents' reported scores were lower than children's (P < .01). There was a negative correlation between patient psychosocial scores and overall score differences (r = −0.15, P < .03). Overall score differences were not influenced by race, ethnicity, age at diagnosis, or repeat procedures. CONCLUSION Assessment of patient HRQoL often variwa between patients and their caregivers. Parents typically have more negative assessments of their children's HRQoL, and this difference presented as lower scores reported by parents compared to patients in our study. We believe that understanding these differences in perception will help guide supportive services and expectation management when caring for and counseling pediatric neurosurgical patients and their families.

SCHOOL'S CULTURAL DIVERSITY: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SCHOOL OF HAPPINESS" AND "SCHOOL -PRISON"?

Five years ago, a questionnaire for senior pupils "Safe School - A Safe Child" was launched in Lithuania. It is a standard inventory containing 160 primary items that are distributed into 38 sub-scales and ultimately into 8 psychometric scales with unusual goodness of fit. At the moment, 2072 pupils' answers appear on the basis of statistical rationing, and 40 different schools in the country are evaluated. A cluster analysis was carried out with scale estimates that reflect the child's psychological well-being and school well-being. In this way, schools were identified at the base of the rationale, which metaphorically converge into a "school of happiness" or a "school prison" model. Then, with the remaining inventory variables, their subscales, the discriminant analysis was carried out. The school type in the model was defined as a grouping variable. Such approach has made it possible to find out which variables, reflecting school's security and livelihood, define the mentioned types of schools. It turned out that the identified types of schools are characterized by such factors as the openness and accessibility of the director; participation of parents and students in school life; sticking to universally accepted, disputed rules; social and pedagogical involvement, sensitivity; avoiding to hide problems and misbehavior. The research data allow on the hypothesis's rights to formulate specific recommendations of the school life improvement for school leaders and educators.