Psychosocial influence on the physical and mental development of Swedish children

Children of mothers at psychosocial risk growing up: A follow up at the age of 16

The aim of the present study was to make a 16-year follow-up of children of psychosocial risk mothers as concerns emotional/behavioural problems, self-esteem, life events, and academic grades. Forty-three teenagers (index group) and 61 reference teenagers were personally interviewed and asked to answer the Youth Self-report (YSR), the Self-image questionnaire I Think I Am, and a Life Event questionnaire. Their final grades from the 9-year compulsory school were studied. The results showed that boys, especially the sons from families with alcohol/drug problems, displayed poorer mental health, a more negative self-image, had experienced more negative life events, and had to a greater extent not successfully completed the 9-year compulsory school. More teenagers in the index group had been placed in foster care, had a less positive outlook about their future, were more often smokers, and more of them (girls) had seriously considered committing suicide than the teenagers in the reference group. It was concluded that boys of psychosocial risk mothers are less well off than teenagers of non-risk mothers at the age of 16 as concerns psychosocial well being. It is of great importance to devote attention to these children at an early stage of life in order to be able to provide them with the support that may prevent development of future problems.

The Copenhagen County child cohort: design of a longitudinal study of child mental health

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological studies of psychopathology in the first years of life are few, and the association between mental health problems in infancy and psychiatric disturbances later in life has not been systematically investigated. The aim of the present project was to study mental health problems and possibilities of intervention from infancy and onward.

METHODS

The basic study population consists of a birth cohort of 6,090 children born in the year 2000 in the County of Copenhagen, the Copenhagen County Child Cohort, CCCC 2000. At stage one CCCC 2000 was established on data from the Civil Registration System, Danish national registers, and standardized, longitudinal data from the first year of living obtained by public health nurses. At stage two a subsample was assessed at 1(1/2) years of age concerning child psychiatric illness and associated factors in a case-control study nested in the cohort, including a random sample. Participation rate at stage one was 92%.

PERSPECTIVES

Ongoing studies of CCCC 2000 include studies of failure to thrive, register studies, and studies of the predictive validity of public health screening. A follow-up study concerning the prevalence of psychopathology at age 5 is planned.

SUMMARY

The Copenhagen County Child Cohort CCCC 2000 is a longitudinal study of mental health from infancy investigating psychopathology in early childhood. Results from this study will add to the knowledge of risk factors and course of mental health problems in childhood and contribute to the validation of the mental health screening made by public health nurses.