Early childhood socialization and social gradients in adult health: a commentary on Singh-Manoux and Marmot's "role of socialization in explaining social inequalities in health" (60: 9, 2005, 2129-2133)

Family Income and Children's Emotional Wellbeing: the Mediational Role of Parents' Life Satisfaction and Emotional Wellbeing in China

Utilizing the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) dataset and the structural equation model, this paper examines the direct and indirect influences of family income on children’s emotional wellbeing as a function of parents’ life satisfaction and parents’ emotional wellbeing. Firstly, the empirical analysis of this paper shows that family income exerts a positive influence on children’s emotional wellbeing outcomes, including depressed, hopeless, helpless, and meaningless feelings. Secondly, the findings show that family income is significantly associated with parents’ emotional wellbeing, through which children’s wellbeing is affected. The intergenerational emotional transmission mechanism is validated. The ability to control personal emotions is an important skill, related not only to personal health but also to children’s health and wellbeing. Furthermore, parents’ life satisfaction serves as the mediator between family income and parents’ emotional wellbeing. If parents are more satisfied with their own lives, they are less likely to experience emotional problems. Policy implications are discussed in the end.

Non-linear relationship between maternal work hours and child body weight: Evidence from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study

Using longitudinal data from the Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study and both random-effects and fixed-effects models, this study examined the connection between maternal work hours and child overweight or obesity. Following children in two-parent families from early childhood to early adolescence, multivariate analyses revealed a non-linear and developmentally dynamic relationship. Among preschool children (ages 2 to 5), we found lower likelihood of child overweight and obesity when mothers worked 24 h or less per week, compared to when mothers worked 35 or more hours. This effect was stronger in low-to-medium income families. For older children (ages 8 to 14), compared to working 35-40 h a week, working shorter hours (1-24, 25-34) or longer hours (41 or more) was both associated with increases in child overweight and obesity. These non-linear effects were more pronounced in low-to-medium income families, particularly when fathers also worked long hours.

Sole-parent work schedules and adolescent wellbeing:Evidence from Australia

Extensive evidence has shown that working nonstandard hours, such as evening or night shifts, impacts negatively on workers' own health, and a growing literature suggests such impacts extend to the health of workers' children. Using matched parent and child data from a large Australian panel survey this paper explores the effects of parental work schedules on the mental and physical health of adolescents aged 15-20 in sole-parent families. Random-effects models indicate adolescents have marginally worse emotional and physical health when their parent works nonstandard hours, based on SF-36 component summary scores, associated primarily with emotional or physical role limitations. Parental weekend schedules are particularly detrimental to adolescent physical health. Evidence is found that the effects of nonstandard work schedules on adolescent wellbeing are transmitted through increased work-family conflict and exacerbated where parents have low job control.

Parents' nonstandard work schedules and child well-being: a critical review of the literature

This paper provides a comprehensive review of empirical evidence linking parental nonstandard work schedules to four main child developmental outcomes: internalizing and externalizing problems, cognitive development, and body mass index. We evaluated the studies based on theory and methodological rigor (longitudinal data, representative samples, consideration of selection and information bias, confounders, moderators, and mediators). Of 23 studies published between 1980 and 2012 that met the selection criteria, 21 reported significant associations between nonstandard work schedules and an adverse child developmental outcome. The associations were partially mediated through parental depressive symptoms, low quality parenting, reduced parent-child interaction and closeness, and a less supportive home environment. These associations were more pronounced in disadvantaged families and when parents worked such schedules full time. We discuss the nuance, strengths, and limitations of the existing studies, and propose recommendations for future research.

Neurological and biological foundations of children's social and emotional development: an integrated literature review

This article provides an integrated review of the expert literature on developmental processes that combine social, biological, and neurological pathways, and the mechanisms through which these pathways may influence school success and health. It begins with a historical overview of the current understanding of how attachment relationships and social environments influence brain development and plasticity and are, therefore, central to the physical and mental health of individuals and populations. It then expands on the effect of plasticity in relation to behavior and learning at school. This article concludes with a discussion of the role the school nurse may play in supporting health and learning by recognizing signs of relational stress and by advocating for prevention strategies.

Association of childhood adversities with the first onset of mental disorders in Spain: results from the ESEMeD project

PURPOSE

Childhood adversities (CAs) have consistently been associated with mental health problems in childhood and adulthood. However, few studies have employed appropriate statistical methods that take into account overlap among CAs, and many of the ones that did so were based on insufficiently complex models. The present paper studies the prevalence of a wide variety of CAs, as well as their relationship to the onset of mental disorders in a representative sample of a Spanish population.

METHODS

The study is part of the ESEMeD-Spain project, a cross-sectional household survey, which included a nationally representative sample of the Spanish adult population. CAs' associations with lifetime prevalence of mental disorders were estimated using discrete-time survival analysis with person-years as the unit of analysis.

RESULTS

Of our sample, 20.6% reported at least one CA, of whom 24% reported more than one CA. Parental death, parental mental disorder, family violence, economic adversity, physical and sexual abuse were associated with different groups of mental disorders. CAs were associated with the onset of mental disorders during several stages of life. Simulations suggest that CAs were associated with 12.6% of all disorders, 10.8% of mood disorders, 5.8% of anxiety disorders, 27% of substance disorders and 29.7% of externalising disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalences of CAs in the Spanish population are lower than those found in other high-income countries, especially when compared to the USA. In Spain, different CAs were associated with the onset of a number of mental disorders, although these associations were not as frequent as in other countries. Although lower than in other countries, the association between CAs and mental health in Spain should be considered relevant. Specific health policies and prevention programmes are needed in order to decrease this burden.

Repeated exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage and health selection as life course pathways to mid-life depressive and anxiety disorders

BACKGROUND

Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood and adulthood influences the risk of adult psychiatric disorder. This paper investigates first how cumulative childhood manual SEP influences the risk for mid-life depressive and anxiety disorders and secondly the effects of health selection based on psychological disorder in childhood and psychological distress in early adulthood on mid-life social position.

METHODS

9,377 participants of the 1958 Birth Cohort were followed up at 45 years with the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule to measure depressive and anxiety disorders. SEP was measured by Registrar General Social Class in childhood (ages 7, 11 and 16 years) and adulthood (ages 23, 33 and 42 years). Internalising and externalising disorders were also measured in childhood.

RESULTS

Cumulative manual SEP in childhood was weakly associated with increased risk of mid-life disorder. Childhood internalising and externalising disorders were associated with less upward social mobility and manual adult social position. Psychological disorder on three occasions in childhood was associated with manual adult occupational status (OR = 3.33, 95% CI 2.63-4.21) even after adjusting for childhood SEP and malaise score at 42 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Both social causation and health selection contribute to the association of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage and mid-life depressive and anxiety disorders. Tackling accumulation of disadvantage and understanding and treating childhood psychological disorders and their educational and occupational consequences could reduce the risk of mid-life psychiatric disorders.

Parents' work patterns and adolescent mental health

Previous research demonstrates that non-standard work schedules undermine the stability of marriage and reduce family cohesiveness. Limited research has investigated the effects of parents working non-standard schedules on children's health and wellbeing and no published Australian studies have addressed this important issue. This paper contributes to bridging this knowledge gap by focusing on adolescents aged 15-20 years and by including sole parent families which have been omitted in previous research, using panel data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. Multilevel linear regression models are estimated to analyse the association between parental work schedules and hours of work and measures of adolescents' mental health derived from the SF-36 Health Survey. Evidence of negative impacts of parents working non-standard hours upon adolescent wellbeing is found to exist primarily within sole parent families.

Research priorities for parenting and child health: a Delphi study

AIM

This paper is a report of a study to identify research priorities of clinical staff working with families at a Western Australian centre for parenting.

BACKGROUND

Australian centres for parenting focus on children's needs while working in partnership with parents, families and their communities. These agencies incorporate primary healthcare strategies in their unique approach with families. Clinicians' research priorities at these centres have not been explored in an Australian context.

METHOD

In 2005, a Delphi study was conducted in which clinicians were asked to provide a list of five important issues relating to care provided to children, parents and their families. Research topics identified were then ranked for their importance to the family and clinicians. Finally, the top 10 research topics were ranked for priority.

FINDINGS

In round 1, 148 research topics were identified. Thirty-six topics were removed, due to the availability of existing evidence. Content analysis was used to collapse statements into 26 research questions, which were further classified into seven categories: parenting issues; sleep and settling issues; postnatal depression; evaluation and impact of programmes; staffing issues; centre marketing services and others. Issues relating to sleep and settling and postnatal depression were rated as top research priorities.

CONCLUSION

The priorities of clinicians working with families provide research direction for this Western Australian centre and potentially other centres in Australia and similar settings elsewhere in the world. The Delphi approach in determining clinicians' perceptions of relevant research areas may be useful to direct research in other contexts.

The family environment and American adolescents’ risk of obesity as young adults

In this article, the effects of the family environment and adolescents' behaviors while in school grades 7 through 12 on their weight status 6 years later are examined using data from the United States National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Ordinal regression models of 6378 adolescents reveal that their family environments exert an influence on their weight that lasts into young adulthood. Parental obesity puts both males and females at greater risk for being overweight or obese as young adults, as does already having excessive weight in adolescence. The findings also reveal significant gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of body weight within families. Higher parental educational attainment, a stronger perception that parents care about them, and a higher self-esteem reduce female adolescents' risk for excessive weight as young adults, while being African American or Native American increases it. In contrast, only a perception that their parents are trying to control their diets and a higher degree of closeness with a parent put male adolescents at greater risk for excessive weight as young adults. Adolescents' participation in physical activities does not predict subsequent weight for either males or females, although the amount of time spent in sedentary activities does for females, but not males. The only adolescent behavior examined that influenced male weight in young adulthood was eating breakfast.