Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Influence of caregiver network support and caregiver psychopathology on child mental health need and service use in the LONGSCAN study
- Authors:
- LINDSEY Michael A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(5), May 2012, pp.924-932.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of caregiver factors (network support and mental health problems) in relation to child need for mental health services and child service use among maltreated children and children at-risk for maltreatment. Data for this study came from children and their caregivers participating in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) study. The sample analysed for this study was 1075 8-year-old children, who were African American or Caucasian and had been reported to Child Protective Services, and their primary caregivers. Analysis showed that caregiver and child mental health needs were positively related. Caregiver network support exerted a protective effect, with greater levels of caregiver network support predictive of lower caregiver and child need. Contrary to prediction, however, caregiver network support was not directly related to child service use. Higher child need was directly related to child service use, especially among children whose caregivers had mental health problems. The findings appear to indicate that lower levels of caregiver network support may exert its impact on child service use indirectly by increasing caregiver and child need, rather than by directly increasing the likelihood of receiving services, especially for African American children.
Mental health needs of urban children
- Authors:
- MENNEN Ferol E., TRICKETT Penelope K.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 29(9), September 2007, pp.1220-1234.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The study goals were to determine the need for mental health services and the factors that best predicted receipt of services in a sample of urban, primarily minority children. A sample of 339 children and their caretakers (220 maltreated and 109 comparison) completed multiple measures of functioning and service use. The analysis found significantly different rates of needs and services in the two groups. While 55.3% of the maltreated children met the need for services, only 26.6% of the comparison children did. In the maltreated group, 62.2% of those meeting the need received services while 0% of the comparison children did. The logistic regression analysis found that being a child welfare client was the best predictor of receiving services. Also predicting service receipt was the relationship of the caretaker to the child (with relative caregivers more likely to receive services than biological parents) and the Total Problem score on the Child Behavior Checklist. Race/ethnicity did not predict service receipt. Type of abuse was not a predictor. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Transforming mental health services for children who have been abused: July 2019
- Author:
- NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN
- Publisher:
- NSPCC
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 16
- Place of publication:
- London
An analysis of Clinical Commissioning Group (CCGs) local transformation plans for 2018/19 to assess the extent to which they recognise the mental health needs of vulnerable children and young people, including those who have been abused. It uses a traffic light rating to indicate improvements in the plans; red - no recognition of the increased mental health needs of vulnerable children and young people; amber - some recognition; and green - explicit use of data to assess local need and inform service provision. It reports that almost all CCGs are now considering the needs of children who have experienced abuse when planning their mental health commissioning to some extent. However, only 18 percent of CCGs were covered by a green rated plan. The report also highlights good practice examples of plans that received a green rating for 2018/19. (Edited publisher abstract)
Targeting services to reduce need after a child abuse investigation: examining complex needs, matched services, and meaningful change
- Authors:
- SIMON James David, BROOKS David
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 2019, pp.386-394.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Background and purpose: Matching needs and services following a child protective services (CPS) investigation is important for families with complex needs (i.e. mental health, substance use, and domestic violence) because several studies indicate that a service match is associated with important child welfare outcomes including decreased substance abuse, lowered rates of maltreatment, and increased family reunification. However, few of these studies have examined whether matching services reduces the different areas of need that service matching targets. In response, this study examined the change in need among families with complex needs that received matched services in a community-based prevention programme following an initial CPS investigation. Methods: The sample consisted of 836 families with complex needs related to mental health, substance use, and domestic violence that had an unfounded or inconclusive CPS investigation between July 2006 and December 2010. Eligible families had a child five or younger that remained at home after an initial CPS investigation and were at moderate to high risk of future maltreatment. The Family Assessment Form (FAF) was used to indicate need in three areas (concrete, clinical, and educational/parenting) and families received an array of services including concrete, educational/parenting, and/or clinical services. A match occurred if a caregiver had an aforementioned need and received a corresponding service. Reduced need was indicated by a change from a mean score of >3 (problematic functioning) on the FAF to a mean score of <3 (adequate functioning). Paired sample t-tests and Pearson Chi-2 analyses were used to examine bivariate associations between matched services by area of need on reduced need. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to determine the impact of matched services on reduced need in targeted areas and overall while controlling for caregiver demographic characteristics including ethnicity, age, income, number of caregivers and children, and history of abuse. Findings: Bivariate analyses revealed that matched concrete and educational/parenting services was significantly associated with reduced need in targeted areas. For matched clinical services, this pattern was found for mental health and substance use but not for domestic violence. Multivariate analyses indicated that receiving matched concrete services was associated with an increased likelihood of overall reduced need (OR = 3.46; 95% CI = 1.84, 6.52) as was a match for educational/parenting need related to caregiver–child interactions (OR = 2.16; 95% CI = 1.15, 4.04). For clinical need, receiving matched clinical services for mental health (OR = 4.11; 95% CI = 2.39, 7.09) was associated with an overall reduction in need but not for substance use or domestic violence. Conclusion and implications: Matching needs and services for families with complex needs following a CPS investigation remains important considering the number of families with complex needs that come to the attention CPS. Findings from this study highlight that matching needs and services can reduce targeted areas of need, overall need, and may serve as a catalyst for change in multiple areas of need. (Edited publisher abstract)
The impact of housing instability on child maltreatment: a causal investigation
- Author:
- MARCAL Katherine E.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Family Social Work, 21(4-5), 2018, pp.331-347.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
More than a half million children are confirmed as victims of maltreatment by the child welfare system each year. Children from unstably housed families are over-represented in child maltreatment reports, and a growing body of evidence links housing problems to maltreatment and Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation. The present study applies two propensity score analysis approaches—greedy matching and propensity score weighting—to data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study to move toward a causal explanation of child maltreatment behaviours among mothers in low-income households. Utilizing two separate methods to correct for overt selection bias, the present study finds that housing instability leads to a small increase in maltreatment behaviours, yet this small positive net impact on child maltreatment does not fully explain the over-representation of unstably housed families in the child welfare system. Families experiencing housing problems likely have a range of needs that require earlier, targeted intervention to mitigate consequences of poverty, domestic violence, and maternal depression. Child welfare services should invest resources in housing assistance programmes in-house as well as through partnerships with local public housing authorities to stabilize families, reduce housing-related strain on caregivers, and promote family preservation. (Edited publisher abstract)
Transforming mental health services for children who have been abused: July 2018
- Author:
- NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN
- Publisher:
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 12
- Place of publication:
- London
An analysis of Clinical Commissioning Group (CCGs) local transformation plans for 2017/18 to assess the extent to which they recognise the increased vulnerability of groups of children and young people (including those who have been abused) to mental health problems. The report also compares the findings for 2017/18 plans, alongside those of the preceding two years. It uses a traffic light rating to indicate improvements in the plans; red - no recognition of the increased mental health needs of vulnerable children and young people; amber - some recognition; and green - explicit use of data to assess local need and inform service provision. It reports that in 2017/18, just 12 per cent of the 195 CCGs in England were covered by a ‘green’ plan. However, over the past three years, there has been a significant reduction in the proportion of CCGs which are covered by a ‘red’ plan, from 37 per cent in 2015/16 to 11 per cent in 2017/18. It also includes case studies of plans that received a green rating for 2017/18. (Edited publisher abstract)
Childhood abuse and cannabis use among adolescents with mental health needs in Ontario, Canada
- Authors:
- BAIDEN Philip, STEWART Shannon L., Den DUNNEN Wendy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Substance Use, 19(1/2), 2014, pp.18-24.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between childhood abuse (emotional, physical and sexual abuse) and cannabis use among adolescents with mental health needs. Methods: Data on 3681 adolescent in-patients, 12–18 years old, were obtained from the Resident Assessment Instrument for Mental Health (RAI-MH). Using logistic regression, we estimated the odds of using cannabis by adolescents who experienced childhood abuse after controlling for age, gender, Aboriginal origin, problems with addiction, history of criminal justice involvement and symptoms of depression and mania. Results: There were 1844 adolescents, representing 50.1%, who reported using cannabis within the last 12 months. Controlling for demographic and patient characteristics, we found that cannabis use in the past year was strongly associated with childhood sexual and physical abuse. Compared to non-abused females, females who experienced sexual and physical abuse were more likely to have used cannabis. For males, the experience of physical abuse was marginally associated with cannabis use. Conclusion: The current data demonstrate the strong association between childhood sexual and physical abuse and cannabis use with a particularly strong association for females. Efforts aimed at treating cannabis use in adolescents who present with mental health needs should also consider their abuse histories. (Publisher abstract)
Pathways from social support to service use among caregivers at risk of child maltreatment
- Author:
- KANG Jiyoung
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(5), May 2012, pp.933-939.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Caregivers at risk of maltreating their children have different needs for services that would help them provide safe environments for their children. The purpose of this study was to test pathways from social support to service use among caregivers at risk of child maltreatment. The proposed model of pathways to service use involved 4 mediating variables: family functioning; psychosomatic problems; child maltreatment allegation; and perceived needs. The study used data for 1000 caregivers from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) study. The findings showed that social support exerted indirect effects on at-risk caregivers' service use. The proposed model fitted the data well, and supported some of the hypothesised pathways. The effect of social support on service use was mediated by family functioning and psychosomatic symptoms, which in turn was associated with caregivers' perceived needs for outside assistance for a personal or emotional problem. The hypothesised pathways from perceived family functioning and psychosomatic symptoms through child maltreatment allegation report were not supported. The study's findings contribute to understanding the role that social support can play in caregivers' seeking service use for emotional or personal problems.
Child welfare involvement of mothers with mental health issues
- Authors:
- WESTAD Callie, McCONNELL David
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 48(1), February 2012, pp.29-37.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Many mothers with mental health issues are caught up in the child protection system and face the prospect of having their children removed from their care. This study examines the prevalence and outcomes for mothers with mental health issues and their children in child maltreatment cases opened for investigation in Canada. Secondary analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003) core data was carried out which contained process and outcome data on a nationally representative sample of 11,652 child maltreatment investigations. Maternal mental health issues were noted in 2,272 (19.7%) cases opened for investigation. The most common child protection concerns were neglect, emotional maltreatment and exposure to domestic violence. A significant association was found between maternal mental health issues and child maltreatment investigation outcomes, with many potentially confounding variables held constant. It concludes that broad spectrum, multi-disciplinary services are needed to support mothers with mental health issues. As well as providing effective mental health care there is a need to addressing trauma, strengthen social relationships and alleviate poverty. Systemic advocacy is also needed to ensure that mothers with mental health issues can access broad spectrum supports.
Caring about mental health
- Authors:
- LYNCH Margaret A., BROWNE Kevin D.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse Review, 4(3), August 1995, pp.157-160.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A group with a high rate of unmet mental health needs are families coming to the notice of local authorities because of child protection issues. Discusses how such difficulties can be assessed and successful interventions be made.