Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 8 of 8
Are terminal decline and its potential indicators detectable in population studies of the oldest old?
- Authors:
- MUNIZ-TERRERA Graciela, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(6), June 2011, pp.584-592.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The terminal decline hypothesis states that individuals experience a decline in cognitive function before death, particularly in the last 3 to 8 years of life. The aim of this study was to discover whether this decline, measured using the MMSE, could be detected in a sample of participants from the Cambridge City Over 75s Cohort; a virtually extinct study in which 99% of participants had died. Potential risk profiles were also examined. Decline and acceleration of this decline were detectable in the period before death. Some between person variation was detected in this pattern, which included differences in cognitive performance by age at death, sex, initial cognitive impairment and mobility; in rate of decline by age at death, sex, initial cognitive impairment, and mobility; and differences in change in rate of decline by sex, initial cognitive impairment, and mobility. The data clearly demonstrate the phenomenon of decline in global cognition measurements with the proximity of death as well as potential variables that could influence that pattern. Further work is required on how to detect the onset of the acceleration of this decline in each individual together with the factors that could allow clinicians to distinguish between the normal and preterminal phases of change in extreme old age.
The mental health status of Latino children in the public child welfare system: a look at the role of generation and origin
- Authors:
- AYÓN Cecilia, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Social Work, 16(4), November 2011, pp.369-379.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The number of Latino children and families involved with the public child welfare system is steadily increasing. The paper examines the emotional and behavioural needs of Latino children who have had contact with the public child welfare system. The purpose of the study was twofold: to examine the severity of emotional and behavioural problems of these children; and to assess the variations in outcomes by country of origin and generation. Latent growth models were completed using data from the National Survey on Children and Adolescent Well-Being, a national longitudinal study on the well-being of children who were involved in the public child welfare system. The repeated measures of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were used to assess Latino children’s rate and change in emotional and behavioural problems. The findings revealed that generation status and Latino origin were significant predictors of externalising problems. At baseline, Puerto Rican children exhibited higher rates of externalising problems compared with Mexican children. The rate of change over time varied by generation, children who were first or second generation tended to have lower scores compared with the third-plus generation children. Implications for practise are discussed.
Premorbid risk markers for chronic fatigue syndrome in the 1958 British birth cohort
- Authors:
- CLARK Charlotte, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(4), October 2011, pp.323-329.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Although little is known about the aetiology of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), there is some suggestion that premorbid mood disorders may have a role. This study examined childhood and early adult adversity, ill health and physical activity as premorbid risk markers for CFS/ME by 42 years, taking psychopathology into account. The data were drawn from the 1958 British birth cohort, a prospective study from birth to 42 years (n = 11 419). The outcomes were self-reported CFS/ME (n = 127) and operationally defined CFS-like illness (n = 241) at 42 years. Adjusting for psychopathology, parental physical abuse, childhood gastrointestinal symptoms and parental reports of many colds were independently associated with self-reported CFS/ME. Female gender and premorbid psychopathology were the only risk markers for CFS-like illness, independent of comorbid psychopathology. This authors believe that these results confirm the importance of premorbid psychopathology in the aetiological pathways of CFS/ME, and replicate retrospective findings that childhood adversity may play a role in a minority.
Prevalence, comorbidity, and course of depression among Black fathers in the United States
- Authors:
- SINKEWICZ Marilyn, LEE Rufina
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 21(3), May 2011, pp.289-297.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Black men in the United States are disproportionately exposed to adverse social and economic factors that may be linked to psychological distress, of which depression is one of the most common manifestations. This article aims to present estimates of the prevalence, comorbidity, and course of depression among a national sample of urban Black fathers. The analysis uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a longitudinal study which followed a birth cohort of children born to unmarried and married parents. This study used the subset of the FFCWS for Black fathers. Prevalence of depression was estimated at the 1, 3 and 5-year interviews. Comorbidity with anxiety, substance dependence and bad health was estimated at the 3-year interview only. The results show that the prevalence of 12-month major depressive episode (12%) is 1.5x higher among Black fathers than among men in the general population. Anxiety, substance dependence, and bad health are disproportionately concentrated in Black fathers with depression. The proportion of depression-free Black fathers and the proportion of Black fathers who recover from depression both decreased over the 4-year period.
Baseline leisure time activity and cognition more than two decades later
- Authors:
- KAREHOLT Ingemar, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(1), January 2011, pp.65-74.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Using information from 2 baseline surveys carried out in 1968 and 1981, this study analysed the correlation between different leisure time activities and cognition more than 20 years later. The surveys interviewed random samples of Swedish people aged 46-75 years, and a total of 1,643 follow-up observations were made. The range of activities included political, mental, socio-cultural, social, physical, and organisational activities. There was a significant association between later cognition and earlier political, mental and socio-cultural activities, controlling for a range of factors. Physical activities had a significant association with cognition only among women. The researchers concluded that the findings reinforce the theory that various forms of engagement in mid-life can have a protective effect with respect to cognition in later life, and support the long-term importance of policies to encourage an active life style among middle aged adults.
The linkages among childhood maltreatment, adolescent mental health, and self-compassion in child welfare adolescents
- Authors:
- TANAKA Masako, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 35(10), October 2011, pp.887-898.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Childhood maltreatment, particularly emotional maltreatment, is a risk factor for poor mental health and substance abuse outcomes. This article considers the role of self-compassion, a concept of positive acceptance of self, in order to better understand the impact of childhood emotional abuse on adolescent functioning. The study participants were 117 youth aged 16-20 years drawn from the Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathways (MAP) Longitudinal Study, which followed randomly selected adolescents receiving child protection services across 2 years within an urban catchment area. Child maltreatment was assessed at baseline using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Mental health, substance and alcohol use problems, suicide attempt, and self-compassion were assessed at the 2-year follow-up point. Analysis revealed that higher childhood emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and physical abuse were associated with lower self-compassion. Controlling for age and gender, emotional abuse was significantly associated with reduced self-compassion, even when the effects of emotional neglect and physical abuse were taken into account. Youths with low self-compassion were more likely to have psychological distress, problem alcohol use, and report a serious suicide attempt, as compared with those with high self-compassion.
A collaboratively designed child mental health service model: multiple family groups for urban children with conduct difficulties
- Authors:
- MCKAY Mary M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 21(6), November 2011, pp.664-674.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The number of children in need of mental health services in urban communities far outstrips the availability of services and the number of service providers. The Multiple Family Group (MFG) service model has been specifically designed to target insufficient capacity and high inefficiency in the current system. This article presents preliminary outcomes of a longitudinal study of the MFG service delivery strategy tested in collaboration with 13 urban outpatient clinics set within primarily African American and Latino communities. The MFG is a flexible, protocol-driven approach designed to address childhood behavioural difficulties, and to enhance family-level engagement and retention in ongoing care. The study aimed to examine the impact of the MFG service delivery approach on 2 outcomes: child oppositional behaviour; and parenting stress over time. The participants were divided into the MFG intervention group and a comparison group of standard conditions. Assessments were made at baseline, 8 weeks (midway through the MFG), 16 weeks (postintervention), and at 6 and 18 month follow-up. This paper analyses the findings from the first 321 participating youth and their families. These show that the participants in the MFG group improved in terms of child oppositional behaviour and parenting stress over time at a significantly faster rate than those in the comparison group.
Understanding vulnerable young people: analysis from the longitudinal study of young people in England
- Authors:
- BARNES Matt, GREEN Rosie, ROSS Andy
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 103p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, this study looks at the aspirations and achievements of vulnerable young people who face multiple disadvantages. Of particular interest are young people who experience substance misuse, emotional health concerns, teenage parenthood, low attainment, those who are NEET and those involved in crime. It aims to fill in the evidence gaps that exist in understanding the extent to which problems faced by young people overlap. The first three chapters provide and introduction to the project, discuss the data and method used; and look at the indicators of disadvantage used for each group. Chapter four describes the individual groups and identifies where groups overlap. The conclusion provides a summary of the main findings, including a description of the six groups identified and a comparison of the six groups, highlighting the similarities and differences in the disadvantages they face. Policy implications are discussed. Tables and figures are included throughout.