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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Public Health and Health Services | Developmental Psychology And Ageing | Health and Community Services | Epidemiology | Population Trends and Policies | Health Promotion | Educational Policy, Administration And Management | Labour Economics | Preventive Medicine | Family and Household Studies | Social And Community Psychology | Sociology of Education | Developmental Psychology and Ageing | Curriculum and Pedagogy | Demography | Psychology | Specialist Studies in Education | Public Health And Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified | Policy and Administration | Assessment And Evaluation | Teacher Education: Secondary | Curriculum Studies: Other Social Sciences, Humanities And Arts | Educational Psychology | Social Policy And Planning |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Child health | Social Structure and Health | Education and training not elsewhere classified | Expanding Knowledge through Studies of Human Society | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Development and Welfare | Health education and promotion | Substance abuse | Crime Prevention | Primary education | Early childhood education | Youth/child development and welfare | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education | Education policy | Families and Family Services | Preventive medicine | Social structure and health | Health Inequalities | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development and welfare | Behaviour and health
Related Links
Publications
Risk Factors for Children's Receptive Vocabulary Development from Four to Eight Years in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-09-2013
Patterns and Predictors of Language and Literacy Abilities 4-10 Years in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 09-09-2015
‘Stranger danger’, ‘abduction risks’ and ‘fear’: Media coverage of children's independent mobility and parental attitudes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/CHSO.12659
Abstract: The media plays a powerful role in shaping health‐related attitudes and behaviours. We investigated media reports about children's independent mobility (CIM) and associations with parental attitudes towards CIM. CIM‐related media reports (newspaper, online, television) during a 3‐month period were extracted from two databases. Concurrent parental attitudes were collected via telephone interview from 1779 parents of children aged 9–15 years. Media reports were overwhelmingly negative: 94% mentioned only risks and 6% mentioned benefits. There was no association between media reports and parental attitudes. Parental CIM attitudes are often complex and pervasive and may not be shifted by media coverage alone.
Low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and risk to child behavioural development: A prospective cohort study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-05-2010
DOI: 10.1111/J.1471-0528.2010.02596.X
Abstract: To examine the association of fetal alcohol exposure during pregnancy with child and adolescent behavioural development. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study recruited 2900 pregnancies (1989-91) and the 14-year follow up was conducted between 2003 and 2006. Tertiary obstetric hospital in Perth, Western Australia. The women in the study provided data at 18 and 34 weeks of gestation on weekly alcohol intake: no drinking, occasional drinking (up to one standard drink per week), light drinking (2-6 standard drinks per week), moderate drinking (7-10 standard drinks per week), and heavy drinking (11 or more standard drinks per week). Methods Longitudinal regression models were used to analyse the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) scores over 14 years, assessed by continuous z-scores and clinical cutoff points, after adjusting for confounders. Their children were followed up at ages 2, 5, 8, 10 and 14 years. The CBCL was used to measure child behaviour. Light drinking and moderate drinking in the first 3 months of pregnancy were associated with child CBCL z-scores indicative of positive behaviour over 14 years after adjusting for maternal and sociodemographic characteristics. These changes in z-score indicated a clinically meaningful reduction in total, internalising and externalising behavioural problems across the 14 years of follow up. Our findings do not implicate light-moderate consumption of alcohol in pregnancy as a risk factor in the epidemiology of child behavioural problems.
Childhood obesity: what we have learnt from our failure to engage mothers in our intervention
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2013
“It helps and it doesn’t help”: maternal perspectives on how the use of smartphones and tablet computers influences parent-infant attachment
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-05-2023
Antecedents of hospital admission for deliberate self-harm from a 14-year follow-up study using data-linkage
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-10-2010
Smoking and mental illness: results from population surveys in Australia and the United States
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-08-2009
Relationships between psychosocial resilience and physical health status of Western Australian urban Aboriginal youth
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-12-2015
Socioeconomic disparities in physical health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Western Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2012
The continuity and duration of depression and its relationship to non-suicidal self-harm and suicidal ideation and behavior in adolescents 12–17
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2017.05.050
Abstract: There is a significant overlap between non-suicidal self-harm and suicidal ideation and behavior in young people with both symptom continuity and symptom duration implicated in this association. A population s le of Australian 12-17 year olds. Interviewers collected measures for DSM disorders, symptom duration and continuity, and background information from their parents, while young people self-reported symptoms of depression, non-suicidal self-harm and suicidal ideation and behaviors. This report focusses on the 265 young people who met the DSM criteria for Major Depressive Disorder based on their own self-reports. Relative to young people who had at least one period 2 months or longer without symptoms since first onset, young people who had the continuous presence of depressive symptoms since their first onset had significantly higher odds for life-time self-harm, 12-month self-harm, multiple self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt within the past 12 months. The duration of depressive symptoms and the continuity of these symptoms each independently contribute to elevating the risks of non-suicidal self-harming and suicidal ideation and behaviors. Reliance on self-report from the young people and time constraints prohibiting administering diagnostic modules other than the Major Depressive Disorder and estimating self-reported co-morbidity. Among young people with a Major Depressive Disorder, self-reports about duration of depressive symptoms as well as the continuity of symptoms, each independently contributes to elevated risks of non-suicidal self-harming and suicidal ideation and behaviors. As well, un-remitting as opposed to episodic symptoms in this group of young people are common and are a powerful indicator of suffering associated with both self-harm and suicidal behavior.
Multiple risk exposures for reading achievement in childhood and adolescence
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 13-02-2019
Abstract: Literacy is ch ioned as a pathway out of poverty, yet it is vulnerable to the risk circumstances it seeks to mitigate. This study explored the developmental circumstances that gave rise to stark inequalities in reading achievement in Australian children across 6 years of school. We used data from Growing up in Australia : the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children linked to Australia’s National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy across school years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Latent class analysis and growth curve modelling (n=4983) were used to identify risk profiles for reading achievement for children (ages 8.2–15.2). Four distinct profiles were identified: developmentally enabled profile (62% of children) sociodemographic risk profile (25% of children) child development risk profile (11% of children) and sociodemographic and child development (double disadvantage) risk profile (2% of children). Children with a developmentally enabled profile achieved the expected rate of growth of 1.0 year per year of school across years 3, 5, 7 and 9. By comparison, children with sociodemographic and/or child development risk profiles started behind their developmentally enabled peers, and lost ground over time. Across 6 years of school, multiple risk-exposed children lagged behind low risk-exposed children in the order of years of lost gains in reading achievement. The results point to the complex contexts of educational disadvantage and the need for cross-cutting social, health and education policies and coordinated multiagency intervention efforts to break the cycle of educational disadvantage.
Frequent nocturnal awakening in early life is associated with nonatopic asthma in children
Publisher: European Respiratory Society (ERS)
Date: 30-11-2009
DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00040509
Abstract: Sleep deprivation has become a common phenomenon of the Western world and is associated with a variety of medical problems in children. This retrospective longitudinal analysis of a community-based birth cohort was undertaken to determine whether frequent nocturnal awakening during early life was associated with the development of childhood asthma. 2,398 children born to mothers recruited from the antenatal clinics of a single hospital in Perth, Australia during 1989-1991 were followed up at years 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10 and 14. Parent-completed questionnaires were analysed. The odds ratio for asthma at age 6 and 14 yrs in children with frequent nocturnal awakening during the first 3 yrs after birth was determined from multiple logistic regression. Following adjustment for asthma risk factors, co-sleeping and family stress, persistent nocturnal awakening was associated with nonatopic asthma at age 6 and 14 yrs (at age 14 yrs: OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.15-4.13) but not with atopic asthma. We found an increased risk of nonatopic asthma in children following frequent nocturnal awakening during the first 3 yrs of life. These hypothesis-generating data suggest the need for further systematic study of the effects of disordered sleep in early life on the development of asthma.
The Impact on Service Collaboration of Co-location of Early Childhood Services in Tasmanian Child and Family Centres: An Ethnographic Study
Publisher: Ubiquity Press, Ltd.
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.5334/IJIC.5581
Testing for Response Shift Bias in Evaluations of School Antibullying Programs
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-2015
Abstract: Involvement in bullying at school is detrimental to students’ mental and physical health however, school antibullying programs have not been found to be uniformly successful. Self-reported frequency of involvement in bullying victimization and perpetration, often used as outcome measures in intervention impact evaluation studies, may be subject to response shift, particularly in intervention conditions. Such differential shifts could lead to biased estimates of intervention effects. This study investigated the presence of reconceptualization, reprioritization, and recalibration response shift, resulting from intervention implementation. The study subjects were Grade 8 students ( n = 3,382, 53% female) in the 35 schools participating in the Cyber Friendly Schools Project, a longitudinal group-randomized intervention trial. Response shift was assessed by comparing traditional and retrospective pretest measures of bullying involvement, as well as testing for measurement invariance over time in the Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS) using confirmatory factor analyses. No evidence of response shift was found, indicating students’ understandings of bullying behavior remained stable over time. These findings also demonstrate the applicability of the FBS in longitudinal studies involving adolescents. While response shift was not present in our study, researchers conducting program evaluations in other contexts are advised to consider testing for this potential source of bias in their studies.
2D-3 The neurodevelopmental hypothesis and schizophrenia. Evidence from the Western Australian study of women with severe mental illness
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2007
Properties of the DASS-21 in an Australian community adolescent population
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-10-2017
DOI: 10.1002/JCLP.22376
Abstract: Although developed for adults, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-Short Version (DASS-21) has been used in many research studies with adolescent s les. Evidence as to the applicability of the DASS subscale scores to represent the distinct states of depression, anxiety, and stress as experienced by adolescents is mixed, and the age at which it may be possible to differentiate these 3 states using the DASS-21 has not yet been determined. This study evaluated evidence for a multifactor structure in the DASS-21 in adolescents and the specificity of the 3 subscales for adolescents in general and at different ages. Data were from a large cross-sectional survey of 2,873 school students in Grades 6-12 (aged 12-18 years) in Australia. We conducted confirmatory bifactor analyses testing a general mental health distress factor and 3 domain-specific factors for anxiety, depression, and stress for the whole s le and across gender by age groups. The internal consistency reliability of the DASS total and subscale scores was determined using omega coefficients. Analyses identified that most of the variation in the items was explained by the dominance of a single, general factor and the subscales lacked specificity across all age groups. The DASS-21 can be reliably used to measure general distress in adolescents, but the subscales fail to discriminate between the 3 states. Our results indicate that this lack of discrimination does not reduce with increasing age. These findings caution against the use of adult theoretical models and measures within adolescent populations.
Breastfeeding duration and residential isolation amid Aboriginal children in Western Australia
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-12-2012
DOI: 10.3390/NU4122020
Associations between aggressive behaviour scores and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-04-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.2047-6310.2012.00047.X
Abstract: To examine the influence of aggressive behaviour scores on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors throughout childhood. This study utilized cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study (n = 2900). Aggressive behaviour scores were derived from the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18(CBCL), Youth Self-Report/11-18 (YSR) and Teacher Report Form/6-18 (TRF). CVD risk factors included body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, fasting lipids and homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Girls with higher aggressive behaviour scores had higher BMI from 10 years of age (P ≤ 0.001), higher BMI trajectories throughout childhood (P = 0.0003) and at 14 years higher HOMA-IR (P = 0.008). At the 14-year survey, this equated to a difference of 1.7 kg/m2 in the predicted BMI between the extreme CBCL scores in girls (top 5% (CBCL ≥ 17) vs. CBCL score = 0). Boys with higher aggressive behaviour scores had higher BMI at 5 years (P = 0.002), lower diastolic pressure at 14 years (P = 0.002) and lower systolic blood pressure trajectories throughout childhood (P = 0.016). Aggressive behaviour influences BMI from early childhood in girls but not boys. If this association is causal, childhood offers the opportunity for early behavioural intervention for obesity prevention.
Does Child Care in the First Year of Life Pose a Risk for Concurrent and Future Ear Infections?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-01-2019
Study protocol for screening and diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 06-2016
The association between information and communication technology exposure and physical activity, musculoskeletal and visual symptoms and socio‐economic status in 5‐year‐olds
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-03-2006
DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2214.2006.00599.X
Abstract: Increasing use of computers by children has raised concerns over the potential impact on their cognitive, social, educational, visual and physical development. Despite this concern, there are no large-scale studies relating the use of computers to specific health indicators in children as they reach school age. A cross-sectional analysis of 1600 5-year-old Western Australian children participating in a longitudinal cohort study was conducted to ascertain their computer use, other activities (watching television and videos, playing electronic games, reading and looking at books, drawing on paper and moderate to vigorous physical activity), and specific health indicators. More than half (56%) of the children used computers each week. Computer use was significantly related to TV viewing (OR 1.97 weekday) and electronic game use (console games OR 2.48 weekday, 1.81 weekend hand-held games OR 1.88 weekend) and negatively associated with vigorous physical activity on weekends (OR 0.72). Computer use was also significantly related to socio-economic indicators such as the mother being older (40+ years, OR 1.70 weekend, 1.73 weekday), tertiary educated (OR 1.63 weekend) and studying (OR 1.52 weekend, 1.41 weekday). Almost 1% children were reported to have complained of tired or sore muscles, and 2.2% had complained of tired or sore eyes, after watching television or using a computer. A substantial proportion of 5-year-old Western Australian children are using computers. Computer use was related to other sedentary activities and less vigorous activity. While musculoskeletal and vision problems are not widespread, their presence and the sedentary nature of computer use is of public health concern.
Global research neglect of population‐based approaches to smoking cessation: time for a more rigorous science of population health interventions
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2011.03451.X
Abstract: It has been argued that the preponderance of studies into in idual smoking cessation therapies seems grossly out of proportion to the number of people who use these therapies to quit smoking, and that this imbalance is due to factors such as the role of the pharmaceutical industry in funding research and a general bias towards in idual- rather than population-based approaches to medical and health problems. We believe that there are other significant factors that affect the balance of research in smoking cessation, such as the higher standards of evidence required to justify the implementation of in idual medical therapies compared with population-based interventions. We argue that research practitioners in the area of population tobacco control are well placed to address this imbalance by setting more rigorous standards of evidence for population health interventions. This could be achieved by setting aside a small proportion of funds from population health and advocacy activities to invest in studying their effectiveness. We believe that this would potentially return information of sufficient value to justify increasing overall population investment beyond the cost of the additional research component. Additional benefits would be gained from increased research in this area, such as better understanding of how to translate tobacco control initiatives to developing countries with high smoking rates, and how to target disadvantaged and marginalized populations more effectively in developed countries that continue to have high rates of smoking and low rates of smoking cessation, despite the existence of broad population-based strategies.
Service use by Australian children for emotional and behavioural problems: Findings from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-07-2016
Abstract: To identify the proportion of children and adolescents in Australia and the proportion of those with mental disorders who used services for emotional and behavioural problems, the type of services used and what characteristics were associated with service use. During 2013–2014, a national face-to-face household survey of mental health and wellbeing (Young Minds Matter) was conducted, involving 6310 parents and carers of 4- to 17-year-olds (55% of eligible households) and self-report surveys from 2967 11- to 17-year-olds in these households (89% of eligible youth). The survey identified 12-month mental disorders based on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children–Version IV and asked about service use for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months. Overall, 17.0% of all 4- to 17-year-olds used services for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months. Of those with mental disorders, 56.0% used services (48.9% of 4- to 11-year-olds 65.1% of 12- to 17-year-olds). Service use was highest among 4- to 17-year-olds with major depressive disorder (79.6%) and lowest for those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (52.7%). Two-fifths (41.2%), 72.5% and 87.6% of those with mild, moderate and severe disorders used services. General practitioners, psychologists, paediatricians and counsellors/family therapists were the most commonly accessed health service providers. Two-fifths with mental disorders had attended school services. About 5% of adolescents reported use of online personal support or counselling for help with their problems. From multivariate models, service use was higher in sole carer families, but also among those living in the least socially and economically disadvantaged compared to the most disadvantaged areas. Rates of service use for mental disorders in Australia’s children and adolescents appear to have increased substantially. Health services and schools are the major providers of services for emotional and behavioural problems, but telephone counselling and online services have become well-established parts of the service environment.
Suicidal behaviours: Prevalence estimates from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-07-2016
Abstract: To (1) estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of suicidal behaviours in Australian young people aged 12–17 years, (2) describe their co-morbidity with mental illness and (3) describe the co-variation of these estimates with social and demographic variables. A national random s le of children aged 4–17 years was recruited in 2013–2014. The response rate to the survey was 55% with 6310 parents and carers of eligible households participating. In addition, of the 2967 young people aged 11–17 years in these households, 89% (2653) of the 12- to 17-year-olds completed a self-report questionnaire that included questions about suicidal behaviour. In any 12-month period, about 2.4% or 41,400 young people would have made a suicide attempt. About 7.5% of 12- to 17-year-olds report having suicidal ideation, 5.2% making a plan and less than 1% (0.6%) receiving medical treatment for an attempt. The presence of a mental disorder shows the largest significant association with lifetime and 12-month suicidal behaviour, along with age, gender, sole parent family status and poor family functioning. Of young people with a major depressive disorder, 19.7% reported making a suicide attempt within the previous 12 months. There are also significant elevations in the proportions of young people reporting suicidal behaviour who have anxiety and conduct disorders. Mental disorders should be a leading intervention point for suicide prevention both in the primary health sector and in the mental health sector specifically. The associations examined here also suggest that efforts to assist sole parent and/or dysfunctional families would be worthy areas in which to target these efforts.
Pre- and postnatal influences on preschool mental health: A large-scale cohort study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2008
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-7610.2008.01955.X
Abstract: Methodological challenges such as confounding have made the study of the early determinants of mental health morbidity problematic. This study aims to address these challenges in investigating antenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors for the development of mental health problems in pre-school children in a cohort of Western Australian children. The Raine Study is a prospective cohort study of 2,868 live born children involving 2,979 pregnant women recruited at 18 weeks gestation. Children were followed up at age two and five years. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used to measure child mental health with clinical cut-points, including internalising (withdrawn/depressed) and externalising (aggressive/destructive) behaviours (n = 1707). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the significant risk factors for behaviour problems at age two were the maternal experience of multiple stress events in pregnancy (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.37), smoking during pregnancy (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.59) and maternal ethnicity (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 1.61, 6.96). At age five the experience of multiple stress events (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.27), cigarette smoking (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.37), male gender (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.00), breastfeeding for a shorter time (OR = .97, 95% CI = .94, .99) and multiple baby blues symptoms (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.14) were significant predictors of mental health problems. Early childhood mental health is significantly affected by prenatal events in addition to the child's later environment. Interventions targeting adverse prenatal, perinatal and postnatal influences can be expected to improve mental health outcomes for children in the early years.
The Great Recession and Children’s Mental Health in Australia
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-02-2019
Abstract: This paper analyzes the effects of “shocks” to community-level unemployment expectations, induced by the onset of the Great Recession, on children’s mental well-being. The Australian experience of the Great Recession represents a unique case study as despite little change in actual unemployment rates, levels of economic uncertainty grew. This affords us the ability to examine the effects of shocks to economic expectations independent of any actual changes to economic conditions. We draw on and link data from multiple sources, including several waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (2004–2010), a consumer sentiment survey, and data on local economic conditions. Using our purpose-built data set, we estimate difference-in-differences models to identify plausibly causal effects. We find, for boys, there is no detectable effect of community-level unemployment expectations shocks on mental health. For girls, however, there are modest increases in mental health problems and externalizing behaviors, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). We additionally find no discernible change in mother’s psychological distress as a result of expectations shocks. These results are stable after controlling for actual labor market conditions.
Association between psychotic experiences and non-accidental self-injury: results from a nationally representative survey of adolescents
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-11-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00127-018-1629-4
Abstract: The association between psychotic experiences (PEs) and non-accidental self-injury (NASI including self-harm and suicide attempts) is well established, although variables influencing this relationship have not been comprehensively examined. This study aimed to investigate (1) the cross-sectional PE-NASI association before and after adjustment for confounders, and (2) the in idual contribution of each confounding and potentially mediating variable to the association. A random s le of Australian adolescents aged 14-17 years (n = 1998) completed self-report questions regarding any self-harm, suicidality or PEs experienced in the past 12 months in 2013-2014 as part of the Young Minds Matter Survey, a national household survey. We conducted logistic regression analyses to investigate the association between NASI and PEs, after controlling for confounders (sociodemographics, substance use, and parental mental illness) as well as the influence of potential mediators (major depression, bullying, psychological distress, sleep, self-esteem, disordered eating behaviour, social isolation, and intervention factors). Except for special messages, all PE subtypes (auditory and visual hallucinatory experiences [HEs], and two of the three delusional experiences [DEs]) were associated with NASI after adjustment for confounders (OR range: 2.60-5.21). Depression and psychological distress significantly influenced all PE-NASI associations, where depression appeared to fully explain the DE-NASI association, and partially attenuate the HE-NASI association. Variables such as parental mental illness, disordered eating behaviour, and social isolation had negligible effects in nearly all self-harm and attempted suicide models. Adolescents reporting any PE in the past 12 months reported increased likelihood of NASI in the same time period and, auditory HEs in particular, were strongly and independently associated with self-harm and suicide attempts. These results highlight the importance of PEs as indicators of risk of self-injurious behaviour among Australian youth.
The Prevalence of Stimulant and Antidepressant Use by Australian Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder: A National Survey
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 03-2017
Abstract: To identify the prevalence of stimulant and antidepressant medication use by children and adolescents with symptoms meeting the criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) in Australia. To identify factors associated with stimulant and antidepressant use by children and adolescents in Australia. Data are from a nationally representative s le of 4- to 17-year-olds (n = 6310). Parents completed the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Version IV (DISC-IV) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Eleven- to 17-year-olds completed a self-report version of the DISC-IV MDD module. Interviewers recorded prescribed medications used by participants in the previous 2 weeks. During a 2-week period, 1.3% of all 4- to 17-year-olds and 13.7% of those with symptoms meeting the criteria for ADHD had used stimulant medication, while 0.9% of all 4- to 17-year-olds and 13.4% with MDD had used antidepressants. In total, 22.6% of those using stimulant medications and 57.7% using antidepressant medications did not have symptoms meeting criteria for ADHD or MDD, respectively. Among 11- to 17-year-olds, 5.6% of those with adolescent-only-reported MDD, 10.9% of those with parent/carer-only-reported MDD, and 25.7% of those with MDD reported by both parents/carers and adolescents were using antidepressant medications. Only a minority of 4- to 17-year-olds with ADHD and MDD were being treated with stimulant or antidepressant medication. The percentage of adolescents with MDD using antidepressant medications varied depending on whether adolescents, parents/carers, or both identified the presence of MDD. This highlights the importance of using information from both these informants when assessing and treating adolescent depressive disorder.
DETECT Schools Study Protocol: A Prospective Observational Cohort Surveillance Study Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 in Western Australian Schools
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 22-02-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2021.636921
Abstract: Introduction: Amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to providing peace of mind for the community and informing policy-making decisions. While available data suggest that school-aged children are not significant spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission in schools remains an ongoing concern, especially among an aging teaching workforce. Even in low-prevalence settings, communities must balance the potential risk of transmission with the need for students' ongoing education. Through the roll out of high-throughput school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, enhanced follow-up for in iduals exposed to COVID-19 and wellbeing surveys, this study investigates the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the current psychosocial wellbeing impacts of the pandemic in school communities. Methods: The DETECT Schools Study is a prospective observational cohort surveillance study in 79 schools across Western Australia (WA), Australia. To investigate the incidence, transmission and impact of SARS-CoV-2 in schools, the study comprises three “modules”: Module 1) Spot-testing in schools to screen for asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Module 2) Enhanced surveillance of close contacts following the identification of any COVID-19 case to determine the secondary attack rate of SARS-CoV-2 in a school setting and Module 3) Survey monitoring of school staff, students and their parents to assess psycho-social wellbeing following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in WA. Clinical Trial Registration: Trial registration number: ACTRN12620000922976
The Effect of the Social and Physical Environment on Children’s Independent Mobility to Neighborhood Destinations
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 2015
Abstract: Relationships between context-specific measures of the physical and social environment and children’s independent mobility to neighborhood destination types were examined. Parents in RESIDE’s fourth survey reported whether their child (8–15 years n = 181) was allowed to travel without an adult to school, friend’s house, park and local shop. Objective physical environment measures were matched to each of these destinations. Social environment measures included neighborhood perceptions and items specific to local independent mobility. Independent mobility to local destinations ranged from 30% to 48%. Independent mobility to a local park was less likely as the distance to the closest park (small and large size) increased and less likely with additional school grounds ( P .05). Independent mobility to school was less likely as the distance to the closest large park increased and if the neighborhood was perceived as unsafe ( P .05). Independent mobility to a park or shops decreased if parenting social norms were unsupportive of children’s local independent movement ( P .05). Independent mobility appears dependent upon the specific destination being visited and the impact of neighborhood features varies according to the destination examined. Findings highlight the importance of access to different types and sizes of urban green space for children’s independent mobility to parks.
Hypertensive Diseases of Pregnancy and the Development of Behavioral Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2009
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPEDS.2008.07.061
Abstract: To examine whether maternal gestational hypertension and preecl sia are associated with behavioral problems in offspring throughout childhood and early adolescence. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 2804 women in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study and their children observed at age 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14 years. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to measure problem child behavior with continuous z-scores and clinical cutoff points. Control variables included known biomedical, sociodemographic, and psychological factors. After adjustment, with general linear model analyses children of women with gestational hypertension were shown to be more likely to have higher CBCL z-scores, indicative of poorer behavior, from 8 years on, with the largest difference seen at 14 years. Children of mothers with preecl sia were more likely to have lower CBCL z-scores, indicative of pro-social behaviors. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that gestational hypertension was predictive of clinically significant CBCL T-scores from age 8 to 14 years. This association was significant for externalizing behavior, such as delinquent and aggressive behavior, and for internalizing behavior at age 14 years. Unexpectedly, preecl sia reduced internalizing morbidity at ages 5 and 8 years. The opposing effect on child and adolescent behavior of gestational hypertension and preecl sia warrants further attention.
Non-specific psychological distress, smoking status and smoking cessation: United States National Health Interview Survey 2005
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-04-2011
Associations between clusters of early life risk factors and developmental vulnerability at age 5: a retrospective cohort study using population-wide linkage of administrative data in Tasmania, Austra
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 04-2020
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2019-033795
Abstract: Early childhood is a critical time to address risk factors associated with developmental vulnerability. This study investigated the associations between clusters of early life risk factors and developmental vulnerability in children’s first year of full-time school at age 5. A retrospective cohort study. Population-wide linkage of administrative data records for children born in Tasmania, Australia in 2008–2010. The cohort comprised 5440 children born in Tasmania in 2008–2010, with a Tasmanian 2015 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) record and a Tasmanian Perinatal Collection record. The AEDC is a national measure of child development across five domains: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills (school-based), and communication skills and general knowledge. Children who scored below the 10th percentile on one or more AEDC domains were classified as developmentally vulnerable. Children with special needs are not included in the AEDC results. Latent class analysis identified five clusters of risk factors: low risks (65% of children), sociodemographic and health behaviour risks (24%), teenage mother and sociodemographic risks (6%), birth risks (3%), and birth, sociodemographic and health behaviour risks (2%). In this s le population, 20% of children were classified as developmentally vulnerable, but the proportion varied substantially by latent class. Logistic regression showed increased odds of developmental vulnerability associated with sociodemographic and health behaviour risks (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.91 to 2.68, p .001), teenage mother and sociodemographic risks (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.50 to 2.69, p .001), and birth, sociodemographic and health behaviour risks (OR 3.29, 95% CI 2.10 to 5.16. p .001), but not birth risks (OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.88 to 2.03, p=0.1649), relative to the reference group. The patterning of risks across the five groups invites consideration of multisectoral policies and services to address complex clusters of risk factors associated with developmental vulnerability.
The causal impact of mental health on tobacco and alcohol consumption: an instrumental variables approach
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-08-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00181-023-02483-X
Abstract: The reciprocal relationship between psychiatric and substance use disorders is well-known, yet it remains largely unknown whether mental health morbidity causally leads to addictive behaviours. This paper utilises a fixed effects instrumental variables model, which is identified by time-varying sources of plausibly exogenous variations in mental health, and a nationally representative panel dataset from Australia to present robust evidence on the causal impact of mental distress on cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking behaviours. We find that mental distress significantly increases the prevalence and intensity of either cigarette or alcohol consumption. Further analysis reveals that mental distress also substantially increases household monetary expenditures on either tobacco or alcohol. The impact is greater for lower educated in iduals or children of smokers, and is slightly higher for males. Our findings highlight the importance of mental health screening and treatment programs, especially among lower educated in iduals or children of smokers, to assist in the prevention of addictive activities.
Maternal alcohol disorders and school achievement: a population cohort record linkage study in Western Australia
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 05-2017
Mental disorders in Australian 4- to 17- year olds: Parent-reported need for help
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 02-05-2017
Abstract: To describe the extent to which parents report that 4- to 17-year-olds with symptoms meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria for mental disorders need help, the types of help needed, the extent to which this need is being met and factors associated with a need for help. During 2013–2014, a national household survey of the mental health of Australia’s young people (Young Minds Matter) was conducted, involving 6310 parents (and carers) of 4- to 17-year-olds. The survey identified 12-month mental disorders using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children – Version IV ( n = 870) and asked parents about the need for four types of help – information, medication, counselling and life skills. Parents of 79% of 4- to 17-year-olds with mental disorders reported that their child needed help, and of these, only 35% had their needs fully met. The greatest need for help was for those with major depressive disorder (95%) and conduct disorder (93%). Among these, 39% of those with major depressive disorder but only 19% of those with conduct disorder had their needs fully met. Counselling was the type of help most commonly identified as being needed (68%). In multivariate models, need for counselling was higher when children had autism or an intellectual disability, in blended families, when parents were distressed, and in the most advantaged socioeconomic areas. Many children and adolescents meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria for mental disorders have a completely unmet need for help, especially those with conduct disorders. Even with mild disorders, lack of clinical assessment represents an important missed opportunity for early intervention and treatment.
Tackling overweight and obesity: does the public health message match the science?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-02-2013
Transfers of disadvantage across three generations using latent class associations within families
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-03-2022
DOI: 10.1002/AJS4.206
Abstract: There is a large volume of research on the persistence of advantage and disadvantage across generations. Intergenerational studies typically address family resources as independent factors, which ignores how risks cluster together and accumulate over time. Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, we conducted two latent class analyses to separately identify latent classes based on grandparent and parent characteristics for study children. We then examined the association between our identified latent classes and grandchild educational outcomes in Years 3 to 9. Five distinct latent classes of grandparent characteristics and four latent classes of parent characteristics were identified. There was association between parent and grandparent latent classes indicating intergenerational multiple disadvantage. Grandchildren in at‐risk parent latent classes tended to have significantly lower literacy and numeracy scores from Years 3 to 9. The effects of grandparent latent classes were inconsistent. The developmental circumstances of children can be defined using the characteristics of both parents and grandparents, and the role of grandparents on children's development extends beyond the influence they have on parent outcomes. This study highlights that addressing intergenerational transfers of disadvantage requires multiple, integrated and coordinated policy approaches that go beyond in idual indicators of disadvantage.
Does Retirement Lead to Life Satisfaction? Causal Evidence from Fixed Effect Instrumental Variable Models
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.3634335
Pets Are Associated with Fewer Peer Problems and Emotional Symptoms, and Better Prosocial Behavior: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPEDS.2020.01.012
Abstract: To investigate the longitudinal association between pet ownership and children's social-emotional development. Two time-points of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were analyzed for children at ages 5 (n = 4242) and 7 (n = 4431) years. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measured children's social-emotional development. Pet ownership status and type (dog, cat, other) as well as sociodemographic and other potential confounders were collected. Longitudinal panel regression models were used. Overall, 27% of children had abnormal scores on 1 or more SDQ scales. By age 7, 75% of children had pets with ownership highest in single-child households. Owning any type of pet was associated with decreased odds of abnormal scores for emotional symptoms (OR, 0.81 95% CI, 0.67-0.99), peer problems (OR, 0.71 95% CI, 0.60-0.84), and prosocial behavior (OR, 0.70 95% CI, 0.38-0.70), compared with non-pet owners. Dog ownership was associated with decreased odds of abnormal scores on any of the SDQ scales (OR, 0.81 95% CI, 0.71-0.93). For children without any siblings, only the prosocial behavior scale was significantly associated with pet ownership (OR, 0.21 95% CI, 0.07-0.66). In longitudinal models, cat-only and dog-only groups were associated with fewer emotional symptoms and peer problems compared with non-pet owners. Early school age is an important period for family pet acquisition. Pets may protect children from developing social-emotional problems and should be taken into account when assessing child development and school readiness. Children without siblings may benefit most in terms of their prosocial behavior.
Late Talking and the Risk for Psychosocial Problems During Childhood and Adolescence
Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Date: 08-2011
Abstract: Although many toddlers with expressive vocabulary delay (“late talkers”) present with age-appropriate language skills by the time they are of school age, little is known about their broader behavioral and emotional profile. The aim of this study was to determine whether late talkers are at increased risk for behavioral and emotional problems during childhood and adolescence. Participants were from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study. Early expressive vocabulary was measured by parent report at age 2 years using the Language Development Survey. Late talkers were defined as toddlers who scored at or below the 15th percentile on the Language Development Survey for their gender but were screened not to have any other developmental delays. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to measure problem child behavior with continuous z scores and clinical thresholds at ages 2, 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 years. Potential confounders included maternal and family sociodemographic characteristics as well as prenatal smoking and alcohol exposure. At age 2 years, late talkers (n = 142) had higher Child Behavior Checklist scores (representing poorer behavior) than control toddlers (n = 1245) in total, internalizing, and externalizing scales and higher risk for clinically significant internalizing and externalizing problems. Regression models, incorporating the confounding variables, revealed no association between late-talking status at age 2 years and behavioral and emotional problems at the 5-, 8-, 10-, 14-, and 17-year follow-ups. Expressive vocabulary delay at the age of 2 years is not in itself a risk factor for later behavioral and emotional disturbances.
The mental health of young people in Australia: Key findings from the child and adolescent component of the national survey of mental health and well-being
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-2001
DOI: 10.1046/J.1440-1614.2001.00964.X
Abstract: Objective: To identify the prevalence of three mental disorders (Depressive Disorder, Conduct Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), the prevalence of mental health problems, the health-related quality of life of those with problems, and patterns of service utilisation of those with and without mental health problems, among 4–17-year-olds in Australia. To identify rates of health-risk behaviours among adolescents with mental health problems. Method: The mental disorders were assessed using the parent-version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV. Parents completed the Child Behaviour Checklist to identify mental health problems and standard questionnaires to assess healthrelated quality of life and service use. The Youth Risk Behaviour Questionnaire completed by adolescents was employed to identify health-risk behaviours. Results: Fourteen percent of children and adolescents were identified as having mental health problems. Many of those with mental health problems had problems in other areas of their lives and were at increased risk for suicidal behaviour. Only 25%% of those with mental health problems had attended a professional service during the six months prior to the survey. Conclusion: Child and adolescent mental health problems are an important public health problem in Australia. The appropriate balance between funding provided for clinical interventions focusing on in idual children and families and funding for interventions that focus on populations, requires careful study. The latter are an essential component of any strategy to reduce mental health problems as the high prevalence of problems makes it unlikely that in idual care will ever be available for all those needing help. Clinical and population health interventions must take into account the comorbid problems experienced by children with mental disorders.
Parent–child book reading across early childhood and child vocabulary in the early school years: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 15-05-2013
Abstract: Vocabulary knowledge is a critical component of school readiness. The current study investigated the extent to which low levels of joint attention in infancy and parent–child book reading across early childhood increase the risk of children having poor vocabulary around the time of school entry. Relevant data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were available for 2369 children (1211 boys) who had a median age of 9 months ( M = 9.3 months, SD = 2.1 months) at wave 1 and a median age of 58 months ( M = 58.0 months, SD = 2.5 months) at wave 3. As hypothesised, children who had low levels of joint attention at wave 1 were significantly more likely to have poor receptive vocabulary at wave 3. Furthermore, children who had low levels of parent–child book reading across early childhood were two and a half times more likely to have poor vocabulary at wave 3. These results converge with the findings of training studies and underline the importance of educating current and future parents about the pivotal roles of joint attention and parent–child book reading for children’s language development and hence their readiness for school.
Worries, ‘weirdos’, neighborhoods and knowing people: a qualitative study with children and parents regarding children's independent mobility
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPLACE.2017.03.005
Abstract: This qualitative study involved focus groups with 132 children and 12 parents in primary and secondary schools in metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria, Australia, to explore experiences and perceptions of children's independent mobility. The study highlights the impact of family routines, neighborhood characteristics, social norms and reference points for decision making. Children reported a wider range of safety concerns than parents, including harm from strangers or traffic, bullying, or getting lost. Children expressed great delight in being independent, often seeking to actively influence parents' decision making. Children's independent mobility is a developmental process, requiring graduated steps and skill building.
Adolescent dietary patterns are associated with lifestyle and family psycho-social factors
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 10-2009
DOI: 10.1017/S1368980008004618
Abstract: Dietary intake during adolescence contributes to lifelong eating habits and the development of early risk factors for disease in adulthood. Few studies have examined the dietary patterns of adolescents and the social and environmental factors that may affect them during this life stage. The present study describes dietary patterns in a cohort of adolescents and examines their associations with socio-economic factors, as well as parental and adolescent risk factor behaviours. A semi-quantitative FFQ was used to assess study adolescents’ usual dietary intake over the previous year. Information was collected on family functioning and various socio-economic and risk factor variables via questionnaire. Adolescents visited the study clinic for anthropometric measurements. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study (Raine Study), Perth, Western Australia. Adolescents ( n 1631) aged 14 years from a pregnancy cohort study. Factor analysis identified two distinct dietary patterns that differed predominantly in fat and sugar intakes. The ‘Western’ pattern consisted of high intakes of take-away foods, soft drinks, confectionery, French fries, refined grains, full-fat dairy products and processed meats. The ‘healthy’ pattern included high intakes of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes and fish. ANOVA showed that the ‘Western’ dietary pattern was positively associated with greater television viewing and having a parent who smoked, and was inversely associated with family income. The ‘healthy’ pattern was positively associated with female gender, greater maternal education, better family functioning and being in a two-parent family, and was inversely associated with television viewing. The study suggests that both lifestyle factors and family psycho-social environment are related to dietary patterns in Australian adolescents.
Pre-pregnancy maternal overweight and obesity increase the risk for affective disorders in offspring
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 06-09-2013
DOI: 10.1017/S2040174412000578
Abstract: Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity has been linked with an increased risk for negative emotionality and inattentiveness in offspring in early childhood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the development of affective problems (dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder) throughout childhood and adolescence. In the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, 2900 women provided data on their pre-pregnancy weight, and height measurements were taken at 18 weeks of gestation. BMI was calculated and categorized using standardized methods. Live-born children ( n = 2868) were followed up at ages 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17 years using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-oriented scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4–18). Longitudinal models were applied to assess the relationships between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and affective problems from age 5 through 17. There was a higher risk of affective problems between the ages of 5 and 17 years among children of women who were overweight and obese compared with the offspring of women in the healthy pre-pregnancy weight range (BMI 18.5–24.99) after adjustment for confounders, including paternal BMI. Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity may be implicated in the development of affective problems, including depression, in their offspring later in life.
Ethnicity differentials in academic achievements: the role of time investments
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-05-2020
Key findings from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 20-07-2016
Abstract: To estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents in Australia, and the severity and impact of those mental disorders. Seven mental disorders were assessed using the parent- or carer-completed version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV, and major depressive disorder was also assessed using the youth self-report version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV. Severity and impact were assessed using an extended version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV impact on functioning questions, and days absent from school due to symptoms of mental disorders. Data were collected in a national face-to-face survey of 6310 parents or carers of children and adolescents aged 4–17 years, with 2969 young people aged 11–17 years also completing a self-report questionnaire. Twelve-month prevalence of mental disorders was 13.9%, with 2.1% of children and adolescents having severe disorders, 3.5% having moderate disorders and 8.3% having mild disorders. The most common class of disorders was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder followed by anxiety disorders. Mental disorders were more common in step-, blended- or one-parent families, in families living in rented accommodation and families where one or both carers were not in employment. Mental disorders were associated with a substantial number of days absent from school particularly in adolescents. Mental disorders are common in children and adolescents, often have significant impact and are associated with substantial absences from school. Child and adolescent mental disorders remain an important public health problem in Australia. Accurate information about prevalence and severity of child and adolescent mental disorders is an essential prerequisite for effective mental health policy and service planning.
Self-harm: Prevalence estimates from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-07-2016
Abstract: To (1) estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of self-harm without suicide intent in young people aged 12–17 years, (2) describe the co-morbidity of these behaviours with mental illness and (3) describe their co-variation with key social and demographic variables. A nationally representative random s le of households with children aged 4–17 years recruited in 2013–2014. The survey response rate was 55% with 6310 parents and carers of eligible households participating. In addition, 2967 (89%) of young people aged 11–17 completed a self-report questionnaire with 2653 of the 12- to 17-year-olds completing questions about self-harm behaviour. In any 12-month period, about 8% of all 12- to 17-year-olds (an estimated 137,000 12- to 17-year-olds) report engaging in self-harming behaviour without suicide intent. This prevalence increases with age to 11.6% in 16- to 17-year-olds. Eighteen percent (18.8% 95% confidence interval [CI] = [14.5, 23.0]) of all 12- to 17-year-old young people with any mental health disorder measured by parent or carer report said that they had engaged in self-harm in the past 12 months. Among young people who were measured by self-report and met criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ major depressive disorder almost half (46.6% 95% CI = [40.0, 53.1]) also reported that they had engaged in self-harm in the past 12 months. Suicide risk among those who self-harm is significantly elevated relative to the general population. The demonstrated higher risks in these young people for continued harm or possible death support the need for ongoing initiatives to reduce self-harm through mental health promotion, improved mental health literacy and continuing mental health reform to ensure services are accessible to, and meet the needs of families and young persons.
Racial discrimination and the health and wellbeing of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: Does the timing of first exposure matter?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
Prevention of Child Behavior Problems Through Universal Implementation of a Group Behavioral Family Intervention
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2005
DOI: 10.1007/S11121-005-0013-2
Abstract: The aim of this mental health promotion initiative was to evaluate the effectiveness of a universally delivered group behavioral family intervention (BFI) in preventing behavior problems in children. This study investigates the transferability of an efficacious clinical program to a universal prevention intervention delivered through child and community health services targeting parents of preschoolers within a metropolitan health region. A quasi-experimental two-group (BFI, n = 804 vs. Comparison group, n = 806) longitudinal design followed preschool aged children and their parents over a 2-year period. BFI was associated with significant reductions in parent- reported levels of dysfunctional parenting and parent-reported levels of child behavior problems. Effect sizes on child behavior problems ranged from large (.83) to moderate (.47). Positive and significant effects were also observed in parent mental health, marital adjustment, and levels of child rearing conflict. Findings are discussed with respect to their implication for significant population reductions in child behavior problems as well as the pragmatic challenges for prevention science in encouraging both the evaluation and uptake of preventive initiatives in real world settings.
Smoking, mental illness and socioeconomic disadvantage: analysis of the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-05-2013
Smoking cessation in pregnancy and the risk of child behavioural problems: A longitudinal prospective cohort study
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 24-08-2010
Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of smoking in pregnancy on child and adolescent behavioural development, in comparison with mothers who ceased smoking in the first 18 weeks of pregnancy and with those who never smoked, in a large prospective pregnancy cohort. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study provided comprehensive data from 2900 pregnancies. Smoking was assessed at 18 weeks gestation, and children were followed up at ages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 14 years. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used to measure problem child behaviour with continuous z-scores and clinical cut points at ages 2, 5, 8, 10 and 14 years. Potential confounders included maternal and family sociodemographic characteristics and alcohol exposure. After adjusting for confounders, children of light smokers who quit smoking by 18 weeks gestation had significantly lower CBCL total z-scores, indicative of better behaviour, than children of women who never smoked, children of heavy smokers who quit and continuing smokers. Maternal smoking during pregnancy resulted in higher CBCL total, internalising and externalising scores and a higher risk of clinically meaningful behaviour problems in children from ages 2 to 14. The maternal decision not to quit smoking, or the inability to quit smoking, during pregnancy appears to be a particularly strong marker for poor behavioural outcomes in children. There is a need for a greater understanding of the psychosocial characteristics associated with the decision and ability to quit smoking in pregnancy.
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Maternal and Family Factors
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-07-2016
Racial discrimination and allostatic load among First Nations Australians: a nationally representative cross-sectional study
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S12889-020-09978-7
Abstract: Increased allostatic load is linked with racial discrimination exposure, providing a mechanism for the biological embedding of racism as a psychosocial stressor. We undertook an examination of how racial discrimination interacts with socioecological, environmental, and health conditions to affect multisystem dysregulation in a First Nations population. We conducted latent class analysis (LCA) using indicators of life stress, socioeconomic background, and physical and mental health from a nationally representative s le of Australian Aboriginal adults ( N = 2056). We used LCA with distal outcomes to estimate the effect of the latent class variable on our derived allostatic load index and conducted a stratified analysis to test whether allostatic load varied based on exposure to racial discrimination across latent classes. Our psychosocial, environmental, and health measures informed a four-class structure ‘Low risk’, ‘Challenged but healthy’, ‘Mental health risk’ and ‘Multiple challenges’. Mean allostatic load was highest in ‘Multiple challenges’ compared to all other classes, both in those exposed (4.5 95% CI: 3.9, 5.0) and not exposed (3.9 95% CI: 3.7, 4.2) to racial discrimination. Allostatic load was significantly higher for those with exposure to racial discrimination in the ‘Multiple challenges’ class ( t = 1.74, p = .04) and significantly lower in the ‘Mental health risk’ class ( t = − 1.67, p = .05). Racial discrimination may not always modify physiological vulnerability to disease. Social and economic contexts must be considered when addressing the impact of racism, with a focus on in iduals and sub-populations experiencing co-occurring life challenges.
Child care quality and children's cognitive and socio-emotional development: an Australian longitudinal study
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-10-2014
Erratum: Prenatal stress and risk of behavioral morbidity from age 2 to 14 years: The influence of the number, type, and timing of stressful life events (Development and Psychopathology (2011) 23 (507-520))
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 31-01-2012
Families, Life Courses and the Intergenerational Transmission of Social Disadvantage in Australia
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12224-8_2
Abstract: In this chapter, we describe the life course approach and explain key concepts and principles. We also review variations in life course theory across disciplines including differences in terminology and understanding of core elements of life course theory. We outline why the life course approach is useful for examining intergenerational transmission of inequality and why a focus on family background is important. We review research on intergenerational inequality, family dynamics and variations across social groups and conclude by briefly outlining new directions in life course theory toward a more integrated theoretical framework.
Introduction
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12224-8_1
Abstract: In this chapter we present the research questions motivating the book and outline key themes and issues guiding the chapters. We provide a broad overview of the Australian social, political and economic context to give readers an understanding of some of the key features of Australian society. We outline the structure of the book and present a brief synopsis of each chapter.
Prevalence and correlates of bullying victimisation and perpetration in a nationally representative sample of Australian youth
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 17-05-2017
Abstract: Bullying prevalence studies are limited by varied measurement methods and a lack of representative s les. This study estimated the national prevalence of bullying victimisation, perpetration and combined victim-perpetration experiences in a representative population-based s le of Australian youth. The relationships between the three types of bullying involvement with a range of mental health symptoms and diagnoses were also examined. A randomly selected nationally representative s le aged 11-17 years ( N = 2967, M The 12-month prevalence of bullying victimisation was 13.3%, perpetration 1.6% and victim-perpetration 1.9%. Logistic regression models showed all forms of involvement in bullying were associated with increased risk of psychological distress, emotional and behavioural problems, substance use, self-harm and attempted suicide. Victimisation and victim-perpetration were associated with youth-reported major depressive disorder. There were also significant associations between bullying involvement and parent-reported diagnoses of major depressive disorder, any anxiety disorder and any externalising disorder. Bullying continues to be frequently experienced by Australian adolescents. The current findings showed that involvement in any bullying behaviour was associated with increased risk of concurrent mental health problems. This evidence can be used to inform decisions concerning the allocation of resources to address this important health issue.
Smoking Status, Mental Disorders and Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Young People: Child and Adolescent Component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-2010
DOI: 10.3109/00048674.2010.482921
Abstract: To examine the relationship between smoking behaviour, mental disorders and emotional and behavioural problems in a nationally representative s le of young people. Data were taken from the child and adolescent component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing which assessed mental health problems in two main ways: using a fully structured interview (the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children) and using the Child Behaviour Checklist and the Youth Self Report, which assess emotional and behavioural problems on a dimensional scale. The relationship between smoking and mental health problems was assessed using logistic regression. Among young people with conduct disorder 72% had smoked in the last 30 days, 46% of young people with depressive disorder, and 38% among young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This compared with 21% of young people with none of these disorders. Odds ratios (OR) for current smoking were consistently elevated for young people with mental health problems after adjusting for demographic and socio-economic factors across all measures of mental health used. The OR for current smoking in young people with parent-reported externalizing behaviours in the clinical range was 4.5 (95%CI: 3.1-6.8), and for young people with parent-reported internalizing problems in the clinical range the OR was 2.7 (95%CI: 1.8-4.0). Young people with mental health problems started smoking on average at a younger age, were more likely to progress to current smoking, and smoked on average a higher number of cigarettes per day. After adjusting for demographic and socio-economic factors, young people with mental health problems were more likely to start smoking, progress to daily smoking, and smoke more heavily. Mental illness is an important issue to consider in tobacco control in young people.
Prenatal stress and risk of behavioral morbidity from age 2 to 14 years: The influence of the number, type, and timing of stressful life events
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 18-04-2011
DOI: 10.1017/S0954579411000241
Abstract: The maternal experience of stressful events during pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse consequences for behavioral development in offspring, but the measurement and interpretation of prenatal stress varies among reported studies. The Raine Study recruited 2900 pregnancies and recorded life stress events experienced by 18 and 34 weeks' gestation along with numerous sociodemographic data. The mother's exposure to life stress events was further documented when the children were followed-up in conjunction with behavioral assessments at ages 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14 years using the Child Behavior Checklist. The maternal experience of multiple stressful events during pregnancy was associated with subsequent behavioral problems for offspring. Independent (e.g., death of a relative, job loss) and dependent stress events (e.g., financial problems, marital problems) were both significantly associated with a greater incidence of mental health morbidity between age 2 and 14 years. Exposure to stressful events in the first 18 weeks of pregnancy showed similar associations with subsequent total and externalizing morbidity to events reported at 34 weeks of gestation. These results were independent of postnatal stress exposure. Improved support for women with chronic stress exposure during pregnancy may improve the mental health of their offspring in later life.
Encouraging Walking for Transport and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2009
DOI: 10.2165/11319620-000000000-00000
Abstract: In the post-World War II era, there have been dramatic changes to the environment that appear to be having a detrimental impact on the lifestyles and incidental physical activities of young people. These changes are not trivial and have the potential to influence not only physical health, but also mental health and child development. However, the evidence of the impact of the built environment on physical activity to date is inconsistent. This review examines the evidence on the association between the built environment and walking for transport as well as physical activity generally, with a focus on methodological issues that may explain inconsistencies in the literature to date. It appears that many studies fail to measure behaviour-specific environmental correlates, and insufficient attention is being given to differences according to the age of study participants. Higher levels of out-of-school-hours physical activity and walking appear to be significantly associated with higher levels of urban density and neighbourhoods with mixed-use planning, especially for older children and adolescents. Proximate recreational facilities also appear to predict young people's level of physical activity. However, there are inconsistencies in the literature involving studies with younger children. Independent mobility increases with age. For younger children, the impact of the built environment is influenced by the decision-making of parents as the gatekeepers of their behaviour. Cross-cultural differences may also be present and are worthy of greater exploration. As children develop and are given more independent mobility, it appears that the way neighbourhoods are designed - particularly in terms of proximity and connectivity to local destinations, including schools and shopping centres, and the presence of footpaths - becomes a determinant of whether children are able, and are permitted by their parents, to walk and use destinations locally. If older children and adolescents are to enjoy health and developmental benefits of independent mobility, a key priority must be in reducing exposure to traffic and in increasing surveillance on streets (i.e. 'eyes-on-the-street') through neighbourhood and building design, by encouraging others to walk locally, and by discouraging motor vehicle use in favour of walking and cycling. Parents need to be assured that the rights and safety of pedestrians (and cyclists) - particularly child pedestrians and cyclists - are paramount if we are to turn around our 'child-free streets', now so prevalent in contemporary Australian and US cities. There remains a need for more age- and sex-specific research using behaviour- and context-specific measures, with a view to building a more consistent evidence base to inform future environmental interventions.
Cohort profile: Footprints in time, the Australian Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-07-2015
DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYU122
Parents’ concern about their children's weight
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1080/17477160701832552
Abstract: Firstly, to investigate the degree of concern parents feel about their children's weight (parental concern). Secondly, to identify factors that influence this concern, and to test a model of parental concern using structural equation modeling. A total of 347 non-overweight, overweight, and obese children (aged 6-13 Mean = 9.5, SD = 1.8) and their parents. Children and their parents attended an assessment session during which they were weighed and measured. Parents were administered a structured interview, which included the Eating Disorder Examination, and completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (parent proxy), and the Children's Body Image Scale. Eighty-two percent of parents of overweight children, and 18% of parents of obese children reported little parental concern. Higher parental concern was associated with higher child Body Mass Index, less parental underestimation of child body size, and lower child health-related quality of life. Interventions targeting childhood obesity should aim to optimise parental concern by reducing parents' underestimation of child body size and increasing their awareness of the effects of overweight and obesity on children's health and quality of life.
Delivery at 37 weeks' gestation is associated with a higher risk for child behavioural problems
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-11-2013
DOI: 10.1111/AJO.12012
Abstract: Advances in obstetric care have been accompanied by increasing rates of intervention which often involve elective delivery at 37 weeks, soon after term gestation has been achieved. The aim of this study was to examine the behavioural sequelae for children born at this early term gestational age compared with those born at later weeks. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study provided comprehensive obstetric data from 2900 pregnancies. Offspring were followed up at ages two, five, eight, 10, 14 and 17 years using the parent report Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) with clinical cutoffs for overall, internalising (withdrawn, somatic complaints, anxious/depressed) and externalising (delinquent, aggressive) behaviour (T-score ≥ 60). We used longitudinal logistic regression models incorporating generalised estimating equations (GEE) with step-wise adjustment for ante-, peri- and postnatal confounding factors. Approximately 9% of our cohort was born within the range of 37(0/7) and 37(6/7) weeks. Those born at 37 weeks' gestation were at increased risk for overall (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.01) and externalising (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.01) behavioural problems in the fully adjusted model when compared with infants born from 39 weeks onwards. Infants born late preterm (34-36 weeks) and at 38 weeks did not show a significantly increased risk for behavioural problems. Infants born at 37 weeks' gestation are at increased risk for behavioural problems over childhood and adolescence compared with those born later in gestation. We suggest that 37 weeks' gestation may not be the optimal cutoff for defining perinatal risk as it applies to behavioural development.
Identification and genetic determination of an early life risk disposition for depressive disorder: Atypical stress-related behaviour in early childhood
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2011
Adolescent peer aggression and its association with mental health and substance use in an Australian cohort
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-11-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.ADOLESCENCE.2013.10.006
Abstract: Prospective longitudinal birth cohort data was used to examine the association between peer aggression at 14 years and mental health and substance use at 17 years. A s le of 1590 participants from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) study were ided into mutually exclusive categories (victims, perpetrators, victim‐perpetrators and uninvolved). Involvement in any type of peer aggression as a victim (10.1%), perpetrator (21.4%), or a victim‐perpetrator (8.7%) was reported by 40.2% of participants. After adjusting for confounding factors, those who were a victim of peer aggression had increased odds of later depression and internalising symptoms whilst perpetrators of peer aggression were found to be at increased risk of depression and harmful alcohol use. Victim‐perpetrators of peer aggression were more likely to have externalising behaviours at 17 years. These results show an independent temporal relationship between peer aggression and later mental health and substance use problems in adolescence.
The impact of weather on time allocation to physical activity and sleep of child-parent dyads
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Impact of adolescent peer aggression on later educational and employment outcomes in an Australian cohort
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-06-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.ADOLESCENCE.2015.05.007
Abstract: This study used prospective birth cohort data to analyse the relationship between peer aggression at 14 years of age and educational and employment outcomes at 17 years ( N = 1091) and 20 years ( N = 1003). Participants from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) study were ided into mutually exclusive categories of peer aggression. Involvement in peer aggression was reported by 40.2% (10.1% victims 21.4% perpetrators 8.7% victim–perpetrators) of participants. Participants involved in any form of peer aggression were less likely to complete secondary school. Perpetrators and victim–perpetrators of peer aggression were more likely to be in the ‘No Education, Employment or Training’ group at 20 years of age. This association was explained by non‐completion of secondary school. These findings demonstrate a robust association between involvement in peer aggression and non‐completion of secondary school, which in turn was associated with an increased risk of poor educational and employment outcomes in early adulthood.
Emerging Directions and New Challenges
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12224-8_15
Abstract: In this chapter we provide a brief summary of the key themes of the book, identify emerging directions and challenges in life course theory and data designs and highlight some policy challenges for researchers going forward.
Maternal Work-Family Conflict and Psychological Distress: Reciprocal Relationships Over 8 Years
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-11-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JOMF.12262
Playgroup Participation and Social Support Outcomes for Mothers of Young Children: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-07-2015
Dog walking is associated with more outdoor play and independent mobility for children
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.YPMED.2014.08.002
Abstract: Dog ownership is positively associated with children's physical activity. It is plausible that dog-facilitated activity rather than dog ownership per se encourages children's physical activity behaviors. We examined relationships between dog walking and children's physical activity, and outdoor play and independent mobility. Cross-sectional survey data from the 2007 Perth (Western Australia) TRavel, Environment, and Kids (TREK) project were analyzed for 727 10-12 year olds with a family dog. Weekly minutes of overall physical activity and walking, local walking and outdoor play were collected from children and parents. Children's weekly pedometer steps were measured. Independent mobility was determined by active independent travel to 15 local destinations. Overall, 55% of children walked their dog. After adjustment, more dog walkers than non-dog walkers walked in the neighborhood (75% vs. 47%), played in the street (60% vs. 45%) and played in the yard (91% vs. 84%) (all p ≤ 0.05). Dog walkers were more independently mobile than non-dog walkers (p ≤ 0.001). Dog walking status was not associated with overall physical activity, walking, or pedometer steps (p>0.05). Dog-facilitated play and physical activity can be an effective strategy for increasing children's physical activity. Dog walking may provide a readily accessible and safe option for improving levels of independent mobility.
Influence of the day care, home and neighbourhood environment on young children's physical activity and health
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 12-2016
Fetal head circumference growth in children with specific language impairment
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 04-10-2012
Family structure and childhood mental disorders: new findings from Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-12-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S00127-016-1328-Y
Abstract: Many children now live in non-traditional families-including one-parent, blended, and step families. While a substantial body of international evidence indicates that these children display poorer cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes than children living in traditional families, research on childhood mental disorders is scarce. This report provides new evidence of the relationships between family structure and childhood mental disorders in an under-researched context, Australia. We use recent, nationally representative data on children aged 4-17 from Young Minds Matter, the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Well-being (N = 6310). Mental disorders were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Version IV and included social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder. Compared to children living in original families, children in one-parent, blended, and step families experienced a higher prevalence of mental disorders. Amongst children whose parents separated, the time since separation was not statistically significantly related to the prevalence of mental disorders. Although we are unable to assess causality, our findings highlight the strength of the association between family structure and child and adolescent mental health. They also stress the need for programs to support children, parents, and families in non-traditional family types to reduce mental health inequalities in childhood and later life.
Internet use and electronic gaming by children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems in Australia – results from the second Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-05-2016
Student mental health and dropout from higher education: an analysis of Australian administrative data
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-02-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S10734-023-01009-9
Abstract: Understanding the drivers of student dropout from higher education has been a policy concern for several decades. However, the contributing role of certain factors—including student mental health—remains poorly understood. Furthermore, existing studies linking student mental health and university dropout are limited in both methodology and scope—for ex le, they often rely on small and/or non-representative s les or subjective measures, and focus almost exclusively on main effects. This paper overcomes many of these shortcomings by leveraging unique linked administrative data on the full population of domestic students commencing undergraduate studies at Australian universities between 2012 and 2015 ( n = 652,139). Using these data, we document that approximately 15% of students drop out of university within their first academic year. Critically, students receiving treatment for mental health problems are 4.3 (adjusted) to 8.3 (unadjusted) percentage points more likely to drop out of higher education. This association remains in the presence of an encompassing set of potential confounds, and is remarkably uniform across segments of the student population determined by in idual, family, and programme characteristics. Altogether, our findings call for increased policy efforts to improve student mental health and to buffer against its deleterious effects on retention.
WHY IS THE RISK OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY ELEVATED IN THE CHILDREN OF MOTHERS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER PSYCHOSES?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2008
Intellectual disability and other neuropsychiatric outcomes in high-risk children of mothers with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and unipolar major depression
Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists
Date: 04-2012
DOI: 10.1192/BJP.BP.111.093070
Abstract: Recent evidence points to partially shared genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders. We examined risk of intellectual disability and other neuropsychiatric outcomes in 3174 children of mothers with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or unipolar major depression compared with 3129 children of unaffected mothers. We used record linkage across Western Australian population-based registers. The contribution of obstetric factors to risk of intellectual disability was assessed. Children were at significantly increased risk of intellectual disability with odds ratios (ORs) of 3.2 (95% CI 1.8–5.7), 3.1 (95% CI 1.9–4.9) and 2.9 (95% CI 1.8–4.7) in the maternal schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and unipolar depression groups respectively. Multivariate analysis suggests familial and obstetric factors may contribute independently to the risk. Although summated labour/delivery complications (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0–2.0) just failed to reach significance, neonatal encephalopathy (OR = 7.7, 95% CI 3.0–20.2) and fetal distress (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.7) were independent significant predictors. Rates of rare syndromes in children of mothers with mental disorder were well above population rates. Risk of pervasive developmental disorders, including autism, was significantly elevated for children of mothers with bipolar disorder. Risk of epilepsy was doubled for children of mothers with unipolar depression. Our findings provide epidemiological support for clustering of neuropsychiatric disorders. Further larger epidemiological studies are warranted.
Development and validation of the Australian Aboriginal racial identity and self-esteem survey for 8–12 year old children (IRISE_C)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-10-2015
Prevalence and correlates of psychotic experiences in a nationally representative sample of Australian adolescents
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-07-2018
Abstract: Despite growing literature on psychotic experiences, no nationally representative study has reported on the prevalence of both hallucinatory experiences and delusional experiences in Australian adolescents. Also, while many studies have examined the association between psychotic experiences and certain demographic and clinical correlates, there are more variables of interest to be investigated, including disordered eating behaviour and hours of sleep. The aims of this study were to examine (1) the prevalence of hallucinatory experiences and delusional experiences in Australian adolescents, and (2) the associations between different types of psychotic experiences with a broad range of demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables. A random s le of Australian adolescents aged 14- to 17-year-olds were recruited in 2013–2014 as part of the Young Minds Matter Survey. Participants completed self-report questions regarding five different psychotic experience types (auditory and visual hallucinatory experiences, and thoughts read, special messages, spied upon) experienced in the past 12 months. Using logistic regression analyses, we investigated associations between psychotic experiences and demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors. The 12-month prevalence ranged from 3.3% (95% confidence interval = [2.6, 4.3]) for special messages to 14.0% (95% confidence interval = [12.3, 15.8]) for auditory hallucinatory experiences. At the bivariate level, each psychotic experience subtype was associated with increased likelihood of major depression, being bullied, psychological distress, low self-esteem, mental health service use and insufficient sleep ( hours per night). Multivariate analyses revealed both auditory and visual hallucinatory experiences were associated with an increased likelihood of four of these variables (depression, being bullied, service use, insufficient sleep), whereas associations with delusional experiences were inconsistent. Hallucinatory and delusional experiences are common in Australian adolescents. Hallucinatory experiences, rather than delusional experiences, may be more clinically relevant in this demographic. When psychotic experiences are endorsed by adolescents, further assessment is indicated so as to ascertain more detail on the phenomenology of the experiences to better understand their clinical relevance.
Introducing ‘Young Minds Matter’
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-11-2016
The association of mobile touch screen device use with parent-child attachment: a systematic review.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 26-07-2021
DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2021.1948617
Abstract: Mobile touch screen devices (smartphones and tablet computers) have become an integral part of many parents' and children's lives, with this interaction linked to physical, mental and social outcomes. Despite the known importance of parent-child attachment, evidence on the association between device use and attachment was yet to be reviewed. Following protocol pre-registration, databases were searched, papers screened, and methodological quality assessed. Three papers met the inclusion criteria, and reported some negative associations between duration of parent/child smartphone use and attachment outcomes. A narrative synthesis on two groups of related papers found child time using any screen technology (including television viewing), and child 'problematic' internet, mobile phone, gaming and social media use, was negatively associated with attachment outcomes. Currently there is limited direct evidence on any association between time parents or children spend using these devices and parent-child attachment to support time guidelines for families and professionals working with families.
Poverty, Parental Mental Health and Child/Adolescent Mental Disorders: Findings from a National Australian Survey
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-06-2018
Maternal prenatal stress exposure and sex-specific risk of severe infection in offspring
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-01-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0245747
Abstract: Maternal stressful life events during pregnancy have been associated with immune dysregulation and increased risk for asthma and atopy in offspring. Few studies have investigated whether prenatal stress is associated with increased overall or specific infectious diseases in childhood, nor explored sex differences. We sought to examine the relationship between the nature and timing of maternal stress in pregnancy and hospitalisation with infection in offspring. Between 1989 and 1992, exposure data on stressful life events were collected from pregnant women (Gen1) in the Raine Study at 18 and 34 weeks’ gestation and linked to statutory state-wide hospital morbidity data. We examined associations between the number, category and timing of maternal prenatal stress events and overall and clinical groups of offspring (Gen2) infection-related hospitalisation until age 16 years, adjusting for maternal age, education, and smoking in pregnancy in addition to the presence of siblings at birth. Of 2,141 offspring with complete stress in pregnancy data available, 1,089 had at least one infection-related hospitalisation, with upper respiratory tract infections the most common (n = 556). Each additional stressful life event during pregnancy was associated with increased risk in male offspring for hospitalisation with all infection types. There was little evidence of these associations in girls. Increased exposure to stressful life events in utero is associated with sex-specific infection-related hospitalisations in childhood. Prenatal stress may adversely affect early immune development for boys and increase the risk of more severe infections. Mechanistic understanding would inform preventative interventions.
Feasibility of a Consumer Centred Tobacco Management intervention in Community Mental Health Services in Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-02-2020
How body composition influences hearing status by mid-childhood and mid-life: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-07-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41366-018-0170-6
Abstract: Hearing loss is a disabling condition whose prevalence rises with age. Obesity-a risk factor common to many non-communicable diseases-now appears to be implicated. We aimed to determine: (1) cross-sectional associations of body composition measures with hearing in mid-childhood and mid-life and (2) its longitudinal associations with 10-year body mass index (BMI) trajectories. Design & Participants: There were 1481 11-12-year-old children and 1266 mothers in the population-based cross-sectional CheckPoint study nested within the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Anthropometry (CheckPoint): BMI, fat/fat-free mass indices, waist-to-height ratio LSAC wave 2-6-biennial measured BMI. Audiometry (CheckPoint): Mean hearing threshold across 1, 2 and 4 kHz hearing loss (threshold > 15 dB HL, better ear). Latent class models identifying BMI trajectories linear/logistic regression quantifying associations of body composition/trajectories with hearing threshold/loss. Measures of adiposity, but not fat-free mass, were cross-sectionally associated with hearing. Fat mass index predicted the hearing threshold and loss in children (β 0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-0.8, P < 0.001 , odds ratio (OR) 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4, P = 0.05) and mothers (β 0.8, 95% CI 0.5-1.2, P < 0.001 OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4, P = 0.003). Concurrent obesity (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.1, P = 0.02) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) ≥ 0.6 (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3, P = 0.01) predicted maternal hearing, with similar but attenuated patterns in children. In longitudinal analyses, mothers', but not children's, BMI trajectories predicted hearing (OR for severely obese 3.0, 95% CI 1.4-6.6, P = 0.01). Concurrent adiposity and decade-long BMI trajectories showed small, but clear, associations with poor hearing in mid-life women, with emergent patterns by mid-childhood. This suggests that obesity may play a role in the rising global burden of hearing loss. Replication and mechanistic and body compositional studies could elucidate possible causal relationships.
Family Dynamics over the Life Course
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2022
A study protocol for community implementation of a new mental health monitoring system spanning early childhood to young adulthood
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Date: 07-2023
DOI: 10.1332/175795921X16599509057666
Abstract: Findings from longitudinal research, globally, repeatedly emphasise the importance of taking an early life course approach to mental health promotion one that invests in the formative years of development, from early childhood to young adulthood, just prior to the transition to parenthood for most. While population monitoring systems have been developed for this period, they are typically designed for use within discrete stages (i.e., childhood or adolescent or young adulthood). No system has yet captured development across all ages and stages (i.e., from infancy through to young adulthood). Here we describe the development, and pilot implementation, of a new Australian Comprehensive Monitoring System (CMS) designed to address this gap by measuring social and emotional development (strengths and difficulties) across eight census surveys, separated by three yearly intervals (infancy, 3-, 6-, 9- 12-, 15-, 18 and 21 years). The system also measures the family, school, peer, digital and community social climates in which children and young people live and grow. Data collection is community-led and built into existing, government funded, universal services (Maternal Child Health, Schools and Local Learning and Employment Networks) to maximise response rates and ensure sustainability. The first system test will be completed and evaluated in rural Victoria, Australia, in 2022. CMS will then be adapted for larger, more socio-economically erse regional and metropolitan communities, including Australian First Nations communities. The aim of CMS is to guide community-led investments in mental health promotion from early childhood to young adulthood, setting secure foundations for the next generation.
Reliability and Validity of a Short Version of the General Functioning Subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/FAMP.12113
Abstract: The General Functioning 12-item subscale (GF12) of The McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) has been validated as a single index measure to assess family functioning. This study reports on the reliability and validity of using only the six positive items from the General Functioning subscale (GF6+). Existing data from two Western Australian studies, the Raine Study (RS) and the Western Australian Child Health Survey (WACHS), was used to analyze the psychometric properties of the GF6+ subscale. The results demonstrated that the GF6+ subscale had virtually equivalent psychometric properties and was able to identify almost all of the same families who had healthy or unhealthy levels of functioning as the full GF12 subscale. In consideration of the constraints faced by large-scale population-based surveys, the findings of this study support the use of a GF6+ subscale from the FAD, as a quick and effective tool to assess the overall functioning of families.
Breastfeeding and early child development: A prospective cohort study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-03-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1651-2227.2011.02199.X
Abstract: Breastfeeding has been associated with multiple developmental advantages for the infant however, there have also been a number of studies that find no significant benefits to child development. We examined the relationship between breastfeeding for 4 months or longer and child development at age 1, 2 and 3 years. Women were enrolled in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study (N = 2900) and their live born children (N = 2868) were followed to the age of 3 years (N = 2280). Infant feeding data were collected at each age, and the mothers completed the Infant/Child Monitoring Questionnaire (IMQ), which measures progress towards developmental milestones in the domains of gross and fine motor skills, adaptability, sociability and communication. Factors adjusted for in multivariable analyses included maternal sociodemographic characteristics and stressful life events. Infants breastfed for 4 months or longer had significantly higher mean scores (representing better functioning) for fine motor skills at age 1 and 3, significantly higher adaptability scores up to age two, and higher communication scores at age 1 and 3 years. Infants who were breastfed for <4 months were more likely to have at least one atypical score across the five developmental domains than those who were breastfed for 4 months or longer. Although our effect sizes were small, breastfeeding for 4 months or longer was associated with improved developmental outcomes for children aged one to 3 years after adjustment for multiple confounding factors.
Antecedents of teenage pregnancy from a 14-year follow-up study using data linkage
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-02-2010
Abstract: Many western nations continue to have high rates of teenage pregnancies and births, which can result in adverse outcomes for both mother and child. This study identified possible antecedents of teenage pregnancy using linked data from administrative sources to create a 14-year follow-up from a cross-sectional survey. Data were drawn from two sources - the 1993 Western Australian Child Health Survey (WACHS), a population-based representative s le of 2,736 children aged 4 to 16 years (1,374 girls) and administrative data relating to all their subsequent births and hospital admissions. We used weighted population estimates to examine differences between rates for teenage pregnancy, motherhood and abortion. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to model risk for teenage pregnancy. There were 155 girls aged less than 20 years at the time of their first recorded pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy was significantly associated with: family type highest school year completed by primary carer combined carer income whether the primary carer was a smoker and whether the girl herself displayed aggressive and delinquent behaviours. An age-interaction analysis on the association with aggressive and delinquent behaviours found that while girls with aggressive and delinquent behaviours who were older at the time of the survey were at highest risk of teenage pregnancy, there was elevated risk for future teenage pregnancy across all ages. Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce teenage pregnancy rates could be introduced during primary school years, including those that are focused on the prevention and management of aggressive and delinquent behaviour.
Time spent in different types of childcare and children's development at school entry: an Australian longitudinal study
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 09-09-2015
DOI: 10.1136/ARCHDISCHILD-2014-306626
Abstract: To investigate whether the total amount of time in childcare through the first 3 years of life was associated with children's receptive vocabulary, externalising and internalising problem behaviours at age 4–5 years, and whether this association varied for different types of childcare. We used data from the prospective, population-based Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=3208–4066, depending on outcome). Parental reports of the time spent in different types of childcare were collected at face-to-face interviews at age 0–1years and at age 2–3 years. Children's receptive vocabulary was directly assessed in the child's home, and externalising and internalising behaviours were measured by questionnaire, completed by parents and teachers at age 4–5 years. At 3 years of age, 75% of the s le spent regular time in the care of someone other than the parent. After adjustment, more time in childcare was not associated with children's receptive vocabulary ability but was associated with higher levels of parent-reported (β=0.10 (95% CI 0.00 to 0.21)) and teacher-reported (β=0.31 (0.19 to 0.44)) externalising problem behaviours and lower levels of parent-reported internalising problem behaviours (β=−0.08 (−0.15 to −0.00)). Compared with children who did not attend any type of childcare, children in centre-based care had higher parent-reported and teacher-reported externalising and lower internalising problem behaviours. More time in centre-based childcare (but not other types of care) through the first 3 years of life was associated with higher parent-reported and teacher-reported externalising problem behaviours, and lower parent-reported internalising problem behaviours but not with children's receptive vocabulary ability at school entry.
Relationship between the neighbourhood built environment and early child development
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPLACE.2017.08.010
Abstract: The relationship between features of the neighbourhood built environment and early child development was investigated using area-level data from the Australian Early Development Census. Overall 9.0% of children were developmentally vulnerable on the Physical Health and Well-being domain, 8.1% on the Social Competence domain and 8.1% on the Emotional Maturity domain. After adjustment for socio-demographic factors, Local Communities with the highest quintile of home yard space had significantly lower odds of developmental vulnerability on the Emotional Maturity domain. Residing in a Local Community with fewer main roads was associated with a decrease in the proportion of children developmentally vulnerable on the Social Competence domain. Overall, sociodemographic factors were more important than aspects of the neighbourhood physical environment for explaining variation between Local Communities in the developmental vulnerability of children.
Child behaviour following low to moderate maternal drinking in pregnancy
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-10-2010
Maternal life events during pregnancy and offspring language ability in middle childhood: The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.EARLHUMDEV.2010.06.009
Abstract: There is accumulating evidence for a link between maternal stress during pregnancy and later behavioural and emotional problems in children. Little research has examined other developmental outcomes. To determine the effect of maternal stress during pregnancy on offspring language ability in middle childhood. Longitudinal pregnancy cohort-study. A total of 2900 mothers were recruited prior to the 18th week of pregnancy, delivering 2868 live births. The language ability of just under half of the offspring cohort (n=1309 45.6% of original s le) was assessed in middle childhood (Mean age=10 , Standard deviation=0 , range: 9 -11 ). Language ability was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). The main predictor variable was the frequency of 10 typically 'stressful' life events experienced by mothers during early and/or late pregnancy. Children were allocated to four groups according to whether they were exposed to high maternal stress (>or=2 life events) during early pregnancy only, late pregnancy only, both, or neither. Mixed-effects regression analyses revealed no association between the maternal experience of two or more stressful life events at any time-point during pregnancy and PPVT-R scores. Repeating the regression analyses with more lenient (>or=1 life events) or strict (>or=3 life events) thresholds for defining high-levels of maternal stress did not alter the pattern of findings. Maternal experience of typically stressful life events during pregnancy has a negligible effect on vocabulary development to middle childhood.
Lifestyle and demographic correlates of poor mental health in early adolescence
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-10-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1440-1754.2010.01891.X
Abstract: Aim: To determine the constellation of lifestyle and demographic factors that are associated with poor mental health in an adolescent population. Methods: The Raine Study 14‐year follow‐up involved primary care givers and their adolescent children ( n = 1860). The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used to assess adolescent mental health. We examined diet, socio‐demographic data, family functioning, physical activity, screen use and risk‐taking behaviours with mental health outcomes using linear regression. Results: Adolescents with higher intakes of meat and meat alternatives and ‘extras’ foods had poorer mental health status. Adverse socio‐economic conditions, higher hours of screen use and ever partaking in the health risk behaviours of smoking and early sexual activity were significantly associated with increasing CBCL scores, indicative of poorer functioning. Conclusions: By identifying the lifestyle and demographic factors that accompany poorer mental health in early adolescence, we are able to better understand the context of mental health problems as they occur within an adolescent population.
School readiness is more than the child: a latent class analysis of child, family, school and community aspects of school readiness
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-10-2020
DOI: 10.1002/AJS4.138
Abstract: In this paper, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the multidimensional nature of school readiness. In a s le of over 4,000 Australian children in their first year of school, we used latent class analysis to examine patterns of school readiness based on child, family, school and community characteristics, and examine the relationship between these patterns of school readiness and subsequent outcomes (reading comprehension, school absence and emotional and behavioural difficulties). We identified four distinct groups: a Developmentally Enabled group (70 per cent of children), a Parenting Risk group (16 per cent of children), an Emotionally Immature Risk group (7 per cent of children) and a Language and Developmental Risks group (7 per cent of children). The four profiles showed differential patterns of association with low reading comprehension and emotional and behavioural difficulties at age 8, but no association with school absence. The study highlights the importance of family, school and community factors when considering school readiness.
Barriers to Parent–Child Book Reading in Early Childhood
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-09-2016
Maternal death and the onward psychosocial circumstances of Australian Aboriginal children and young people
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 05-01-2011
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291710002485
Abstract: This study sought to determine the social and emotional impact of maternal loss on Aboriginal children and young people using data from the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS). Data were from a population-based random s le of 5289 Aboriginal children aged under 18 years. Interview data about the children were gathered from primary carers and from their school teachers. Probabilistic record linkage to death registrations was used to ascertain deaths. Association between maternal death and subsequent psychosocial outcomes was assessed using univariate analyses and logistic regression. Of the 5289 Aboriginal children, 57 had experienced the death of their birth mother prior to the survey. Multi-variable adjustment accounting for age and gender found that, relative to children who were living with their birth mother, children whose birth mother had died were at higher risk for sniffing glue or other substances [odds ratio (OR) 3.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–8.7], using other drugs (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2–6.8), talking about suicide (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2–5.7) and attempting suicide (OR 7.0, 95% CI 1.6–31.1). Although the death of a birth mother is relatively rare and the vast majority of Aboriginal children with adverse developmental outcomes live in families and are cared for by their birth mother, the findings here suggest that the loss of a birth mother and the circumstances arising from this impart a level of onward developmental risk for mental health morbidity in Australian Aboriginal children.
Dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids and risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 27-04-2011
DOI: 10.1002/DA.20822
Abstract: Previous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are beneficial in reducing symptoms of depression. However, there is limited evidence regarding the influence of dietary n-3 PUFA intake on mood in adolescents drawn from population studies. In the present investigation, we examined the relationship between dietary n-3 PUFA intake on depression symptomatology in a large prospective pregnancy cohort followed for 17 years. Adolescents enrolled in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess dietary fatty acid intake, as well as other dietary factors at age 14 and a fasting blood s le was taken. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth (BDI-Y) at age 14 (N = 1,407) and at age 17 (N = 995). An inverse relationship was observed between intake of both saturated fat and of n-3 PUFA at age 14 and BDI-Y scores at both 14 and 17 years of age. However, after adjusting for energy (kJ) intake and other lifestyle confounders, the relationships were no longer significant. Associations previously reported between n3 PUFA and depressive symptoms may be due to collinearity with other dietary and lifestyle factors.
Maternal alcohol use disorder and child school attendance outcomes for non-Indigenous and Indigenous children in Western Australia: a population cohort record linkage study
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 07-2017
Childcare Use and Its Role in Indigenous Child Development: Evidence from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children in Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-11-2016
Prevalence of Mental Disorders Among Children and Adolescents of Parents with Self-Reported Mental Health Problems
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-12-2017
DOI: 10.1007/S10597-017-0217-5
Abstract: This paper provides Australian population-level estimates of the prevalence of parental self-reported lifetime mental disorders and past 12 month mental disorders in their children. It leverages unique data from the 2013-2014 Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (Young Minds Matter) (n = 6310). Mental disorders were assessed in 4-17 year-olds using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV. Primary carer (PC) and secondary carer mental health was based on PC-reported lifetime diagnoses. Over one-third of 4-17 year-olds had a PC with a lifetime diagnosis. The prevalence of all disorders was significantly higher amongst these children than children whose PC reported no diagnoses, and highest when the PC had comorbid and more severe disorders. Assessing mental health needs at a family level is important to identify children who are particularly vulnerable to developing mental disorders, to develop targeted interventions, and to understand the intergenerational transmission of risk.
“Coronavirus Changed the Rules on Everything”: Parent Perspectives on How the COVID-19 Pandemic Influenced Family Routines, Relationships and Technology Use in Families with Infants
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-12-2021
Abstract: This study explores how the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced family routines, relationships and technology use (smartphones and tablet computers) among families with infants. Infancy is known to be an important period for attachment security and future child development, and a time of being susceptible to changes within and outside of the family unit. A qualitative design using convenience s ling was employed. A total of 30 mothers in Perth, Western Australia participated in semi-structured interviews by audio or video call. All mothers were parents of infants aged 9 to 15 months old. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, and data were analysed using thematic analysis to code and identify themes in an inductive manner. Families described staying home and stopping all external activities. Three themes relating to family interactions and wellbeing were found: enhanced family relationships prompted reflection on family schedules and increased parental stress. Two themes related to family device use were found: enabled connections to be maintained and source of disrupted interactions within the family unit. Overall, participants described more advantages than downsides of device use during COVID-19. Findings will be of value in providing useful information for families, health professionals and government advisors for use during future pandemic-related restrictions.
Correlates of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Adolescents Who Experience Bullying Victimisation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-02-2021
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Language Delay in 2-Year-Old Children: The Importance of Dose and Timing on Risk
Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Date: 02-2009
Abstract: OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of dose and timing of prenatal alcohol exposure with early language acquisition. METHODS. We examined language delay in a randomly selected, population-based s le of Western Australian children born in 1995–1996 whose mothers had agreed to participate in a longitudinal study on health-related behaviors and who had completed the 2-year questionnaire (N = 1739). Information on alcohol consumption was collected at 3 months after birth for four periods the three months pre-pregnancy and for each trimester separately. Prenatal alcohol exposure was grouped into none, low, moderate-heavy and binge (& ) based on the total quantity consumed per week, quantity consumed per occasion, and frequency of consumption. The communication scale from the Ages & Stages Questionnaire was used to evaluate language delay. Logistic regression analysis was used to generate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for confounding factors. RESULTS. There was no association between low levels of alcohol consumption and language delay at any time period, although there was a nonsignificant 30% increase in risk when moderate-to-heavy levels of alcohol were consumed in the third trimester. Children exposed to a binge pattern of maternal alcohol consumption in the second trimester had nonsignificant, three-fold increased odds of language delay, with a similar estimate following third trimester alcohol exposure after controlling for covariates. CONCLUSIONS. This study did not detect an association between low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure and language delay when compared with women who abstained from alcohol during pregnancy. A nonsignificant threefold increase in the likelihood of language delay was seen in children whose mothers binged during late pregnancy. However, the small numbers of women with a binge-drinking pattern in late pregnancy limited the power of this study studies analyzing larger numbers of children exposed to binge drinking in late pregnancy are needed.
Quality of childcare influences children's attentiveness and emotional regulation at school entry
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPEDS.2014.06.011
Abstract: To examine the association between domain-specific qualities of formal childcare at age 2-3 years and children's task attentiveness and emotional regulation at age 4-5 and 6-7 years. We used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n = 1038). Three domain-specific aspects of childcare quality were assessed: provider and program characteristics of care, activities in childcare, and carer-child relationship. Two self-regulatory abilities were considered: task attentiveness and emotional regulation. Associations between domain-specific qualities of childcare and self-regulation were investigated in linear regression analyses adjusted for confounding, with imputation for missing data. There was no association between any provider or program characteristics of care and children's task attentiveness and emotional regulation. The quality of activities in childcare were associated only with higher levels of emotional regulation at age 4-5 years (β = 0.24 95% CI, 0.03-0.44) and 6-7 years (β = 0.26 95% CI, 0.04-0.48). Higher-quality carer-child relationships were associated with higher levels of task attentiveness (β = 0.20 95% CI, 0.05-0.36) and emotional regulation at age 4-5 years (β = 0.19 95% CI, 0.04-0.34) that persisted to age 6-7 years (β = 0.26 95% CI, 0.10-0.42 β = 0.31 95% CI, 0.16-0.47). Among children using formal childcare, those who experienced higher-quality relationships were better able to regulate their attention and emotions as they started school. Higher emotional regulation was also observed for children engaged in more activities in childcare. Beneficial effects were stable over time.
Prenatal and perinatal risks for late language emergence in a population-level sample of twins at age 2
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-02-2018
Association Between Socioeconomic Status and the Development of Asthma: Analyses of Income Trajectories
Publisher: American Public Health Association
Date: 03-2010
Abstract: Objectives. Using data on 2868 children born in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, we examined the association between changes in family socioeconomic status and childhood asthma. Methods. We determined the likelihood (odds ratio) of a child having asthma at ages 6 and 14 years for 4 family-income trajectories (chronic low, increasing, decreasing, and never low) over the child's lifetime. The trajectories were created from longitudinal latent-class models. Results. We found a 2-fold increased risk of asthma at age 14 years among children who had lived in a low-income family since birth, especially for girls. Asthma was less likely to occur in children born to single parents income rose over time in many of these families. Compared with children in chronic low-income families, children in households with increasing incomes had a 60% lower risk of asthma. Single-point measures of low income were not found to be associated with asthma. Conclusions. Chronic exposure to a low-income environment from birth was associated with the development of persistent asthma. There was also a protective effect against asthma among those children whose families had moved out of poverty.
Associations Between Developmental Risk Profiles, Mental Disorders, and Student Absences Among Primary and Secondary Students in Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-04-2021
Severity and persistence of asthma and mental health: a birth cohort study
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 29-08-2012
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291712001754
Abstract: The goal of the current study was to investigate asthma and mental health among youth in the community, and to consider the role of asthma severity and persistence in this link. Data were drawn from the Raine Study, a population-based birth cohort study in Western Australia. Logistic regression models and generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship between asthma at age 5 years and the range of internalizing and externalizing mental health problems at ages 5–17 years. Analyses were stratified by asthma severity and persistence, and adjusted for a range of potential confounders. More severe and persistent asthma at age 5 was associated with significantly increased odds of affective, anxiety, somatic, oppositional defiant and conduct problems at ages 5–17. Mild asthma and remitted asthma were not associated with heightened vulnerability to mental disorders. Our results suggest that youth with symptomatic asthma are more likely to suffer from a wide range of mental health problems, and that the likelihood of mental health problems appears to increase as a function of asthma severity. Youth with poorly controlled and/or more severe and persistent asthma may be considered a vulnerable group who might benefit from mental health screening in clinical, school and community settings.
SETTING MINIMUM STANDARDS OF EVIDENCE FOR POPULATION HEALTH INTERVENTIONS
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-08-2011
Gender differences in time allocation contribute to differences in developmental outcomes in children and adolescents
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Anxiety Trajectories in Adolescents and the Impact of Social Support and Peer Victimization
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-01-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10802-021-00887-W
Abstract: This paper examines whether adolescents can be reliably categorized into subgroups based on their patterns of anxiety levels over time and whether low levels of social support from parents, peers, and their school, and high levels of peer victimization, predict a pattern of increasing anxiety. Participants were 3392 youth from the Longitudinal Study of Australia's Children (LSAC). Youth-reported anxiety was measured at three occasions at ages 12/13 years, 14/15 years, and 16/17 years, with social support and victimization assessed at age 12/13 years. Anxiety trajectories were identified using latent class growth mixture modelling, and predictors of class membership were examined using multinomial logistic regression analyses. Three discrete classes of anxiety trajectories were identified. Most youth fell within a stable-low anxiety symptom class (89.5% males 78.2% females), with smaller percentages in low-increasing (5.6% males 14.4% females) or high-decreasing (4.9% males 7.4% females) classes. Low support from parents and teachers, low sense of school belonging, and high peer victimization predicted membership of the low-increasing anxiety trajectory class, irrespective of gender. Social support did not moderate the effect of peer victimization upon the risk of developing anxiety, with peer victimization remaining a risk factor even when adolescents experienced good social support from parents, peers, and school. The findings highlight the need for screening in early adolescence to identify those who are experiencing low social support and high peer victimization and are thus at increased risk of developing anxiety problems. These youth could then be offered targeted intervention to reduce the likelihood of anxiety development.
Maternal Alcohol-Use Disorder and Child Outcomes
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 08-2020
Children's neighbourhood physical environment and early development
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 20-01-2020
Abstract: Identification of features of the neighbourhood physical environment that have a causal association with positive child development is important for promoting long-term developmental health. Previous research on these associations have been conducted at the neighbourhood level, and do not account for in idual variation in exposure to these features. This cross-sectional study utilised de-identified linked administrative data. Neighbourhood features were measured with Geographic Information Systems and identified within a 1600 m service area around the child’s home address. The study population included a random selection of 5024 Western Australian children who participated in the 2012 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC median age 5 years, 5 months). Multi-level logistic regressions modelled the odds of children scoring in the bottom 10% on the physical, social or emotional AEDC domains as an outcome of neighbourhood features. After adjustment for in idual and neighbourhood sociodemographic factors, lower odds of physical vulnerability were associated with increased neighbourhood residential density, presence of railway station, and higher counts of playgroups and kindergartens. Larger areas of neighbourhood home-yard space were associated with increased odds of physical and social vulnerability. Presence of high-quality green spaces was associated with lower odds of social vulnerability. Increased road traffic exposure was associated with higher odds of social and emotional vulnerability. The neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development. Future research should consider the interplay between the neighbourhood environment and proximal influences, including parenting attributes and socioeconomic status, and how they influence early child development.
Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy predict parent-reported difficult temperament in infancy
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 04-2013
The association between dietary patterns and mental health in early adolescence
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2009
DOI: 10.1016/J.YPMED.2009.05.009
Abstract: To investigate the associations between dietary patterns and mental health in early adolescence. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study is a prospective study of 2900 pregnancies recruited from 1989-1992. At 14 years of age (2003-2006 n=1324), the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used to assess behaviour (characterising mental health status), with higher scores representing poorer behaviour. Two dietary patterns (Western and Healthy) were identified using factor analysis and food group intakes estimated by a 212-item food frequency questionnaire. Relationships between dietary patterns, food group intakes and behaviour were examined using general linear modelling following adjustment for potential confounding factors at age 14: total energy intake, body mass index, physical activity, screen use, family structure, income and functioning, gender and maternal education at pregnancy. Higher total (b=2.20, 95% CI=1.06, 3.35), internalizing (withdrawn/depressed) (b=1.25, 95% CI=0.15, 2.35) and externalizing (delinquent/aggressive) (b=2.60, 95% CI=1.51, 3.68) CBCL scores were significantly associated with the Western dietary pattern, with increased intakes of takeaway foods, confectionary and red meat. Improved behavioural scores were significantly associated with higher intakes of leafy green vegetables and fresh fruit (components of the Healthy pattern). These findings implicate a Western dietary pattern in poorer behavioural outcomes for adolescents. Better behavioural outcomes were associated with a higher intake of fresh fruit and leafy green vegetables.
Erratum to: Trends in sugar supply and consumption in Australia: is there an Australian Paradox?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2013
Gaps in Indigenous disadvantage not closing: a census cohort study of social determinants of health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981–2006
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-02-2014
The association of infant feeding with parent‐reported infections and hospitalisations in the West Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2008
DOI: 10.1111/J.1753-6405.2008.00218.X
Abstract: To examine infant feeding associations with parent-reported infections and hospitalisations in Western Australian Aboriginal infants and children. Families in Western Australia with children under 18 years of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent were included. A stratified multi-stage s le using an area-based s ling frame was compiled. Survey weights produced unbiased estimates for the population of families with Aboriginal children. Data were collected on demographic variables, maternal and infant characteristics and parent-reported recurring chest, ear and gastrointestinal infections. The data were linked to the Hospital Morbidity System to identify hospitalisations for infections for the same children. Twenty-seven per cent of Aboriginal children were breastfed for less than three months. Parent-reported recurring chest, ear and gastrointestinal infections were reported in 47% of the 0-3 age group. Hospitalisations due to upper respiratory and gastrointestinal infections were most common in the older children, but wheezing lower respiratory infections were most common in younger children. Breastfeeding for less than three months and birth weight less than 2,500 g were risk factors for parent-reported chest infections and hospitalisations for upper and wheezing lower respiratory infections (p<0.05). Rates of parent-reported chest infections and hospitalisations due to these infections continue to be high in Aboriginal infants and children. Because breastfeeding for less than three months and low birth weight are risk factors for these infections, interventions to reduce the prevalence of low birth weight and to increase breastfeeding rates should be primary health goals in Aboriginal communities for the benefits of Aboriginal infants and children.
Two Methods for Engaging with the Community in Setting Priorities for Child Health Research: Who Engages?
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-05-2015
Clustering of Psychosocial Symptoms in Overweight Children
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1080/00048670701787560
Abstract: Objective: The aims of the present study were to (i) examine the relationship between children's degree of adiposity and psychosocial functioning and (ii) compare patterns of clustering of psychosocial measures between healthy weight and overweight/obese children. Method: Cross-sectional data from a population-based cohort of 158 healthy weight, 77 overweight, and 27 obese children aged 8–13 years were analysed. Height, weight depression, quality of life, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, peer relationships and behavioural and emotional problems were measured. Results: Multi-level analysis showed significant linear associations between child body mass index z-scores and the psychosocial variables, with increasing adiposity associated with increasing levels of psychosocial distress. Principal components analyses indicated subtle differences between the healthy weight and overweight/obese groups with regards to the clustering of psychosocial measures. In particular, in overweight/obese, but not in healthy weight children, global self-worth clustered with body image and eating disorder symptoms. Conclusions: The psychosocial burden of excess weight is significant and broad reaching, with overweight/obese children showing multiple significant psychosocial problems.
WHAT IMPACT DO OBSTETRIC COMPLICATIONS HAVE ON THE RISK OF ADVERSE PSYCHIATRIC OUTCOMES FOR THE HIGH RISK CHILDREN OF MOTHERS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER PSYCHOSES?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2008
The association between playgroup participation, learning competence and social-emotional wellbeing for children aged four–five years in Australia
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 06-2012
DOI: 10.1177/183693911203700211
Abstract: DATA FROM Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children is used to examine the associations between playgroup participation and the outcomes for children aged four to five years. Controlling for a range of socioeconomic and family characteristics, playgroup participation from birth to three years was used to predict learning competence and social-emotional functioning outcomes at age four–five years. For learning competence, both boys and girls from disadvantaged families scored three–four per cent higher if they attended playgroup at ages birth–one year and two–three years compared to boys and girls from disadvantaged families who did not attend playgroup. For social and emotional functioning, girls from disadvantaged families who attended playgroup at ages birth–one year and two–three years scored nearly five per cent higher than those who did not attend. Demographic characteristics also showed that disadvantaged families were the families least likely to access these services. Despite data limitations, this study provides evidence that continued participation in playgroups is associated with better outcomes for children from disadvantaged families.
Higher Maternal Protectiveness Is Associated with Higher Odds of Child Overweight and Obesity: A Longitudinal Australian Study
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 23-06-2014
Early mental health morbidity and later smoking at age 17 years
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 20-10-2011
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291711002182
Abstract: We examined the relationship between the onset and pattern of childhood mental health disorders and subsequent current smoking status at age 17 years. Data were from a prospective cohort study of 2868 births of which 1064 supplied information about their current smoking at 17 years of age. The association between the onset and pattern of clinically significant mental health disorders in the child and subsequent smoking at age 17 years was estimated via multivariable logistic regression. Relative to 17 year olds who never had an externalizing disorder, 17-year-olds who had an externalizing disorder at age 5, 8 or 14 years were, respectively, 2.0 times [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24–3.25], 1.9 (95% CI 1.00–3.65) or 3.9 times (95% CI 1.73–8.72) more likely to be a current smoker. Children with an ongoing pattern of externalizing disorder were 3.0 times (95% CI 1.89–4.84) more likely to be smokers at the age of 17 years and those whose mothers reported daily consumption of 6–10 cigarettes at 18 weeks' gestation were 2.5 times (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.26–4.83) more likely to report smoking at 17 years of age. Associations with early anxiety and depression in the child were not found. Current smoking in 17-year-olds may be underpinned by early emergent, and then, ongoing, externalizing disorder that commenced as young as age 5 years as well as exposure to early prenatal maternal smoking. The associations documented in adults and adolescents that link tobacco smoking and mental health are likely to be in play at these early points in development.
International Comparisons of Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Preschool Children: Parents' Reports From 24 Societies
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-04-2011
Nowhere to Go and Nothing to Do but Sit? Youth Screen Time and the Association With Access to Neighborhood Destinations
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 28-07-2016
Abstract: With not much to do in their neighborhood, youth may spend more time in the home engaged in screen-based activities. Screen time data from 2,790 youth in the Western Australian Health and Wellbeing Survey were linked to objectively measured count of types of neighborhood “services,” “convenience goods,” “public open space,” and “youth-related” destinations. On average, youth accrued 801 mean min/week screen time and had access to seven different types of neighborhood destinations. A larger number of different types of neighborhood “youth-related,” “service,” and “total” destinations were associated with less screen time (all p ≤ .05). A significant gender interaction was observed. Girls with access to ≥12 youth-related destinations had 109 fewer mean min/week screen time, compared with girls with 0 to 3 youth-related destinations. Providing alternatives to screen use by ensuring access to a variety of neighborhood places for structured and unstructured activities may be an important strategy for decreasing youth screen time.
Social gradients in the health of Indigenous Australians
Publisher: American Public Health Association
Date: 2012
Abstract: The pattern of association between socioeconomic factors and health outcomes has primarily depicted better health for those who are higher in the social hierarchy. Although this is a ubiquitous finding in the health literature, little is known about the interplay between these factors among indigenous populations. We begin to bridge this knowledge gap by assessing evidence on social gradients in indigenous health in Australia. We reveal a less universal and less consistent socioeconomic status patterning in health among Indigenous Australians, and discuss the plausibility of unique historical circumstances and social and cultural characteristics in explaining these patterns. A more robust evidence base in this field is fundamental to processes that aim to reduce the pervasive disparities between indigenous and nonindigenous population health.
Methodology of Young Minds Matter: The second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 19-07-2016
Abstract: To describe the study design of Young Minds Matter: The second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. The aims of the study, s le design, development of survey content, field procedures and final questionnaires are detailed. During 2013–2014, a national household survey of the mental health and wellbeing of young people was conducted involving a s le of 6310 families selected at random from across Australia. The survey included a face-to-face diagnostic interview with parents/carers of 4- to 17-year-olds and a self-report questionnaire completed by young people aged 11–17 years. The overall response rate to the survey was 55% with 6310 parents/carers of eligible households participating in the survey. In addition, 2967 or 89% of young people aged 11–17 years in these participating households completed a questionnaire. The survey s le was found to be broadly representative of the Australian population on major demographic characteristics when compared with data from the Census of Population and Housing. However, adjustments were made for an over-representation of younger children aged 4 to 7 years and also families with more than one eligible child in the household. Young Minds Matter provides updated national prevalence estimates of common child and adolescent mental disorders, describes patterns of service use and will help to guide future decisions in the development of policy and provision of mental health services for children and adolescents. Advancements in interviewing methodology, addition of a data linkage component and informed content development contributed to improved breadth and quality of the data collected.
A three generation study of the mental health relationships between grandparents, parents and children
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-11-2013
Development and Assessment of Cumulative Risk Measures of Family Environment and Parental Investments in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-03-2017
Breastfeeding Duration and Academic Achievement at 10 Years
Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Date: 2011
Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between duration of breastfeeding and educational outcomes. We hypothesized that longer periods of breastfeeding would predict better educational outcomes in middle childhood. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study used a cohort of 2900 women who were enrolled at 18 weeks' gestation with 2868 live-born children were followed prospectively. At ∼10 years of age, data from 1038 children were linked to standardized mathematics, reading, writing, and spelling scores. Associations between breastfeeding duration and educational outcomes were estimated by using linear models with adjustment for gender, family income, maternal factors, and early stimulation at home through reading. Ten-year-old children who were predominantly breastfed for 6 months or longer in infancy had higher academic scores than children who were breastfed for less than 6 months. The effect of breastfeeding on educational outcomes differed according to gender boys were particularly responsive (in mathematics, spelling, reading, and writing) to a longer duration of breastfeeding. Predominant breastfeeding for 6 months or longer was positively associated with academic achievement in children at 10 years of age. However, the effectiveness of breastfeeding differed according to gender the benefits were only evident for boys.
'There's good and bad': parent perspectives on the influence of mobile touch screen device use on prenatal attachment.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-02-2022
DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2022.2041734
Abstract: The potential for human-computer interaction to have a substantial impact on adults is well documented. However, its potential importance prior to birth has rarely been reported. Parental use of smartphones and tablet computers could influence the relationship between parent and baby during pregnancy (prenatal attachment) and thus child development. Twenty-seven families were interviewed to explore how parents used these devices during pregnancy, and how device use influenced parents' thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards their baby while in utero. All used devices for a variety of purposes, and all described good levels of prenatal attachment. Parents described both disrupted and enhanced connectedness as a result of device use, and increased parental stress. The findings highlight a new opportunity for how device design and use guidelines could support families to maximise benefits and reduce detriments of device use to optimise prenatal attachment, and thus future parent-child attachment and child development.
Jurisdictional, socioeconomic and gender inequalities in child health and development: analysis of a national census of 5-year-olds in Australia
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 2012
The Long-Term Effects of Breastfeeding on Child and Adolescent Mental Health: A Pregnancy Cohort Study Followed for 14 Years
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPEDS.2009.10.020
Abstract: To determine whether there was an independent effect of breastfeeding on child and adolescent mental health. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study recruited 2900 pregnant women and followed the live births for 14 years. Mental health status was assessed by the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) at 2, 6, 8, 10, and 14 years. Maternal pregnancy, postnatal, and infant factors were tested in multivariable random effects models and generalized estimating equations to examine the effects of breastfeeding duration on mental health morbidity. Breastfeeding for less than 6 months compared with 6 months or longer was an independent predictor of mental health problems through childhood and into adolescence. This relationship was supported by the random effects models (increase in total CBCL score: 1.45 95% confidence interval 0.59, 2.30) and generalized estimating equation models (odds ratio for CBCL morbidity: 1.33 95% confidence interval 1.09, 1.62) showing increased behavioral problems with shorter breastfeeding duration. A shorter duration of breastfeeding may be a predictor of adverse mental health outcomes throughout the developmental trajectory of childhood and early adolescence.
Western Australian adolescent emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-01-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S13034-021-00433-Y
Abstract: The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been vast and are not limited to physical health. Many adolescents have experienced disruptions to daily life, including changes in their school routine and family’s financial or emotional security, potentially impacting their emotional wellbeing. In low COVID-19 prevalence settings, the impact of isolation has been mitigated for most young people through continued face-to-face schooling, yet there may still be significant impacts on their wellbeing that could be attributed to the pandemic. We report on data from 32,849 surveys from Year 7–12 students in 40 schools over two 2020 survey cycles (June/July: 19,240 October: 13,609), drawn from a study of 79 primary and secondary schools across Western Australia, Australia. The Child Health Utility Index (CHU9D) was used to measure difficulties and distress in responding secondary school students only. Using comparable Australian data collected six years prior to the pandemic, the CHU9D was calibrated against the Kessler-10 to establish a reliable threshold for CHU9D-rated distress. Compared to 14% of responding 12–18-year-olds in 2013/2014, in both 2020 survey cycles almost 40% of secondary students returned a CHU9D score above a threshold indicative of elevated difficulties and distress. Student distress increased significantly between June and October 2020. Female students, those in older Grades, those with few friendships or perceived poor quality friendships, and those with poor connectedness to school were more likely to score above the threshold. In a large dataset collected during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of secondary school students with scores indicative of difficulties and distress was substantially higher than a 2013/2014 benchmark, and distress increased as the pandemic progressed, despite the low local prevalence of COVID-19. This may indicate a general decline in social and emotional wellbeing exacerbated by the events of the pandemic. Trial registration: ANZCTRN (ACTRN12620000922976). Retrospectively registered 17/08/2020. www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380429& isReview=true .
“Through the Kids . . . We Connected With Our Community”
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 07-12-2011
Abstract: Both children and adults benefit from living in communities and neighborhoods that are rich in social capital. However, the research literature is relatively silent with respect to the influence that children may play as catalysts for the formation and maintenance of community or family stocks of social capital. This article investigates whether having dependent children living at home play a role in forging adult connections, community involvement, and social capital in a suburban context. The qualitative data were derived from 12 focus groups and the quantitative data from a survey of 339 residents in three Western Australian suburbs. Overall, the quantitative results found that social capital, neighborhood cohesion, and community participation were all significantly higher among respondents with dependent children living at home. The results have implications for urban design and community infrastructure, including the extent to which the built environment caters for children and fosters social connectedness among parents, families, and the broader community.
Bias in student survey findings from active parental consent procedures
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-03-2015
DOI: 10.1002/BERJ.3137
Racial discrimination and child and adolescent health in longitudinal studies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Associations between anxious-depressed symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors in a longitudinal childhood study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.YPMED.2012.03.004
Abstract: To examine the influence of anxious/depressed scores on cardiovascular risk factors throughout childhood. Data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, a study of 2900 pregnancies recruited between 1989 and 1991, were used. Anxious-depressed scores (derived from the Childhood Behavior Checklist), body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure were measured at 5 (n=1681), 8 (n=1697), 10 (n=1575) and 14 (n=1386) years. At age 14 depressive symptom scores (Beck Depression Inventory for Youth), anxious-depressed scores (Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Teacher Report Form (TRF)) and fasting lipid, glucose and insulin were also available. Cross sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted. At age 14, girls with higher anxious-depressed scores had higher BMI (p≤ 0.005) and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (p≤ 0.0001). This equated to a difference of 0.6 kg/m(2) and 0.3 units in predicted BMI and HOMA-IR respectively (top 5% vs. score of zero). Boys with higher anxious-depressed scores had lower systolic blood pressure trajectories (p=0.024). Depressive scores appear to have differing influences on BMI, homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure in boys and girls. Paradoxically boys with higher anxious-depressed scores had lower blood pressure throughout childhood.
The psychosocial burden of childhood overweight and obesity: evidence for persisting difficulties in boys and girls
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-05-2017
DOI: 10.1007/S00431-017-2931-Y
Abstract: There is evidence that overweight and obese children tend to remain overweight or obese into adolescence and adulthood. However, little is known about the long-term psychosocial outcomes of childhood overweight and obesity. This study aimed to investigate the course of psychosocial difficulties over a 2-year period for children who were overweight or obese at baseline, and a s le of children who were a healthy weight at baseline. Participants were 212 children aged 8 to 13 years at baseline, who were participating in the Childhood Growth and Development (GAD) Study. Questionnaire and interview measures were used to assess children's self-esteem, depressive symptoms, body image, eating disorder symptoms, experiences with bullying, family satisfaction and quality of life. Linear mixed models were used to consider longitudinal changes in psychosocial variables. Overweight and obese children reported greater psychosocial distress than healthy weight children, and these differences were more pronounced for girls than boys. Weight and psychosocial impairment showed stability from baseline to 2-year follow-up. The results of this study suggest that psychosocial difficulties show considerable stability in childhood, for overweight/obese and healthy weight children. What is Known: • Childhood obesity tracks into adolescence and adulthood. • Physical health problems associated with childhood obesity also persist to adulthood. What is New: • Overweight and obese children are at risk of ongoing psychosocial distress from childhood into early adolescence.
Caregiver-perceived racial discrimination is associated with diverse mental health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 7-12 years
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-09-2019
The collective impact of rare diseases in Western Australia: an estimate using a population-based cohort.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1038/GIM.2016.143
Patterns of Multiple Risk Exposures for Low Receptive Vocabulary Growth 4-8 Years in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 23-01-2017
Early Developmental Outcomes After Newborn Encephalopathy
Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Date: 2002
Abstract: Objective. The aim of this study was to ascertain the early developmental status of children who have a history of newborn encephalopathy. Methods. A longitudinal follow-up was conducted of a population-based, case-control study of children born in Western Australia between June 1993 and December 1996. The study included 276 term children (≥37 weeks’ gestation) with moderate or severe newborn encephalopathy and 564 unmatched term control subjects. The Griffiths Mental Development Scales was used to ascertain developmental status and a General Quotient (GQ) score. Outcome measures were the Griffiths developmental subscales, GQ, diagnosis of cerebral palsy, and mortality. Results. Thirty-four patients and 1 control subject died before reaching assessment. Between June 1994 and December 1999, 195 (81%) eligible patients and 445 (79%) eligible control subjects were assessed. Statistically significant differences were found between patients and control subjects for GQ and all developmental subscales. Overall, 39% of patients had a poor outcome as defined by death, cerebral palsy, or a significant degree of developmental delay, compared with 2.7% of control subjects. Furthermore, 62% of those with severe encephalopathy had a poor outcome compared with 25% of those with moderate encephalopathy. Patients with a history of seizures were 3 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy than patients without. Overall, 28 (10.1%) of patients have cerebral palsy. Conclusions. These data provide important prognostic information regarding survival and serious disability and indicate that newborn encephalopathy places children at significant risk of developmental delay by their second year. These findings also suggest that comprehensive clinical and educational assessments are required to enable appropriate educational provisions as these infants approach school entry.
Maternal Alcohol Use Disorder and Risk of Child Contact with the Justice System in Western Australia: A Population Cohort Record Linkage Study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-06-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ACER.13426
Child Health CheckPoint: cohort summary and methodology of a physical health and biospecimen module for the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2017-020261
Abstract: ‘Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children’ (LSAC) is Australia's only nationally representative children’s longitudinal study, focusing on social, economic, physical and cultural impacts on health, learning, social and cognitive development. LSAC's first decade collected wide-ranging repeated psychosocial and administrative data here, we describe the Child Health CheckPoint, LSAC’s dedicated biophysical module. LSAC recruited a cross-sequential s le of 5107 infants aged 0–1 year and a s le of 4983 children aged 4–5 years in 2004, since completing seven biennial visits. CheckPoint was a cross-sectional wave that travelled Australia in 2015–2016 to reach LSAC’s younger cohort at ages 11–12 years between LSAC waves 6 and 7. Parent–child pairs participated in comprehensive assessments at 15 Assessment Centres nationwide or, if unable to attend, a shorter home visit. CheckPoint’s intergenerational, multidimensional measures were prioritised to show meaningful variation within normal ranges and capture non-communicable disease (NCD) phenotype precursors. These included anthropometry, physical activity, fitness, time use, vision, hearing, and cardiovascular, respiratory and bone health. Biospecimens included blood, saliva, buccal swabs (also from second parent), urine, hair and toenails. The epidemiology and parent–child concordance of many measures are described in separate papers. 1874 (54% of eligible) parent–child pairs and 1051 second parents participated. Participants' geographical distribution mirrored the broader Australian population however, mean socioeconomic position and parental education were higher and fewer reported non-English-speaking or Indigenous backgrounds. Application of survey weights partially mitigates that the achieved s le is less population representative than previous waves of LSAC due to non-random attrition. Completeness was uniformly high for phenotypic data ( % of eligible), biospecimens (74%–97%) and consent (genetic analyses 98%, accessing neonatal blood spots 97%, sharing 96%). CheckPoint enriches LSAC to study how NCDs develop at the molecular and phenotypic levels before overt disease emerges, and clarify the underlying dimensionality of health in childhood and mid-adulthood.
Maternal alcohol use disorder and subsequent child protection contact: A record-linkage population cohort study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHIABU.2017.08.010
Abstract: We examined the relationship between a maternal alcohol-use diagnosis, and the timing of diagnosis, and child protection outcomes in a Western Australian population cohort. This analysis made use of routinely collected linked administrative health and child protection data. Those in scope for the study were women who had a birth recorded on the Western Australian Midwives Notification System (1983-2007). Women with an alcohol related diagnosis (ICD 9/10) on relevant datasets formed the exposed group. The comparison cohort were frequency matched to the exposed cohort. Generalized linear mixed models and a proportional hazards model were used to examine the relationship between a maternal alcohol-use diagnosis and subsequent child protection contact. Children of women with an alcohol-use diagnosis were at significantly increased risk of a substantiated child protection allegation (OR=2.92, 95%CI=2.71-3.14) and entry into out-of-home care (OR: 3.78, 95% CI=3.46-4.13). The highest risk of child protection contact was associated with diagnoses received during pregnancy, and in the years immediately pre- or post-pregnancy. Children whose mothers have an alcohol-use diagnosis are at increased risk of contact with child protection services. Despite current public health recommendations, some women continue to drink heavily during pregnancy. Additional work is required to identify effective strategies to reduce heavy alcohol use in this population. Further, women who have been identified to have alcohol use issues require additional support, from multiple agencies, to reduce the potential negative impacts on their child.
The potential impact of smoke-free facilities on smoking cessation in people with mental illness
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-2011
DOI: 10.3109/00048674.2011.619961
Abstract: Objective: The aim of this paper was to estimate the degree to which smoke-free facilities may facilitate smoking cessation in smokers with mental illness by estimating the proportion of smokers with mental illness who receive inpatient treatment, their smoking rates and average durations of stay. Method: Smoking and hospitalization rates were estimated from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Information on duration of inpatient treatment was calculated from the Western Australian Mental Health Information System. Results: Of Australia's estimated 3 567 000 current adult smokers, 32.4% had a mental illness in the past 12 months, and 66.6% had a lifetime mental illness. However, only 1.4% of smokers were hospitalized for a mental health problem in the past 12 months, and 6.3% had ever been hospitalized for a mental health problem. Of those hospitalized for mental health treatment in the past 12 months, 61.2% were current smokers. In 2007 median duration of inpatient mental health admissions was 1 day, and 57% of admissions had duration of 2 days or less. Conclusions: The majority of smokers with mental illness are not treated in inpatient facilities, and where inpatient admissions occur they are generally of short duration. While smoking cessation is an important goal in treatment of smokers with mental illness, support after discharge from inpatient care is important for longer term cessation. Other strategies will be required to support smoking cessation efforts for the majority of smokers with mental illness not in contact with mental health services.
The relationship between dog ownership, dog play, family dog walking, and pre-schooler social–emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE observational study
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-07-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41390-020-1007-2
Abstract: Regular physical activity provides children with health and developmental benefits. This study investigated if active play and walking with the family dog was associated with better social-emotional development in young children. We surveyed 1646 parents to ascertain if families with pre-schoolers owned a dog, and the frequency per week their child went on family dog walks or actively played with their dog. The parent-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to measure children's social-emotional development. Children from dog-owning households had reduced likelihood of conduct problems (odds ratio (OR) = 0.70 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54, 0.90), peer problems (OR = 0.60 95% CI: 0.46, 0.79), and total difficulties (OR = 0.77 95% CI: 0.59, 0.99) and increased likelihood of prosocial behavior (OR = 1.34 95% CI: 1.06, 1.68) compared with children without a dog. Within dog-owning households, family dog walking at least once/week (OR = 1.45 95% CI: 1.02, 2.08) and active play with the family dog three or more times/week (OR = 1.74 95% CI: 1.16, 2.59) increased the likelihood of prosocial behaviors. Family dog walking at least once/week also reduced the likelihood of total difficulties (OR = 0.64 95% CI: 0.42, 0.96). Our findings highlight the possible physical activity and social-emotional developmental benefits of family dog ownership for pre-schoolers, and that these benefits may present in early childhood. Young children from dog-owning families had lower peer problems and conduct problems, and higher prosocial behaviors than children from non-dog-owning families. Children of dog-owning families who walked or played with their dog more often also had better prosocial behaviors. Positive social-emotional development was associated with dog ownership, family dog walking, and dog play in young children. Highlights that the social-emotional benefits of owning a dog may begin early in childhood. Due to the high level of pet ownership in households with children, these findings suggest having a dog and interacting with it through play and walking may be important mechanisms for facilitating young children's social-emotional development.
The influence of the neighborhood physical environment on early child health and development: A review and call for research
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPLACE.2015.01.005
Abstract: This review examines evidence of the association between the neighborhood built environment, green spaces and outdoor home area, and early (0-7 years) child health and development. There was evidence that the presence of child relevant neighborhood destinations and services were positively associated with early child development domains of physical health and wellbeing and social competence. Parents׳ perceptions of neighborhood safety were positively associated with children׳s social-emotional development and general health. Population representative studies using objective measures of the built environment and valid measures of early child development are warranted to understand the impact of the built environment on early child health and development.
What Influences Parents’ Fear about Children’s Independent Mobility? Evidence from a State-Wide Survey of Australian Parents
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 22-11-2017
Abstract: To identify factors associated with generalized and stranger-specific parental fear (PF) about children’s independent mobility (CIM), a critical aspect of physical activity. Cross-sectional survey random s ling frame, minimum quotas of fathers, rural residents. State of Victoria, Australia. Parents of children aged 9 to 15 years (n = 1779), 71% response rate. Validated measures of PF and fear of strangers (FoS) parent, child, social, and environmental factors. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression stratified by child age (9-10 11-13 14-15). Adjusted models explained a substantial proportion of variance across all age groups (PF: 33.6%-36.7% FoS: 39.1%-44.0%). Perceived disapproval from others was consistently associated with both outcomes (PF: β =.11 to 23, p ≤ .05 FoS: β =.17-.21, p ≤ .001) as was parents’ perception of children’s competence to travel safely (PF: β = −.24 to −.11, p ≤ .05 FoS: β = −.16 to −.13, p ≤ .01). Factors associated with FoS included having a female child (β = −.21 to −.13, p ≤ .001), language other than English (β = .09 to.11, p ≤ .01), and low levels of parent education (β = −.14 to −08, p ≤ .05). The current study suggests that social norms, child competence, and perceptions about the benefits of CIM underpin PF. This evidence informs the development of interventions to reduce PF and promote CIM and children’s physical activity.
The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS): Validity and reliability estimates for a measure of bullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence.
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 12-2013
DOI: 10.1037/A0032955
Abstract: The study of bullying behavior and its consequences for young people depends on valid and reliable measurement of bullying victimization and perpetration. Although numerous self-report bullying-related measures have been developed, robust evidence of their psychometric properties is scant, and several limitations inhibit their applicability. The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS), with versions to measure bullying victimization (FBS-V) and perpetration (FBS-P), was developed on the basis of existing instruments, for use with 12- to 15-year-old adolescents to economically, yet comprehensively measure both bullying perpetration and victimization. Measurement properties were estimated. Scale validity was tested using data from 2 independent studies of 3,496 Grade 8 and 783 Grade 8-10 students, respectively. Construct validity of scores on the FBS was shown in confirmatory factor analysis. The factor structure was not invariant across gender. Strong associations between the FBS-V and FBS-P and separate single-item bullying items demonstrated adequate concurrent validity. Correlations, in directions as expected with social-emotional outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, conduct problems, and peer support), provided robust evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Responses to the FBS items were found to be valid and concurrently reliable measures of self-reported frequency of bullying victimization and perpetration, as well as being useful to measure involvement in the different forms of bullying behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
Trends in sugar supply and consumption in Australia: is there an Australian Paradox?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-07-2013
Abstract: High consumption of refined carbohydrate, in particular sugar, has been identified as a possible contributory factor in greater risk of excess weight gain. In spite of data limitations, one recent paper suggests that Australian sugar consumption has decreased over the same time period that obesity has increased, a so called ‘Australian Paradox’. Given the significant public health focus on nutrition, we aimed to estimate Australian sugar supply and consumption over recent decades, to determine whether these data could be used to make any conclusions about sugar’s role in obesity. Foods high in sugar were identified. Data relating to sugar supply and consumption from 1988 to 2010 were obtained from multiple sources. Using these data we attempted to generate a time series estimate of sugar in Australia’s food supply. Australia produces and exports sugar from sugar cane and the sugar in imported foods has received little attention . We were unable to produce a reliable and robust estimate of total sugars in the Australian diet due to data limitations and a lack of current data sources. However, available Import data showed large increases in the volume and value of imported sweetened products between 1988 and 2010 to over 30 grams of sugar per person per day. Value estimates of local production of sweetened products also show substantial increases in this period. The Australian Paradox assertion is based on incomplete data, as it excludes sugar contained in imported processed foods, which have increased markedly. A major Australian public health target is to improve the quality of the food supply, and actions have been set in terms of achieving broader environmental changes. However, evaluation of progress is h ered by lack of high quality data relating to supply and consumption. We recommend the regular collection of comprehensive food supply statistics, which include both local production and imports. This would provide an inexpensive addition to survey data and could assist in monitoring sugar consumption trends in food supply. Such information would also help inform public health policy.
Parental Perspectives on Children’s School Readiness: An Ethnographic Study
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-11-2020
DOI: 10.1007/S10643-020-01130-9
Abstract: School readiness is a construct used by educators and policy makers to describe a range of abilities that are beneficial for children transitioning to school. The association of socioeconomic disadvantage with developmental vulnerability when children start school is well established. Parents play a crucial role in supporting children’s transition to school and are acknowledged as their child’s first and foremost teacher. The aim of this study was to explore how parents experience and support their children’s transition to school. This study presents findings from an ethnographic study with 39 parents living in two Australian communities characterised by high area-level socioeconomic disadvantage. The study reports on how parents experience and support their child for transition to school, specifically through their understanding of the concept of ‘readiness’. The role of early childhood services in supporting parents is also explored. Parents conceptualised school readiness as the child’s capacity to function effectively and independently in the hitherto unfamiliar physical and social world of school. Parents considered early childhood services supportive of their children's transition to school, particularly the development of social skills.
Fetal growth and subsequent mental health problems in children aged 4 to 13 years
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-09-2000
DOI: 10.1017/S0012162200000049
Abstract: To test the hypothesis that children with suboptimal fetal growth have significantly poorer mental health outcomes than those with optimal growth, a population random s le survey of children aged 4 to 16 years in Western Australia in 1993 was conducted. The Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach 1991a) and the Teacher Report Form (Achenbach 1991b) were used to define mental health morbidity. Survey data for 1775 children aged 4 to 13 years were available for linkage with original birth information. The percentage of expected birthweight (PEBW) was used as the measure of fetal growth. Children below the 2nd centile of PEBW who had achieved only 57% to 72% of their expected birthweight given their gestation at delivery were at significant risk of a mental health morbidity (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.18, 7.12). In addition, they were more likely to be rated as academically impaired (OR 6.0, 95% CI 2.25, 16.06) and to have poor general health (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.69, 15.52).
Early vocabulary development: The importance of joint attention and parent-child book reading
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 18-10-2011
Abstract: The current study brought a bioecological approach to children’s early vocabulary development using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Relevant data were available for 2188 children (1119 male) who had a median age of 9 months ( M = 9.3 months, SD = 2.1 months) at Wave 1 and a median age of 34 months ( M = 34.2 months, SD = 2.5 months) at Wave 2. Results support the developmental importance of joint attention and parent-child book reading as well as the argument that the effects of in idual (e.g., parent) and environmental (context) characteristics are primarily indirect, mediated through their impact on proximal processes (Bronfenbrenner, 1995). The evidence indicates that joint attention and parent-child book reading are important facilitators of children’s early vocabulary development.
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption by Australian children: Implications for public health strategy
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2011
Universal child health and early education service use from birth through Kindergarten and developmental vulnerability in the Preparatory Year (age 5 years) in Tasmania, Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-09-2021
DOI: 10.1002/AJS4.186
Abstract: This study investigated patterns of universal health and education service use from birth through Kindergarten (age 4 years) and estimated associations between cumulative risk and service use patterns, and between service use patterns and children's developmental vulnerability in the Preparatory Year (age 5 years). The study used population‐wide linkage of health and education administrative data records for 5168 children who had a 2018 AEDC instrument collected in Tasmania and were born in Tasmania (2011–2013). Latent class analysis (LCA) identified three service use patterns: Regular (72.2 per cent of children reference group), Low (15.6 per cent of children) and High service use (12.2 per cent of children). The patterns of Regular, Low and High service use were consistent across health and education services used at different ages and stages of child development. Membership of the Low and High service use groups was associated with higher cumulative risk and increased odds of developmental vulnerability, relative to the Regular service use group. This population‐wide view of universal service use can be used by the health and education sectors to explore ways in which their specialist expertise, resources and referral processes can be further integrated within and across services to meet the developmental needs of children and families.
Preschool Psychopathology Reported by Parents in 23 Societies: Testing the Seven-Syndrome Model of the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5–5
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2010
Efficacy of the Aussie Optimism Program: Promoting Pro-social Behavior and Preventing Suicidality in Primary School Students. A Randomised-Controlled Trial
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 26-02-2018
Low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and risk to child behavioral development: A prospective cohort study
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 12-2010
Associations between school absence and academic achievement: Do socioeconomics matter?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-03-2017
DOI: 10.1002/BERJ.3267
Use of administrative record linkage to examine patterns of universal early childhood health and education service use from birth to Kindergarten (age four years) and developmental vulnerability in the Preparatory Year (age five years) in Tasmania, Australia
Publisher: Swansea University
Date: 19-01-2021
Abstract: BackgroundIn Australia, the health and education sectors provide universal early childhood services for the same population of children. Therefore, there is a strong imperative to view service use and outcomes through a cross-sectoral lens to better understand and address the service needs of young children and their families. ObjectivesTo investigate patterns of health and education service use from birth through Kindergarten (age four years), the associations with cumulative risks, and developmental vulnerability in the first year of full-time school (age five years). MethodsA retrospective cohort study that used population-wide linkage of health and education administrative data records for 5,440 children with a Tasmanian 2015 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) record who were born in Tasmania (2008-2010). ResultsFour service use patterns were identified: Regular (46% of children), Declining (24%) Low (18%) and Selective service use (12%). Regular service use (aOR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7 to 0.9), adjusted for cumulative risks, was associated with decreased odds of developmental vulnerability, compared to the other service use groups. Low (OR 6.1, 95% CI 4.5 to 8.2) and Declining service use (OR 2.5 95% CI 1.9 to 3.4) were more likely for children with the highest levels of cumulative risks. Low and Declining service use, adjusted for cumulative risks were associated with increased odds of developmental vulnerability, compared to the Regular service use group. ConclusionThis study provides a whole population view of the differential use of universal services and the complex risk circumstances that influence service use. The association between patterns of multiple risk and service use points to barriers to service use, and the varying level of developmental vulnerability within each service use group draws attention to children who may benefit from higher sustained participation in core health and education services across the whole of early childhood.
Social inequalities in childcare quality and their effects on children's development at school entry: findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 31-03-2015
Abstract: Higher quality childcare in the years before school may help narrow developmental gaps between the richest and poorest children in our societies, but specific evidence is limited and inconsistent. We address this issue by examining whether higher quality childcare is associated with better developmental outcomes at school entry for children from lower than higher income families. The s le from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children included children attending childcare from 2 to 3 years (n=980-1187, depending on outcome). Childcare quality was measured using carers assessment of their relationship with the child. Children's receptive vocabulary was directly assessed in the child's home, and behavioural difficulties were measured by teachers and parents at 4-5 years. We assessed additive and multiplicative income-related effect measure modification of the quality of carer-child relationship on developmental outcomes. After adjusting for confounding, there was some evidence of effect measure modification on the additive and multiplicative scales of childcare quality by income. Children experiencing higher quality relationships and lower income had almost the same risk of poorer receptive vocabulary as children in higher quality relationships and higher incomes (relative excess risk due to interaction=0.18 95% CI -0.20 to 0.52), ratio of relative risks=1.11 (1.04 to 1.17)). These patterns were similar for teacher-reported and parent-reported behavioural difficulties. The effects of higher quality childcare, in terms of quality relationships with carers, on children's cognitive and behavioural development at school entry were stronger among children from lower income families. This provides some evidence that higher quality relationships in childcare may be especially important in helping reduce developmental gaps for children from lower income families.
Association of sociodemographic characteristics of children with intellectual disability in Western Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2004.08.014
Abstract: The social determinants of intellectual disability (ID) are poorly understood, particularly in Australia. This study has investigated sociodemographic correlates of ID of unknown cause in Western Australian born children. Using record linkage to the Western Australian Maternal & Child Health Research Database, maternal sociodemographic characteristics of children with ID (of unknown cause) born between 1983 and 1992 (n = 2871) were compared with those of children without ID (n = 236,964). Socioeconomic indices for areas based on the census district of mother's residence were also included in the analysis. Aboriginal mothers (OR = 2.83 [CI: 2.52, 3.18]), teenagers (OR = 2.09 [CI: 1.82, 2.40]) and single mothers (OR = 2.18 [CI: 1.97, 2.42]) were all at increased risk of having a child with mild or moderate ID. Children of mothers in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged 10% had more than five times the risk of mild and moderate ID compared with those in the least disadvantaged 10% (OR = 5.61 [CI: 4.42, 7.12]). Fourth or later born children were also at increased risk (OR = 1.82 [CI: 1.63, 2.02]). The results of the study have implications both for further aetiological investigation as well as service provision for children with ID. Furthermore, many of the sociodemographic correlates identified in this study, particularly in the mild/moderate category of ID, are potentially modifiable, opening up opportunities for primary prevention.
A profile of social, separation and generalized anxiety disorders in an Australian nationally representative sample of children and adolescents: Prevalence, comorbidity and correlates
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 29-11-2017
Abstract: To examine (1) the 12-month prevalence of social anxiety disorder (SOC), separation anxiety disorder (SEP) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a large, nationally representative s le of Australian youth (2) patterns of comorbidity between these disorders (3) demographic and socio-environmental correlates and (4) the psychosocial impact and service use associated with each condition. Data are from the 2013/2014 Australian national, face-to-face household Young Minds Matter survey of mental health and wellbeing. Informants were parents or carers reporting on 6310, 4- to 17-year-olds (55% of eligible households). The presence of each of the three anxiety disorders was determined based on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children–Version IV. In the past 12 months, 6.6% of youth had experienced at least one of SOC, SEP or GAD, with rates of 2.3% for SOC, 4.3% for SEP and 2.3% for GAD. Rates did not differ by gender but were significantly higher for SOC and GAD and lower for SEP in 12- to 17-year-olds than 4- to 11-year-olds. Comorbidity between these disorders was high, although lower for SEP. Having SOC, SEP or GAD was associated with not living with both biological parents, having a parent with a mental health problem, elevated negative family events, low carer employment and peer victimization. The association with family risk factors was greater for SEP than for SOC and GAD. Although the majority of anxious youth had received professional help, this was less likely in the younger cohort. Social, separation and generalized anxiety disorders in young people are relatively common and impairing, with a high level of comorbidity. There are both commonalities and differences in socio-environmental correlates. The majority of anxious youth received some form of professional assistance, although the rate was lower among children compared to adolescents.
Socioeconomic disparities in the mental health of Indigenous children in Western Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-09-2012
The Diverse Risk Profiles of Persistently Absent Primary Students: Implications for Attendance Policies in Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-02-2018
Adjusting for under-identification of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander births in time series produced from birth records: using record linkage of survey data and administrative data sources
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-07-2012
Risk Factors for Low Receptive Vocabulary Abilities in the Preschool and Early School Years in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 02-07-2014
Breast feeding and cognitive development in childhood: A prospective birth cohort study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1046/J.1365-3016.2003.00464.X
Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine prospectively the relation between duration of breast feeding and cognitive outcomes. A cohort study of 2860 children enrolled before birth provided data from 2393 term infants of English-speaking mothers. Of these, complete infant feeding data in the first year of life and verbal cognitive IQ (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - PPVT-R) were available for 1450 children at 6 years, and a performance subtest (Perceptual organisation WISC - Block Design) for 1375 children at 8 years. Full breast feeding was categorised as none,> 0 to 6 months. Associations between breast-feeding duration and PPVT-R at 6 years and Block Design at 8 years were estimated before and after adjustment for gender, gestational age, maternal age, maternal education, parental smoking and the presence of older siblings. The early cessation of full breast feeding was associated with reduced verbal IQ and the performance subtest. In unadjusted analysis, mean standardised PPVT-R scores were 6.44 points greater (P 6 months compared with those never breast fed. After adjustment, mean PPVT-R scores were 3.56 points higher in children fully breast fed for> 6 months compared with those children never breast fed (P = 0.003). Similarly, Block Design scores were higher in those fully breast fed for> 6 months compared with those never breast fed in unadjusted (P = 0.001) but not adjusted analyses (P = 0.223). Interactions between maternal education (four levels) and breast feeding demonstrated a positive association of maternal education on verbal IQ (F = 2.64 P = 0.005) in children breast fed for longer but not on performance (F = 0.74 P = 0.67). The early introduction of milk other than breast milk was associated with reduced verbal IQ after adjustment for social and perinatal confounders. Although these effects were interacting with maternal education, they may act through undefined mechanisms in human milk.
Related Organisations
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Related Funding Activities
Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP100200507
Start Date: 12-2010
End Date: 06-2018
Amount: $2,094,275.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityResearch Networks - Grant ID: RN0460314
Start Date: 12-2004
End Date: 12-2010
Amount: $1,750,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP0668218
Start Date: 08-2006
End Date: 12-2011
Amount: $200,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0877513
Start Date: 2008
End Date: 12-2011
Amount: $688,259.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityARC Centres Of Excellence - Grant ID: CE140100027
Start Date: 2014
End Date: 12-2020
Amount: $20,000,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0988955
Start Date: 2009
End Date: 03-2013
Amount: $270,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP0347559
Start Date: 2003
End Date: 12-2006
Amount: $404,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP190100968
Start Date: 12-2020
End Date: 12-2025
Amount: $1,357,136.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity