Children sharing preferences on contact and residence arrangements in child-inclusive family mediation in Norway

Mediation is mandatory for all separating and divorcing parents in Norway with children under 16 years. The participation of children is voluntary. Living arrangement preferences presented by children attending child-inclusive family mediation in Norway (n = 346, aged 4–18 years) have been examined. 47.1 per cent of children gave a living arrangement preference, and older children were more likely to express a preference for living primarily with the mother compared to an equal time-sharing arrangement. Children very often gave reasoned explanations for their wishes. Children’s utilisation of the potential in their participation supports future inclusion of children in mediation processes. The best interests of the child needs to be examined on an individual basis as children present various preferences that is not in line with a presumption of fixed time-sharing following parental break-up

Professional and informal help-seeking among low-income adolescents exposed to violence in the community and at school

Background - Adolescents may seek help for many reasons beyond health needs, such as personal stress due to violence exposure. Objective -To investigate factors associated with receiving professional assistance and informal help due to violence exposure in the community and at school. Participants and setting - This study was conducted in Itaboraí, a low-income medium-size city in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil, characterized by poverty, inequality and violence. It analyses data reported by 669 in-school adolescents (11–15-years, 51.7% girls). Methods - This is a cross-sectional study nested in a longitudinal study (Itaboraí Youth Study). The Itaboraí Youth Study involved a probabilistic community-based sample of 1409 6-to-15-year-olds based on a 3-stage probabilistic sampling plan that included a random selection of census units, eligible households and the target child. Results - Professional assistance was mainly received from psychologists (the Brazilian population has free access to health services). Family members were the main source of informal help. Correlates of professional assistance were having clinical emotional problems and not counting on an adult (if needing help) for community violence victims, and absent father for community and school violence victims. Correlates of informal help were female sex, maternal anxiety/depression and absent father for community violence victims, and younger age and higher maternal education for school violence victims. Conclusions - The mental health needs of violence victims, and maternal difficulties to deal with the adolescent distress resulting from violence exposure (maternal increased burden due to father absence and/or having anxiety/depression) are important influences on the help-seeking process

Parents with a mental illness and their sense of parenting competence

Objective - Research provides evidence that parental mental illness affects child development through parenting behaviour. This study investigates how parents with a mental illness report on their parenting sense of competence. Method - A sample of 141 parents receiving treatment at a clinic for mental health and substance use disorders participated. The Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC) was used to assess participants’ parenting sense of competence. Information about diagnoses, child age and participation in a preventive family intervention called Child Talks was also collected. PSOC scores from our sample was compared to normative samples. Results - Parents with a mental illness reported having equal or higher PSOC scores compared to the normative samples. Neither children’s age, comorbidity nor parents’ diagnosis affected PSOC scores. PSOC satisfaction score was a significant predictor for participation in Child Talks, where lower scores were related to a small increase in participation rate. Discussion - The results indicate that parents with a mental illness do not view or report feeling less competent in the parenting role than the general population. We discuss the validity of the results and if there are factors that may influence parents’ reports such as stigma, fear of losing custody and impaired self-awareness

Placement disruption in long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care

The purpose of this study was to explore factors related to placement disruption in long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care in a Nordic country. The study included 136 children aged 4–13 years in kinship and nonkinship foster care in Norway in the year 2000, with updates for the year 2008. Placement and demographic information and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were collected from foster parents and youths. Generalized linear mixed model analysis was undertaken. A thorough literature review was done in order to study association between disruption and relevant variables. None of the predominant variables from previous literature were significantly associated with disruption for this sample of children in long-term foster care. Since long-term stable foster care (rather than adoption) is the preferred option in Nordic as well as some other European countries, there is a need to explore the processes of inclusion that give children a lifelong commitment to their foster familie

Predictors of rate of change for children and youth with emotional disorders: a naturalistic observational study

Published version. Source at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13034-016-0098-3 Background: To examine demographic and clinical characteristics as potential predictors of change for children and youth with emotional disorders treated at two child and adolescent mental health outpatient services (CAMHS) in Norway. Methods: The study was of naturalistic observational type with “treatment as usual” (TAU). The sample consisted of 84 children and youth with emotional disorders. The Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HONOSCA), and the Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) were administered at intake (T0), during the assessment (T1) and approximately six months after assessment (T2). Change was analysed by means of the linear mixed models procedure. Results: For the HONOSCA total score, youths with a diagnosis of depression had statistically higher symptom severity levels at baseline and significantly lower change rates as compared to youths with an anxiety disorder. Conclusions: The current study adds to the limited knowledge of predictors of rate of change for children and adolescents with emotional disorders treated within CAMHS. Our results point to a special need to improve clinical care for depressed children and adolescents. Important limitations comprising the external validity of the study concern missing data, a small study sample, and lack of information regarding the content and extent of the service provided

Impact supplement of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire in the assessment of functional impairment in children with ADHD or ASD in a mixed neuropediatric sample: A partial validation study

Background: In addition to symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders, functional impairment is crucial to the determination of clinical significance. The aim of this study was to examine partial validity and usefulness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’s (SDQ) impact supplement (SDQ impact) in measuring functional impairment in children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in neuropediatric clinics. Methods: Participants were children and adolescents (N = 337) referred to neuropediatric outpatient clinics for neurodevelopmental assessment. Functional impairment was evaluated using three instruments: the SDQ impact, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABSII), and the Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS). Mental health symptoms and intellectual function were also assessed. We investigated convergent and concurrent validity of the SDQ impact. Results: The convergent validity of the SDQ impact was shown by its significant correlations with the VABS-II composite score and the CGAS total score. The concurrent validity of the SDQ impact was demonstrated by its significant relationship with ADHD and ASD diagnoses in logistic regression analyses. Using established cutoffs, the sensitivity of the SDQ impact to reveal functional impairment in children with ADHD and ASD diagnoses was demonstrated in this neuropediatric sample, but at the cost of low specificity. Conclusion: The SDQ impact is an easy-to-use tool, and the overall study results indicate that it is partially valid, suggesting it may be used for the screening of general functional impairment in the neuropediatric population

Cross-informant ratings on emotional and behavioral problems in Nepali adolescents: A comparison of adolescents' self-reports with parents' and teachers' reports

Background Studies on cross-informant agreement on adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) are sparse in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess parent-adolescent and teacher-adolescent agreement on EBPs and associated factors in Nepal. Methods This cross-sectional survey included 1904 school-going adolescents aged 11–18, enrolled in government and private schools located in sixteen districts of Nepal. The Nepali versions of the Youth Self Report, Child Behavior Checklist, and Teacher’s Report Form were administered to assess EBPs reported by adolescents, their parents, and teachers, respectively. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to assess mean differences in problem scores. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess cross-informant agreement. Linear regression analysis was used to explore factors associated with cross-informant discrepancies in EBPs. Results Adolescents reported significantly more problems than their parents and teachers. Mean Total Problem scores for the 90 common items in the adolescents’ self-reports, parent reports, and teacher reports were 34.5 (standard deviation [SD]: 21.4), 24.1 (SD = 19.2), and 20.2 (SD = 17.5) respectively. Parent-adolescent agreement on Total Problems was moderate, whereas teacher-adolescent agreement was low. The parent-adolescent agreement was moderate to low for the two broadband scales and all syndrome scales, whereas the teacher-adolescent agreement was low for all scales. Female gender and ethnic minority status impacted both parent-adolescent and teacher-adolescent discrepancies. Family stress/conflicts impacted parent-adolescent discrepancies, while academic performance impacted teacher-adolescent discrepancies. Conclusions Nepali adolescents reported more EBPs than their parents and teachers. The agreement between adolescents’ self-reports and reports by their parents and teachers was moderate to low. Gender, caste/ethnicity, family stress/conflicts, and academic performance were associated with cross-informant discrepancies. It is crucial to collect information from different sources, consider context-specific needs, and discern factors influencing cross-informant discrepancies to accurately assess adolescents’ EBPs and develop personalized approaches to treatment planning

Teacher reports of emotional and behavioral problems in Nepali schoolchildren: to what extent do they agree with parent reports?

Background: Teacher reports of child emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) are sparse in many low- and middle-income countries, especially when compared to reports from parents. Cross-informant information is pivotal to clinicians when dealing with mentally ill children. In this study from Nepal, we examined teacher reports of child EBPs, the agreement between teacher and parent reports, and how this agreement varied by type of EBP and child gender. Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study included 3808 schoolchildren aged 6–18 years from 16 districts of Nepal. Teacher and parent reports of EBPs were measured by the Nepali versions of the Teacher Report Form (TRF) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), respectively. Linear mixed model analysis was used for group comparisons and intraclass correlations. Agreement between TRF and CBCL scale scores were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coeffcient. Results: The prevalence of EBPs according to teacher reports was 15.4%, whereas the previous parent reported prevalence was 19.1%. Also, the mean TRF score was significantly lower than mean CBCL score for the 90 common items. Mean TRF scores for Total Problems, Externalizing Problems, and Internalizing Problems were 26.9 (standard deviation, SD 24.5), 6.1 (SD 7.2), and 7.9 (SD 7.3), respectively. Consistent with parent reports, mean TRF scores for Total Problems and Externalizing Problems were higher among boys than girls, whereas no significant gender differences were found for Internalizing Problems. Teacher-parent agreement was moderate (r=.38), and slightly higher for Externalizing Problems than for Internalizing Problems (r=.37 versus r=.34). Moderate to low correlations were found for all syndrome scales, with coeffcients ranging from r=.26 (Social Problems) to r=.37 (Attention Problems). The effect of child gender on the teacher-parent agreement was significant for Internalizing Problems only, with a higher agreement for girls than for boys. Conclusion: Nepali teachers reported fewer child EBPs than parents. Teacher-parent agreement was moderate and varied by type of EBP and child gender. Our fndings underscore the importance of obtaining information on child EBPs from both parents and teachers when evaluating and treating children in low- and middle-income countries like Nepal

Early intervention influences positively quality of life as reported by prematurely born children at age nine and their parents; a randomized clinical trial

License: Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0).Background: The Tromsø Intervention Study on Preterms evaluates an early, sensitizing intervention given to parents of prematurely born children (birth-weight < 2000 g). The current study investigated the potential influence of the intervention on children’s self-reported and parental proxy-reported quality of life (QoL) at children’s age of nine. Methods: Participants were randomized to either intervention (PI, n = 72) or preterm control (PC, n = 74) in the neonatal care unit, while healthy term-born infants were recruited to a term reference group (TR, n = 75). The intervention was a modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program, and comprised eight one-hour sessions during the last week before discharge and four home visits at 1, 2, 4 and 12 weeks post-discharge. The two control groups received care in accordance with written guidelines drawn up at the hospital. Participants and parents reported QoL independently on the Kinder Lebensqualität Fragebogen (KINDL) questionnaire. Differences between groups were analyzed by SPSS; Linear Mixed Models and parent–child agreement were analyzed and compared by intra-class correlations within each group. Results: On average, children in all groups reported high levels of well-being. The PI children reported better physical well-being than the PC children (p = 0.002). In all other aspects of QoL both the PI and the PC children reported at similar levels as the term reference group. PI parents reported better emotional wellbeing (p = 0.05) and a higher level of contentment in school (p = 0.003) compared with PC parents. Parent–child agreement was significantly weaker in the PI group than in the PC group on dimensions such as emotional well-being and relationships with friends (p < 0.05). PI parents reported QoL similar to parents of terms on all aspects except the subscale self-esteem, while PC parents generally reported moderately lower QoL than TR parents. Conclusions: This early intervention appears to have generated long-lasting positive effects, improving perceived physical well-being among prematurely born children and parent’s perception of these children’s QoL in middle childhood

Early intervention program reduces stress in parents of preterms during childhood, a randomized controlled trial

Background: It is well documented that heightened levels of parenting stress have a negative influence on children’s socio-emotional and behavioral development. Parenting stress may therefore be regarded as an outcome variable in its own right. This study investigated whether a sensitizing intervention influences stress reported by parents of prematurely born children until the children were age nine. Methods: Preterm infants (N =146, birth weight <2,000 g) were randomized to intervention (N =72) with the Mother-Infant Transaction Program (MITP) or a preterm control group (N =74) that received standard hospital care. A term reference group comprised 75 healthy, full-term neonates. Parents reported on the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) when the children were 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 years old and on the PSI-Short Form (PSI-SF) at age 9. Main outcomes were the mother’s and father’s reports of total, child and parent-related stress. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed using linear mixed models (LMM), taking dependency in the data caused by twin pairs and repeated measures into account. Response rates were high across all follow-ups, and still reached 85% from mothers and 72% from fathers at 9 years. Results: Mothers in the intervention group reported better longitudinal development of child-related stress than mothers of preterm controls, as they perceived their children as being more adaptable and less moody throughout childhood until the age of seven. Less stress in the intervention group was revealed by cross-sectional analysis of maternal reports at all ages, while fathers reported similar differences at ages three and five. Parents in the intervention group reported stronger agreement on several stress scores on several occasions. Fathers with high interventional participation (mean 54%) reported significantly less stress at age nine than those who participated less. Both parents in the intervention group reported levels of stress similar to those experienced by the term reference group at all follow-ups, while differences between the preterm control and term reference groups increased. Conclusions: This early intervention reduces stress among parents of prematurely born children to a level reported by parents of term-born children and enhances agreement between parents