Reducing child mental health inequities through parental mental health and preschool attendance

Background Prevention is key to reducing socioeconomic inequities in children’s mental health problems, especially given limited availability and accessibility of services supporting treatment. We investigated the potential to reduce these inequities for disadvantaged children by improving parental mental health and preschool attendance in early childhood. Methods Data from the nationally representative birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (N=5107, commencing in 2004) were used to examine the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage (0-1 year) on children’s mental health problems (10-11 years). Using an interventional effects approach, we estimated the extent to which inequities in children’s mental health problems could be reduced by improving disadvantaged children’s parental mental health (4-5 years) and their preschool attendance (4-5 years). Results Disadvantaged children had a higher prevalence of elevated mental health symptoms (32.8%) compared with their non-disadvantaged peers (18.7%): confounder-adjusted difference in prevalence=11.6% (95% CI: 7.7%-15.4%). Improving disadvantaged children’s parental mental health and their preschool attendance to the level of their non-disadvantaged peers could reduce 6.5% and 0.3% of socioeconomic differences in child mental health problems, respectively (equivalent to 0.8% and 0.04% absolute reductions). If these interventions were delivered in combination, a 10.8% (95% CI: 6.9% to 14.7%) higher prevalence of elevated symptoms would remain for disadvantaged children. Conclusions Targeted policy interventions that improve parent mental health and preschool attendance for disadvantaged children are potential opportunities to reduce socioeconomic inequities in children’s mental health problems. Such interventions should be considered within a broader, sustained, and multipronged approach that includes addressing socioeconomic disadvantage itself.</p

Reducing child mental health inequities through parental mental health and preschool attendance

Background Prevention is key to reducing socioeconomic inequities in children’s mental health problems, especially given limited availability and accessibility of services supporting treatment. We investigated the potential to reduce these inequities for disadvantaged children by improving parental mental health and preschool attendance in early childhood. Methods Data from the nationally representative birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (N=5107, commencing in 2004) were used to examine the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage (0-1 year) on children’s mental health problems (10-11 years). Using an interventional effects approach, we estimated the extent to which inequities in children’s mental health problems could be reduced by improving disadvantaged children’s parental mental health (4-5 years) and their preschool attendance (4-5 years). Results Disadvantaged children had a higher prevalence of elevated mental health symptoms (32.8%) compared with their non-disadvantaged peers (18.7%): confounder-adjusted difference in prevalence=11.6% (95% CI: 7.7%-15.4%). Improving disadvantaged children’s parental mental health and their preschool attendance to the level of their non-disadvantaged peers could reduce 6.5% and 0.3% of socioeconomic differences in child mental health problems, respectively (equivalent to 0.8% and 0.04% absolute reductions). If these interventions were delivered in combination, a 10.8% (95% CI: 6.9% to 14.7%) higher prevalence of elevated symptoms would remain for disadvantaged children. Conclusions Targeted policy interventions that improve parent mental health and preschool attendance for disadvantaged children are potential opportunities to reduce socioeconomic inequities in children’s mental health problems. Such interventions should be considered within a broader, sustained, and multipronged approach that includes addressing socioeconomic disadvantage itself.</p

Supplementary information files for article Addressing child mental health inequities through parental mental health and preschool attendance

Supplementary information files for article Addressing child mental health inequities through parental mental health and preschool attendance   Background Prevention is key to reducing socioeconomic inequities in children’s mental health problems, especially given limited availability and accessibility of services supporting treatment. We investigated the potential to reduce these inequities for disadvantaged children by improving parental mental health and preschool attendance in early childhood. Methods Data from the nationally representative birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (N=5107, commencing in 2004) were used to examine the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage (0-1 year) on children’s mental health problems (10-11 years). Using an interventional effects approach, we estimated the extent to which inequities in children’s mental health problems could be reduced by improving disadvantaged children’s parental mental health (4-5 years) and their preschool attendance (4-5 years). Results Disadvantaged children had a higher prevalence of elevated mental health symptoms (32.8%) compared with their non-disadvantaged peers (18.7%): confounder-adjusted difference in prevalence=11.6% (95% CI: 7.7%-15.4%). Improving disadvantaged children’s parental mental health and their preschool attendance to the level of their non-disadvantaged peers could reduce 6.5% and 0.3% of socioeconomic differences in child mental health problems, respectively (equivalent to 0.8% and 0.04% absolute reductions). If these interventions were delivered in combination, a 10.8% (95% CI: 6.9% to 14.7%) higher prevalence of elevated symptoms would remain for disadvantaged children. Conclusions Targeted policy interventions that improve parent mental health and preschool attendance for disadvantaged children are potential opportunities to reduce socioeconomic inequities in children’s mental health problems. Such interventions should be considered within a broader, sustained, and multipronged approach that includes addressing socioeconomic disadvantage itself.</p