Mental health disparities between Roma and non-Roma children in Romania and Bulgaria

The Roma population, one of the largest minority groups in Europe, experience discrimination and stigma associated with marginalized social position. Few studies have examined mental illnesses in the Roma, and none have examined the Roma children. The present study estimates mental health and behavioral disorders among Roma children in comparison to non-Roma children in educational institutions. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health Study in Europe (SCHME) study in Romania (Roma children identified by parent report, N = 70; non-Roma, N = 925) and Bulgaria (Roma children identified by exclusively-Roma schools, N = 65; non-Roma, N = 1312). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was given to the parents and teachers to measure child mental health; children reported on their mental health through the Dominique Interactive. Control covariates included child sex and age, and parental characteristics when parent reports were available. Based on the child’s own report, Roma children had a higher odds of any internalizing disorder (OR = 2.99, 95% C.I. 2.07–4.30), phobias (OR = 4.84, 95% C.I. 3.19–7.35), separation anxiety disorder (OR = 2.54, 95% C.I. 1.72–3.76), generalized anxiety disorder (OR = 2.95, 95% C.I. 1.75–4.96), and major depressive disorder (OR = 3.86, 95% C.I. 2.31–6.37). Further Roma children had a higher odds of any externalizing disorder (OR = 2.84, 95% C.I. 1.78–4.54), oppositional defiant disorder (OR = 3.35, 95% C.I. 1.93–5.82), ADHD (OR = 2.37, 95% C.I. 1.26–4.46), and conduct disorder (OR = 3.63, 95% C.I. 2.04–6.46). Based on the report of teachers, Roma children had higher odds of emotional problems (OR = 2.03, 95% C.I. 1.20-3.44), peer-relational problems (OR = 2.76, 95% C.I. 1.73-4.41) and prosocial behavior (OR = 2.75, 95% C.I. 1.75-4.33). Roma children experience a higher burden of mental health problems compared with their non-Roma counterparts. Attention to child health and mental health among the Roma is urgently needed, as these children experience a constellation of health problems associated with poverty as well as experiences of stigma and discrimination

Parental Smoking in the Vicinity of Children and Tobacco Control Policies in the European Region

Objective: To ascertain patterns of parental smoking in the vicinity of children in Eastern and Western Europe and their relation to Tobacco Control Scale (TCS) scores. Methods: Data on parental smoking patterns were obtained from the School Child Mental Health Europe (SCMHE), a 2010 cross-sectional survey of 5141 school children aged 6 to 11 years and their parents in six countries: Germany, Netherlands, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey ranked by TCS into three level categories toward tobacco control policies. Results: A slightly higher proportion of Eastern compared to Western European mothers (42.4 vs. 35.1%) were currently smoking in but the difference was not statistically significant after adjusting for maternal age and maternal educational attainment. About a fifth (19.3%) and a tenth (10.0%) of Eastern and Western European mothers, respectively, smoked in the vicinity of their children, and the difference was significant even after adjustment for potential confounders (p less than 0.001). Parents with the highest educational attainment were significantly less likely to smoke in the vicinity of their children than those with the lowest attainment. After control of these covariates lax tobacco control policies, compared to intermediate policies, were associated with a 50% increase in the likelihood of maternal smoking in the vicinity of children adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.52 and 1.64. Among fathers, however, the relationship with paternal smoking and TCS seems more complex since strict policy increases the risk as well AOR = 1,40. Only one country, however belongs to the strict group. Significance: Tobacco control policies seem to have influenced maternal smoking behaviors overall to a limited degree and smoking in the vicinity of children to a much greater degree. Children living in European countries with lax tobacco control policies are more likely to be exposed to second hand smoking from maternal and paternal smoking

Country-level and individual correlates of overweight and obesity among primary school children: a cross-sectional study in seven European countries.

BACKGROUND: The present study aims to estimate childhood overweight and obesity prevalence and their association with individual and population-level correlates in Eastern and Western European countries. METHODS: Data were obtained from the School Children Mental Health in Europe, a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2010 in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Turkey. The sample consists of 5,206 school children aged 6 to 11 years old. Information on socio-demographics, children's height and weight, life-style and parental attitude were reported by the mothers. Country-level indicators were obtained through several data banks. Overweight and obesity in children were calculated according to the international age and gender-specific child Body Mass Index cut-off points. Multivariable logistic regression models included socio-demographic, lifestyle, mothers' attitude, and country-level indicators to examine the correlates of overweight. RESULTS: Overall prevalence was 15.6% (95% CI = 19.3-21.7%) for overweight and 4.9% (95% CI = 4.3-5.6%) for obesity. In overweight (including obesity), Romanian children had the highest prevalence (31.4%, 95% CI = 28.1-34.6%) and Italian the lowest (10.4%, 95% CI = 8.1-12.6%). Models in the pooled sample showed that being younger (aOR = 0.93, 95% = CI 0.87-0.97), male (aOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.07-1.43), an only child (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.07-1.84), spending more hours per week watching TV (aOR = 1.01, 95% CI =1.002-1.03), and living in an Eastern Country were associated with greater risk of childhood overweight (including obesity). The same predictors were significantly associated with childhood overweight in the model conducted in the Eastern region, but not in the West. Higher Gross Domestic Product and Real Domestic Product, greater number of motor and passenger vehicles, higher percentage of energy available from fat, and more public sector expenditure on health were also associated with lower risk for childhood overweight after adjusting for covariables in the pooled sample and in the east of Europe, but not in the West. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in school children is still high, especially in Eastern regions, with some socio-demographic factors and life-styles associated with being overweight. It is also in the Eastern region itself where better macro-economic indicators are related with lower rates of childhood overweight. This represents a public health concern that deserves special attention in those countries undertaking economic and political transitions

Les Français et la santé: Rapport d'étude sur les données françaises de l'International Social Survey Programme 2011

Rapport d'étude réalisé par Ondine PEZ, post-doctorante PACTE-PO, sous la responsabilité scientifique de Frédéric Gonthier, maître de conférences, Sciences Po Grenoble, PACTE-PO et Annie-Claude Salomon, ingénieure d'études, CNRS/PACTE-PORapport d'étude de l'enquête ISSP 2011 sur la santé dans le cadre d'une convention entre la DREES-MiRe et Pacte-IEP Grenoble. L'enquête 2011 porte sur la santé, une thématique nouvelle et non encore traitée dans les enquêtes ISSP. Le questionnaire a été longuement discuté par les différentes équipes nationales et arrêté au printemps 2010 lors du meeting annuel de l'ISSP. Il se décompose en trois volets, permettant d'appréhender les attentes des Français en matière de santé et de soins médicaux selon une logique d'" entonnoir " allant du général au particulier, et de questions impersonnelles sur le système de santé ou la médecine à des questions plus personnelles sur l'état de santé, les pratiques de soins et les comportements à risque

Delinquency among Girls

International audienc

Précocité de l’activité délinquante auto-déclarée du mineur et facteurs familiaux

L’objectif de la recherche était d’identifier les facteurs familiaux susceptibles d’ancrer les conduites délinquantes du mineur dans la persistance. Nous avons interrogé 241 mineurs, 168 garçons et 73 filles, âgés de 13 à 17 ans. Les résultats indiquent que : 1- Les délinquants persistants sont issus de familles plus désavantagées structurellement que les délinquants transitoires. 2- Les parents des délinquants persistants ont recours à des pratiques éducatives moins cohérentes que les parents des délinquants transitoires. 3- Les délinquants persistants entretiennent des relations de moins bonne qualité avec leurs parents que les délinquants transitoires.The aim of this research was to identify the family factors that are likely to explain persistent delinquency. Two-hundred-and-forty-one teenagers, 168 boys and 73 girls, from 13 to 17 years old, were interviewed. Our results indicate that : 1- The persistent delinquent of our sample come from more handicapped families that the transitory delinquents. 2- The parents of the persistent delinquents use less adapted rearing parenting practices than the parents of the transitory delinquents. 3- The persistent delinquents have worse bonds with their parents than the transitory delinquents

Délinquance des filles

International audienc

Délinquance des filles

International audienc

The school children mental health in Europe (SCMHE) project: design and first results

Background : The School Children Mental Health in Europe (SCMHE) project aims to build up a set of indicators to collect and monitor children's mental health in an efficient and comparable methodology across the EU countries. It concerns primary schools children aged 6 to 11 years a range where few data are available whereas school interventions are promising. Methods : Three informants were used: parents, teachers and children. In selecting instruments language, instruments were selected according to the easiness to translate them: SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) for parents and teachers and DI (Dominic Interactive). A two-step procedure was used: schools randomization then six children by class in each grade. Results : 9084 children from seven countries (Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Turkey) completed the Dominic Interactive in their own language. 6563 teachers and 6031 parents completed their questionnaire, and a total of 5574 interviews have been completed by the 3 informants. The participation rate of the children with parents in the participating schools was about 66.4%. As expected teachers report more externalised problems and less internalised problems than parents. Children report more internalised problems than parents and teachers. Boys have consistently more externalised problems than girls and this is the reverse for internalised problems. Combining the diverse informants and impairment levels children with problems requiring some sort of mental health care were about 9.9%: 76% did not see any mental health professional: 78.7% In Eastern countries 63.1% in Western Europe