Socioeconomic inequalities in general and psychological health among adolescents: a cross-sectional study in senior high schools in Greece

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Socioeconomic health inequalities in adolescence are not consistently reported. This may be due to the measurement of self-reported general health, which probably fails to fully capture the psychological dimension of health, and the reliance on traditional socio-economic indicators, such as parental education or occupational status. The present study aimed at investigating this issue using simple questions to assess both the physical and psychological dimension of health and a broader set of socioeconomic indicators than previously used.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional survey of 5614 adolescents aged 16-18 years-old from 25 senior high schools in Greece. Self-reported general and psychological health were both measured by means of a simple Likert-type question. We assessed the following socio-economic variables: parents' education, parents' employment status, a subjective assessment of the financial difficulties experienced by the family and adolescents' own academic performance as a measure of the personal social position in the school setting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One out of ten (10%) and one out of three (32%) adolescents did not enjoy good general and psychological health respectively. For both health variables robust associations were found in adolescents who reported more financial difficulties in the family and had worse academic performance. The latter was associated with psychological health in a more linear way. Father's unemployment showed a non-significant trend for an association with worse psychological health in girls only.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Socioeconomic inequalities exist in this period of life but are more easily demonstrated with more subjective socioeconomic indicators, especially for the psychological dimension of health.</p

Quality of life and mental health of mothers of children within the autism spectrum: A research review

The present paper is a critical review of a representative corpus of studies extending from the '70s until today, that examine the quality of life and mental health of parents, and especially mothers who raise at least one child with autism. This review aims at identifying the factors influencing mental health and perceived quality of life of parents with children within the autistic spectrum, drawing on the theoretical model of quality of life developed by Zissi &amp; Barry (2006). This theoretical model posits that quality of life is associated with a variety of factors such as; a), objective living conditions that relate to family socio-economic status and its type, the severity of autism, and the access to therapeutic services, and b) socio-psychological processes that relate to the different explanatory models, the hardiness, the general life outlook and the quality of ties. This model predicts that socio-psychological processes mediate the relationship between objective living conditions, mental health and subjective evaluations of quality of life

Social inequalities and diagnostic experiences of mothers raising children with autism in Greece

Aim: The purpose of this large qualitative study was to explore social inequalities in the diagnostic experiences of mothers raising at least one child with ASD in Greece. Method: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 75 mothers from three social class positions. A layered approach combining content analysis and template analysis was applied to the interview transcripts and revealed interesting similarities and differences among mothers from opposite social class positions. Results: The majority of mothers identified the same early signs of autism and shared similar emotional responses to the hearing of the diagnosis. Mothers with high credentials and petit bourgeoisie mothers offered more elaborate accounts of the early warning signs of ASD, obtained a timely diagnosis and had positive interactions with professionals after the diagnosis. In contrast, mothers from the working class provided confusing accounts of their child’s behavioral observations in the early years, and had experienced long delays and negative interactions with professionals during the diagnostic process. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for developing supports and services, which will pay special attention to the differentiated maternal diagnostic experiences as a result of their social class position

The experience of mothers raising children with autism: Factors for empowerment and positive reframing

This chapter draws from a cross-disciplinary, large scale, research project (InMeD) which explored the experiences of 83 mothers raising children with autism across different social class positions, through individual in-depth interviews. In this chapter, we focus on the group of mothers who, following a long journey of grief, were led to selfwilled reflection on their mothering experience and biographical transformation of their identity and existence as a whole. The qualititative differences which have been crystallized in the course of their internal acceptance portray reflective understandings of their self, their life and their relationships with significant persons and third parties. These mothers have drawn from personal and social resources such as their family relationships, the quality of their therapeutic relationships, their personal values and their resilience

Raising a child in the autism spectrum: The social class dimension

The focus of the present qualitative study is the contextualization of the lived experience of mothers raising one or more children with autism, examining specific aspects, the real socio-economic life circumstances and their role on mothers’ access to resources, their mental health and overall quality of life. The initial main findings generated from the qualitative analysis of the interviews collected from 83 mothers from contrasting/opposite socio-economic positions, working class and economically privileged, are presented across four thematic nodes: a) the type and quality of the diagnostic experience; b) the quality of marriage, the support networks and social responses; c) the motherhood role and coping skills, and; d) the explanatory models for the causation of autism and the experiences from “therapeutic pathways”. The qualitative analysis of the empirical material illustrated that factors directly relevant to the context of this experience, such as social position and access to resources, exert a critical influence on the biographic trajectories of these mothers, their psychological state and their overall quality of life

Raising a child in the autism spectrum: The social class dimension [in Greek: Μεγαλώνοντας παιδί/ά στο φάσμα του αυτισμού: Η ταξική διάσταση]

The focus of the present qualitative study is the contextualization of the lived experience of mothers raising one or more children with autism, examining specific aspects, the real socio-economic life circumstances and their role on mothers’ access\ud to resources, their mental health and overall quality of life. The initial main findings generated from the qualitative analysis of the interviews collected from 83 mothers from contrasting/opposite socio-economic positions, working class and economically privileged, are presented across four thematic nodes: \ud \ud a) the type and quality of the diagnostic experience; \ud \ud b) the quality of marriage, the support networks and social responses;\ud \ud c) the motherhood role and coping skills, and; \ud \ud d) the explanatory models for the causation of autism and the experiences from “therapeutic pathways”. \ud \ud The qualitative analysis of the empirical material illustrated that factors directly relevant to the context of this experience, such as social position and access to resources, exert a critical influence on the biographic trajectories of these mothers, their psychological state and their overall quality of life