European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume 26, Issue 9, 2017, Pages 1105-1117

Associations between social vulnerabilities and psychosocial problems in European children. Results from the IDEFICS study (Article)

Iguacel I.* , Michels N. , Fernández-Alvira J.M. , Bammann K. , De Henauw S. , Felső R. , Gwozdz W. , Hunsberger M. , Reisch L. , Russo P. , Tornaritis M. , Thumann B.F. , Veidebaum T. , Börnhorst C. , Moreno L.A. , On behalf of the IDEFICS consortium
  • a GENUD (Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Edificio del SAI, C/Pedro Cerbuna s/n, Saragossa, 50009, Spain, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Saragossa, Spain, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Saragossa, Spain
  • b Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
  • c GENUD (Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Edificio del SAI, C/Pedro Cerbuna s/n, Saragossa, 50009, Spain, Fundación Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
  • d Institute for Public Health and Nursing Sciences (IPP), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, BIPS, Bremen, Germany
  • e Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
  • f Department of Paediatrics, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
  • g Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • h Section for Epidemiology and Social Medicine (EPSO), Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • i Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • j Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
  • k Research and Education Institute of Child Health, Strovolos, Cyprus
  • l Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, BIPS, Bremen, Germany
  • m Department of Chronic Diseases, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia
  • n Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, BIPS, Bremen, Germany
  • o GENUD (Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Edificio del SAI, C/Pedro Cerbuna s/n, Saragossa, 50009, Spain, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Saragossa, Spain, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Saragossa, Spain, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Saragossa, Spain
  • p [Affiliation not available]

Abstract

The effect of socioeconomic inequalities on children’s mental health remains unclear. This study aims to explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between social vulnerabilities and psychosocial problems, and the association between accumulation of vulnerabilities and psychosocial problems. 5987 children aged 2–9 years from eight European countries were assessed at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Two different instruments were employed to assess children’s psychosocial problems: the KINDL (Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents) was used to evaluate children’s well-being and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to evaluate children’s internalising problems. Vulnerable groups were defined as follows: children whose parents had minimal social networks, children from non-traditional families, children of migrant origin or children with unemployed parents. Logistic mixed-effects models were used to assess the associations between social vulnerabilities and psychosocial problems. After adjusting for classical socioeconomic and lifestyle indicators, children whose parents had minimal social networks were at greater risk of presenting internalising problems at baseline and follow-up (OR 1.53, 99% CI 1.11–2.11). The highest risk for psychosocial problems was found in children whose status changed from traditional families at T0 to non-traditional families at T1 (OR 1.60, 99% CI 1.07–2.39) and whose parents had minimal social networks at both time points (OR 1.97, 99% CI 1.26–3.08). Children with one or more vulnerabilities accumulated were at a higher risk of developing psychosocial problems at baseline and follow-up. Therefore, policy makers should implement measures to strengthen the social support for parents with a minimal social network. © 2017, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Author Keywords

Internalising problems inequalities Children Psychosocial problems Vulnerable groups Well-being

Index Keywords

Vulnerable Populations vulnerable population physical activity prospective study lifestyle social psychology Europe European follow up mental health human wellbeing social network social support psychosocial disorder self esteem Cross-Sectional Studies quality of life Surveys and Questionnaires cross-sectional study family psychology Humans parent male occupation preschool child female Child, Preschool Questionnaire for Measuring Health Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents socioeconomics Child Welfare questionnaire standards Article strengths and difficulties questionnaire employment status major clinical study family relation cohort analysis social class social behavior Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85019208020&doi=10.1007%2fs00787-017-0998-7&partnerID=40&md5=7d77a56db45095d989b62c3965d3543b
DOI: 10.1007/s00787-017-0998-7
ISSN: 10188827
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English