mental health

Background: Caregivers experience significant strains as a result of navigating the complex mental health and/or addiction (MHA) system for their youth with MHA issues. We examined the characteristics of Ontario families with youth with MHA issues and their service needs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study investigated the characteristics and service needs of families with youth with MHA issues across the province of Ontario, Canada. A total of 840 caregivers were recruited.

There are a growing number of children with an ID/developmental disability. As well, there is evidence of poor health in the caregivers of these children. This article describes a narrative review of the literature regarding the mental and physical health of caregivers of children with ID/developmental disability. The review examined 162 papers. Twenty‐three different factors were identified that may have an effect on the health of these caregivers.

Prior studies indicate a substantial link between maternal depression and early child health but give limited consideration to the direction of this relationship or the context in which it occurs. We sought to create a contextually informed conceptual framework of this relationship through semi-structured interviews with women that had lived experience of caring for an HIV-infected child while coping with depression and anxiety symptoms. Caregivers explained their role in raising healthy children as complex and complicated by poverty, stigma, and isolation.

Within Asia, HIV prevalence is highest in Thailand, including thousands of children and adolescents. Care for children born with HIV [perinatal transmission of HIV (PHIV)] will need to focus on adolescents for the foreseeable future. Thai PHIV adolescents experience significant mental health and psychosocial challenges, including treatment adherence. Yet, few, if any, comprehensive interventions for them exist. CHAMP+, an evidence-based intervention adapted for Thailand, was evaluated with a pilot randomized control trial at four HIV clinics.

BACKGROUND: This paper explores benefits of parent counselling offered alongside music therapy with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Research studies have shown that the stress levels of primary caregivers of children with ASD are not only higher than in the general population but also higher than in parents of children with other developmental disabilities. It is therefore recommended that music therapists working with children with ASD also engage and support their parents.

Caregivers of psychiatrically impaired children experience considerable parenting stress. However, no research has evaluated parenting stress within the context of pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSD). Thus, the aim of this investigation was to identify predictors and moderators of stress among caregivers in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms study. Participants included 640 children and their caregivers in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms cohort.

Background: Previous research suggests parents' level of satisfaction with their child's school experience is highly variable. The present author explored school satisfaction in a Canadian sample of parents of children with severe and often complex developmental disabilities.

Background: When the primary disabilities associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are not well supported, individuals are at higher risk for mental health problems and other secondary conditions. The Families on Track (FOT) intervention was designed to prevent secondary conditions and improve family functioning in children with FASD. Promising results from a pilot study demonstrated positive effects on child and caregiver outcomes immediately following the intervention.

Complex relationships between race and socioeconomic status have a poorly understood influence on psychologic outcomes in pediatric oncology. The Family Symptom Inventory was used to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety in pediatric patients with cancer and their caregivers. Separate hierarchical linear regression models examined the relationship between demographic variables, cancer characteristics, socioeconomic status, and access to care and patient or caregiver depression/anxiety.