Search

On the basis of data from KiGGS Wave 1, the following manuscript investigates potential differences in the health status of children and adolescents aged 3-17 years according to the family form they live in: nuclear, single-parent, or stepfamily (n = 10,298). Additionally, we investigate whether differences persist after controlling for age, gender, living area, parental social status, and getting along in the family. Parent-rated health, chronic diseases, emotional or behavior problems, health-related quality of life, and daily consumption of fruits and vegetables were analyzed (prevalence, odds ratios). While the parent-rated health was independent of the family form, the prevalence of the other outcomes differed significantly according to the family form. Emotional or behavior problems were measured more often among children and adolescents growing up in single-parent families (OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.17-2.26) or stepfamily households (OR 2.36; 95% CI 1.63-3.41) than among those growing up in nuclear families, after adjusting for age, gender, living area, social status, and getting along in the family. Additionally, children and adolescents from single-parent families had chronic diseases (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.20-1.96) more often than their counterparts who lived together with both parents. Compared with those growing up in nuclear families, children and adolescents from stepfamilies showed a greater risk of lower health-related quality of life (OR 2.91; 95% CI 1.76-4.80) and of lower daily consumption of fruits and vegetables (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.01-1.67). The results indicate the importance of the family context for the health of children and adolescents.

In Germany, it is forbidden by law to physically punish children or to harm them mentally. Breaking these rules can result in severe health problems for the children. Home visiting programmes for families with young children are aimed at supporting young families who are facing large social problems, and at enhancing the chances of their children to grow up in a healthy way. Maps showing the regional distribution of the need for these home visiting programmes could be an important tool for local health policy planning. They could help to focus the resources on those families who are in greatest need.The method proposed here for developing such a regional map is based on the following steps: (a) search for data that indicate the potential for child neglect, maltreatment or abuse, and that are available for each zip code in the city of Munich, Germany; (b) based on these data, calculation of a summary score that could indicate high need for these home visits; (c) grouping of the zip code areas according to this score; (d) presentation of the regional distribution in a map.After inspecting different data sources, we could identify 5 variables that could indicate the need for these home visits and that are available for each zip code: index of purchasing power, percentage of the population with low education, percentage of the population with migration background, percentage of single mothers, percentage of new-borns with low birth weight (2 500 g). If 'high need' is defined as 'upper quintile of at least 3 among the 5 variables listed above, about 1 087 newborn babies would have to be visited per year (i. e., 10% of all newborn infants in Munich).These home visits should be as little stigmatising as possible, and especially those families should be reached that are in greatest need. If it is not possible to reach all families in the community, it can be recommended to focus on city districts with a high percentage of families in greatest need. As far as we know, this is the first scientifically based method for such a definition of city districts. The method proposed here could serve as starting point, and it would be important to develop it further. It is very flexible, though, and it can easily be transferred to other cities or districts.

This paper aims to investigate the effects of sin-gle-parent families on the health of young peo-ple. Database is the 2010 HBSC survey as well as the 2002 and 2006 data for trend analysis. Findings show that there is a weak but significant effect of single-parent families on the health and health-behaviour of young people. There has been little change in the findings between 2002 and 2010.

Both, children of somatically ill parents and children of single-mothers are at risk to develop mental health problems and low QoL. This study investigates the effect on children when their single-mothers are exposed to cancer.In a Cross-sectional design a sample of N=47 children of single-mothers exposed to parental cancer was compared to a sample of N=135 children of mothers (living in partnership) exposed to cancer (multi informant approach).SDQ and KIDSCREEN showed no differences between children of single-mothers and children of mothers in partnership. In the focused sample older children (11-17 years) showed more conduct problems than younger children (4-10 years). The differences between the types of assessment was significant for conduct problems.Single-parenting and parental cancer as a double burden don't increase the risk for mental health problems and low QoL of children. The results for conduct problems will be discussed.

Children of mentally ill parents are exposed to a variety of stress- and harmful life events. To which extent the mental illness of one or both parents affects their children's mental development is barely studied. Therefore, over a period of 6 months 142 patients with children below the age of 18 (n=237 children), who were admitted to the Dept. for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 1 of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, were questioned for abnormalities in their children's mental development. Additionally all these patients were assessed for their family situation, demographic data and psychiatric disorder. 38.4% (n=91) of the children showed mental abnormalities. The most common one were emotional (n=41), social (n=41) and learning (n=34) disabilities. Parental duration of the illness (p=0.001), age of the children (p=0.044), illness of both parents (p=0.008), longlasting family conflicts (p=0.003) and living with only one parent (p=0.012) were correlated significantly with mental abnormalities in children. The results confirm an increase risk for mental abnormalities in children of psychiatric patients. This risk varies with existing risk and protective factors, which can be partially influenced. Therefore children of mentally ill parents with problems in their mental development should be detected early. Even if genetic risk factors cannot be changed reducing known psychosocial risk factors and promotion protective factors can significantly influence a healthy development of these vulnerable children.

Children of a parent having cancer are at greater risk to develop mental health problems. Aim is to investigate specific psychosocial care for children having a parent with cancer, as well as to characterize and assess utilization and needs of affected minor children. Employees of institutions in Germany supplying psychosocial care to families with a parent having cancer were surveyed, using a semi-structured interview (n = 29). Specific psychosocial care for affected children is limited and heterogeneous in Germany. Regarding different distress stages of those families, the situation could be interpreted as eligible. However, this primarily reflects the low quality assurance of care. Results suggest that in addition to preventive care needs of children having a parent with cancer, increased needs exist in specific risk constellations, like in single parent families.

With a growing body of research on the situation of adult family caregivers in Germany, hardly anything is known about the situation of children who are involved into the care of their relatives. This literature study is part of a research project that intends to close this gap. Primarily, English literature of the last 15 years was analysed to gain insight into specific characteristics of young carers and their families. There is no standard definition of young carers. The prevalence of young carers has been underestimated for a long time; for Great Britain it is 1.5% of all children under the age of 18. Children provide caregiving tasks at any age, and the amount of their help grows with their age. The majority of young carers live in single-parent families, and the single parents are mostly mothers. More than half of the family members in need of care suffer from chronic illnesses that affect the body. There is a wide range of caregiving tasks described in the literature; young carers do the same as adult informal carers. However no uniform categorical system could be found, which makes comparisons between studies almost impossible. This might be due to a lack of a theoretical framework in most of the studies. Since it can be assumed, that children in Germany may become young carers as well, their situation needs to be studied under the specific circumstances of the German health care system.

In World War II, 2.5 million children in Germany lost their fathers. Most of them grew up with their single mother, often accompanied by financial hardship. In a questionnaire carried out in 2003 in persons born before 1947, a rate of 19 % reported that they grew up with their mother alone.The present study examines whether long-term sequelae can be observed in these persons. Therefore, a representative sample of 883 subjects with an average age of 68 was questioned about psychiatric symptoms (SCL-27), loss of father and experiences during the war.Subjects reporting a loss of father had consistently more psychiatric symptoms. Three out of the six subscales of the SCL-27 displayed highly significant differences (depressive symptoms, symptoms of social phobia, symptoms of mistrust). Vegetative symptoms were also higher, but the effect was less pronounced. Agoraphobic and dysthymic symptoms did not show significantly higher values.It can be concluded that growing up without a father may have life-long consequences.

About 25 % of children in the first three years attract attention due to regulatory disorders like un-apeasable crying, chronic fussing, sleep- and feeding-disorders as well as excessive temper-tantrums. Meanwhile there are many counselling services in Germany, which provide help for parents.Data of 153 families with infants and toddlers till the age of three, who visited the Leipzig counselling service during a period of two years.Paediatric-neurodevelopmental status and extensive psychosocial anamnesis following a semi-structured interview-guideline.74 % of the families attended one or two times, in 60 % of these cases an improvement or solution of the problem occurred. 18 % of the mothers showed depressive symptoms, which are linked to the absence of the partners on a highly significant level. 23 % of the families were acutely psycho-socially stressed; these families were neither able to use the offered interventions in an appropriate way, nor were others able to use it at all.The surveyed data support the assumption, that early childhood intervention provides help briefly and economically. For the relatively large group of "multi-problem families" in the sample we can not yet offer intervention strategies, which could help these children to reduce their high developmental risk.

It has been the subject of numerous debates recently whether children who grew up without fathers suffer more than others under the long-term consequences of their fatherless childhood. In 1994 we conducted a large-scale population-based investigation over a hundred subjects who had grown up without father to establish standardized norms for various psychometric questionnaires that were also relevant to this issue. This allows us to contribute to the discussion with some concrete data, which correspond without exception with the dominant trend of other research results. Whereas there was evidence to support the view that some children of fatherless families do indeed suffer from increased emotional disturbance in later life, there were also indications that others even profited emotionally from their fatherless childhood. In the area of bodily complaints the results were confounded to a high degree with gender differences, showing that women are more frequently negatively affected, and men more positively.

Data from the April 1993 microcensus are used to analyze living arrangements in Germany. Information is included on private households by household size and type; the population aged 18 and over by age group and living arrangements; married and unmarried couples; one-parent families; and the presence of children.

Household and family data from the April 1991 microcensus of Germany are presented. Since this was the first microcensus to include the former East Germany, the emphasis is on comparisons between eastern and western parts of the country. Topics covered include one-person households, two-generation households, nonmarital cohabitation, one-parent families, age of parents, family size, and labor force participation of married couples.

Changes in household and family types in West Germany are analyzed using data from the 1972 and 1990 microcensuses. Trends discussed include the shifts toward fewer multi-generation households, more elderly persons living alone, fewer families with children, more single-parent families, and smaller families.

Changes in the demographic and social structure of private households in Germany over the last 150 years are reviewed. Topics covered include household size, fertility and life expectancy, unrelated household members, number of generations living together, households with children, one-parent households, nonmarital cohabitation, and age structure. Statistics for East Germany are included where possible.

"This article presents data on the demographic trends of one-parent families and their current economic and social situation [in Austria].... The vast majority of single-parent families are headed by women....[and are] thus largely dependent on the women's economic status. The data show that the economic disadvantage of single-parent families, i.e. their low per capita income, is caused by discrimination [in] the labour market." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Household and family characteristics in West Germany are examined using data from the 1988 microcensus. Information is included on household members by age group and household size, households by number and age of children, family relationships within households, one-parent and two-parent families, and families by age of children.

Age and family structure in Austria are reviewed. Tables based on the 1981 census provide data for the whole country, provinces, and districts on sex distribution by age, age distribution by broad age group, dependency ratio, women aged 15-45 years, and average age. Family structure tables include data on the number of childless families; family types, including married couples, consensual unions, single-father families and single-mother families; and number of children by family type. Urban-rural differences in family size are noted, and differences in the demographic composition of the prosperous eastern regions and the less prosperous western regions are outlined.