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Fears are common in the general population and particularly among children. The number of fear subtypes (animals, natural environment, situational, blood–injection–injury or other type) has been shown to be associated with psychopathology. Furthermore, there is evidence suggesting that some subtypes may be more often associated with mental disorders than others. The present study uses data from a large cross sectional survey, the School Children Mental Health in Europe (SCMHE) study, conducted in eight European countries on children ages 6 through 13-years-old attending elementary school (n = 9613). Fear subtypes and self-reported mental health were assessed using the Dominic Interactive (DI), a self-administered computerized image-based questionnaire. The findings show that the number of fear subtypes is strongly associated with self-reported internalizing and externalizing problems. In addition, adjusting for the number of subtypes, fear of animals was less likely than other fears to be associated with psychopathology. The findings support the notion that children who report excessive and generalized fear should be targeted for prevention, consistent with research identifying childhood onset generalized specific phobia as a probable precursor to subsequent psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study is to investigate the role of mental health in the relationship between moderately low birthweight MLBW (≥ 1500 g &≤2500) and academic achievement in a large cross-country study. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health in Europe study (n = 4305). Achievement in mathematics and reading was categorized by teachers as being below average, average or above average. Parents reported birthweight, and both parents and teachers evaluated mental health status using the Strengths and difficulties Questionnaire. When controlling for child age, number of children in the household, maternal age, education, employment status and psychological distress and country of residence, MLBW was associated with lower odds of above average performance in mathematics and reading. Once mental health was added into the model, MLBW remained significant but mental health problems largely surpassed its influence: conduct disorders decreased the probability to perform above average in mathematics RRR = 0.37 and increased the risk of performing below average RRR = 4.45 as did ADHD and emotional disorders. A similar trend was found for reading achievement except for ADHD which decreased the probability of above average performance RRR = 0.13 and did not have a significant effect on below average performance. A path analysis highlights the prominent role of mental health. Among children attending regular education settings, MLBW is associated with academic performance but mental health has much stronger effects. Teachers and parents should be sensitized to child mental health problems and be informed of the special needs of MLBW children in order to help children overcome potential academic difficulties and to adapt their teaching taking into account mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the associations between the presence of a grand parent at home that is three-generation household, with children mental health in diverse countries whether this situation is frequent or not.Methods: Data from the School Children Mental Health in Europe cross-sectional survey in six countries (n = 4582) were used to examine the association between three-generation households and child mental health across Europe. The parent and teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was combined to assess child mental clinical problems.Results: Overall, 25.13% of European families live with at least one grandparent: 5.46% in Western and 29.70% in Eastern Europe. Controlling for key sociodemographic variables and for country of residence, the presence of a grandparent is associated with an increased risk for child mental health problems in the total sample (OR 1.37, p = 0.002). In two-parent homes, the effect of the presence of a grandparent is significant (OR 1.40, p = 0.026), while it is not in single-parent homes. In each country, the presence of a grandparent is a risk for either externalizing or internalizing problems.Conclusions: Programs may be developed to educate elderly people to better respect their children's role as parents so having a grandparent in the home can become an asset for family members rather than a burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, approximately one in eight children or adolescents suffers from a mental disorder. The present study was designed to determine the self-reported prevalence of mental health problems in children aged 6-11 years across eight European countries including Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Data were drawn from 6245 children participating in the School Children Mental Health in Europe (SCHME) study and a large cross-sectional survey in France. Self-reported child mental health was assessed using the Dominique Interactive (DI). Overall, 22.0% of children were identified per their own evaluation as having at least one mental disorder, ranging from 16.4% in the Netherlands to 27.9% in Bulgaria. The prevalence of internalizing disorders was 18.4% across countries and ranged from 11.8% in the Netherlands to 24.3% in Turkey. The prevalence of externalizing disorders was lower with an average of 7.8%, ranging from 3.5% in Turkey to 10.5% in Bulgaria. Combining samples across European countries, 1 in 5 children reported internalizing problems and 1 in 12 children externalizing problems. The net completion rates of 4.1-74.3% preclude conclusions about national differences in prevalence rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, approximately one in eight children or adolescents suffer from a mental disorder. The present study was designed to determine the cross-national prevalence of mental health problems in children aged 6-11 across seven European countries including Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.Methods: Data were collected on 7682 children for whom either parent- or teacher SDQ were completed.Results: The present study provides country-specific normative banding for both parent- and teacher SDQ scores. Overall, 12.8 % of children have any probable disorder, with rates ranging from 15.5 % in Lithuania to 7.8 % in Italy, 3.8 % of children have a probable emotional disorder, 8.4 % probable conduct disorder, and 2.0 % probable hyperactivity/inattention. However, when adjusting for key sociodemographic variables and parental psychological distress, country of residence did not predict the odds of having any disorder. For specific disorders, however, country of residence does have an effect on the odds of presenting with mental health problems.Conclusions: As normative data are key in the comparison of mental health status on an international level, the present data considerably advance the possibilities of future research. Furthermore, the findings underline the importance of controlling for a number of sociodemographic and parental variables when conducting international comparisons of child mental health. In addition, the findings suggest that efforts are needed locally to assist in the detection and prevention of parental psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In utero exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes; the association with later childhood mental health outcomes remains controversial. We used a strategy involving comparison of maternal and paternal smoking reports in a sample pooling data from six diverse European countries. Data were drawn from mother ( N = 4,517) and teacher ( N = 4,611) reported attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in school children aged 6-11 in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Germany, and the Netherlands, surveyed in 2010. Mothers report on self and husband's smoking patterns during the pregnancy period. Logistic regression used with control covariates including demographics, maternal distress, live births, region, and post-pregnancy smoking. In unadjusted models, maternal prenatal smoking was associated with probable ADHD based on mother [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.82, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 1.45-2.29], teacher (OR = 1.69, 95 % CI 1.33-2.14) and mother plus teacher (OR = 1.49, 95 % CI 1.03-2.17) report. Paternal prenatal smoking was similarly associated with probable ADHD in unadjusted models. When controlled for relevant confounders, maternal prenatal smoking remained a risk factor for offspring probable ADHD based on mother report (OR = 1.44, 95 % CI 1.06-1.96), whereas the effect of paternal prenatal smoking diminished (e.g., mother report: OR = 1.17, 95 % CI 0.92-1.49). Drawing on data from a diverse set of countries across Europe, we document that the association between maternal smoking and offspring ADHD is stronger than that of paternal smoking during the pregnancy period and offspring ADHD. To the extent that confounding is shared between parents, these results reflect a potential intrauterine influence of smoking on ADHD in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]