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The single parent family and the child's mental health
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland.
Insights
Children from single-parent families, especially those without a father, show higher rates of psychiatric disorders. Parental divorce also increases the risk of childhood enuresis, highlighting family structure
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders are significant concerns in child development.
- Understanding risk factors associated with family structure and socioeconomic status is crucial for early intervention.
- Previous research indicates potential links between family environment and child mental health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the prevalence of psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders in a Finnish birth cohort up to 19 years of age.
- To investigate the influence of family constellation, including single-parent status and parental divorce, on psychiatric disorders and enuresis.
- To identify other significant risk factors associated with these conditions.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study using hospital records and national registers for subsidies for chronically sick children.
- Analysis of a 1-year birth cohort from northern Finland followed until 19 years.
- Discriminant function analysis to assess the explanatory value of family constellation and other variables.
Main Results:
- Psychiatric disorders were more frequent in children from single-parent families, particularly those lacking a father throughout childhood.
- Childhood enuresis was most common in children whose parents had divorced.
- Poor school performance, high population density, short stature, juvenile smoking, and small dwelling size were associated with increased risk for psychiatric disorders and/or enuresis.
- Disabled children exhibited psychiatric disorders nine times more frequently than non-disabled children.
Conclusions:
- Family structure, particularly single-parent status and parental divorce, significantly impacts the risk of psychiatric disorders and enuresis in children.
- Childhood psychiatric disorders and enuresis are multifactorial, influenced by a combination of family, social, and individual factors.
- Early identification of at-risk children based on these factors is essential for targeted support and intervention programs.
Abstract:
The prevalence of psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders in a 1 year birth cohort from northern Finland followed up until 19 years was examined on the basis of hospital records and national registers for subsidies for chronically sick children. Psychiatric disorders were found to occur with higher frequency in children of single parent families, especially those lacking a father during the child's whole life. Childhood enuresis was most frequent in the children who had experienced the divorce of their parents. Discriminant function analysis was used to establish the explanatory value of the family constellation for both psychiatric disorders and enuresis. The other significant explanatory variables for psychiatric disorders were school performance, place of residence and the child's height at 1 year of age, with poor school performance, high population density and short stature increasing the risk. The other significant variables increasing the risk of enuresis were psychiatric disorders, poor school performance, juvenile smoking and small size of dwelling. Disabled children had psychiatric disorders 9 times as frequently as non-disabled ones.