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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Published on: February 11, 2017

Screening parents of children with a chronic condition for mental health problems: a systematic review

Nadia Coscini1,2, Grace McMahon3, Madison Schulz3

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia nadia.coscini@mcri.edu.au.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|February 20, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Parents of children with chronic conditions (CC) frequently experience mental health (MH) difficulties. Screening programs in pediatric clinics may help identify these issues, but more research is needed on their effectiveness and impact on service referrals and uptake.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric healthcare
  • Mental health services research
  • Parental well-being

Background:

  • Parents of children with chronic conditions (CC) exhibit high rates of mental health (MH) challenges.
  • Current screening practices for parental MH difficulties in pediatric settings are not well-established.
  • Understanding the effectiveness of screening programs is crucial for improving support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify approaches for routine mental health screening programs for parents of children with CCs.
  • To determine the prevalence of parental MH symptoms in this population.
  • To assess the impact of screening on referrals to and uptake of MH services.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed (January 2000 - December 2023).
  • Inclusion of studies involving routine MH screening of parents with children under 18 years with CCs.
  • Extraction of data on screening tools, MH symptom prevalence, and referral pathways.

Main Results:

  • Eight studies met inclusion criteria from 8673 screened.
  • Prevalence of elevated parental anxiety ranged from 9.6% to 62.9%; depression from 7.7% to 57.0%.
  • Distress Thermometer for Parents identified elevated 'clinical distress' in 3.3%-57.0% of parents, with limited data on referrals and uptake.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated MH symptoms are prevalent but highly variable among parents of children with CCs.
  • Further research is needed to optimize identification, screening, and support strategies.
  • Understanding referral pathways and service uptake is essential for effective MH support.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child HealthHealth Care Economics and OrganizationsHealth services researchMental healthPaediatrics

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