Parenting stress, maternal depression and child mental health in a Melbourne cohort before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: This paper aims to examine the maternal and child mental health and parenting outcomes in the context of COVID-19 pandemic conditions using a sample from Melbourne, Australia - a city exposed to one of the longest lockdowns world-wide in response to the pandemic. METHODS: This study utilises observational data from a prospective, pregnancy cohort, Mercy Pregnancy Emotional Wellbeing Study and includes 468 women and their children followed up in Melbourne to 3-4 years postpartum pre-COVID pandemic and compared to those followed up during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: When compared to mothers followed up at 3-4 years postpartum pre-pandemic, those followed up during the COVID-19 pandemic showed higher depressive symptoms with a steep incline in their symptom trajectory (EMMdifference  = 1.72, Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.01, d = 0.35) and had a three times higher risk of scoring 13 or above on the EPDS (aRR = 3.22, Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.01). Although this increase was not associated with the variation in the duration of exposure to pandemic conditions, the steep increase in depressive symptoms was more pronounced in those with pre-existing depressive disorders. There was no difference in parenting stress or adjusted childhood mental health symptoms or disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the vulnerability of those with pre-existing clinical mental health disorders and the need for adequate clinical care for this vulnerable group. Equally, our study indicates the possibility that  parenting and early childhood mental health outcomes, at least in the short term, may be resilient.

Far from idle: Four ways in which growing knowledge of the 'resting' brain is transforming our understanding of the causes of childhood disorder.

Historians of science continue to debate the importance of individual inspiration and personal creativity as fuel in the engine of scientific progress. While true that, in general, scientific knowledge advances cautiously by careful experimentation, painstaking observation and the gradual accumulation of evidence occasionally a field of enquiry can be revolutionised by a single, perhaps simple, yet inspired and profound insight. Such breakthroughs are most likely to occur when an individual moves outside the intellectual tramlines that normally constrain scientific thinking, leaving them able to look at old evidence in new and original ways. The reception of such original insights by the research community varies considerably, of course. Some insights may be 'too original'--a step too far in what is normally an incremental journey of discovery. Some ideas, enthusiastically accepted initially, may burn out before making any real impression. Other ideas revolutionize a field--producing a cascade of hypotheses and lines of enquiry that lead to new discoveries which permanently change the scientific landscape. The issue of scientific creativity was very much in my mind when reading through the papers slated to appear in the current journal number. One article in particular, by Pannekoeke and colleagues on intrinsic brain organisation in depressed adolescents, initiated a chain of thought that led me to my focus for this editorial. A development that provides perhaps the most compelling recent example of the transformative power of individual inspiration in the field of cognitive neuroscience--a development which is also beginning to have profound implications for models of childhood mental disorders.

Awareness and Attitudes Toward Childhood Mental Disorders Among Primary School Teachers in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Background and aim Early detection and intervention can improve the treatment outcome of childhood mental disorders, and primary school teachers may play an important role in referring suspected cases to mental health facilities if they have good awareness and attitudes toward these disorders. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and attitudes of primary school teachers toward childhood mental disorders in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted among classroom teachers in primary schools in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was conducted during the period from 2022 to 2023 in both public and private schools. An anonymous, self-administered, online questionnaire was used to assess participants' awareness and attitudes toward pupils with mental health issues. The collected data were analyzed using the chi-square test to examine the associations between various categories and the ANOVA test to compare means. Results The study included 417 teachers, 63.5% of whom were males, the mean of their ages was 39.59 years (SD±8.66), and the mean of their work experience was 12.8 years (SD±8.02) in different teaching specialties. Among participants, 60.2% claimed that no pupils had mental health problems in their classes, 80.1% had not referred any pupils to mental health facilities, and 88.5% did not receive any training related to childhood mental health problems. A humble percent (12.2%) of the participants claimed a good awareness of the signs and symptoms of childhood disorders. Only 54% of teachers advise visiting a psychiatric clinic in case of psychiatric problems, and a similar percentage of teachers believe that psychiatric drugs cause addiction. The male gender, being specialized in humanitarian subjects, having relatives or friends with childhood mental disorders, and receiving training related to childhood mental health were significantly associated with teachers' better awareness. Conclusion Primary school teachers generally lack awareness of childhood mental health and have underestimation and poor recognition of cases of mental disorders. There are many teachers who also have unfavorable attitudes toward psychiatric disorders, patients, and treatments, which requires much effort to improve their awareness and attitudes toward childhood mental disorders.

Theory of Mind deficits in childhood mental and neurodevelopmental disorders. / Deficyty Teorii Umyslu w wybranych zaburzeniach psychicznych wieku rozwojowego.

Theory of mind (ToM) is a complex cognitive mechanism which refers to our ability to understand that other people have beliefs, plans, desires, hopes, intentions, and knowledge that may differ from our own mental and emotional states. Theory of mind is critical for social and interpersonal functioning and allows people to make sense of other's behavior. Theinitial aim of theory of mind research was to record normative development in preschool age children. Almost 30 years ago, when researchers discovered that theory of mind is altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, they also explored impairments in ToM in different clinical disorders. Research results indicate the presence of ToM deficits in childhood mental and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as: autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome, fetus alcohol syndrome, mood disorders, eating disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. This article reviews significant studies of theory of mind impairments in individual childhood disorders and selected mental disorders.

Knowledge and attitude of Egyptian parents toward childhood mental disorders.

BACKGROUND: Parents' awareness of childhood mental disorders can help in early detection and management. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of parents about childhood mental disorders and their attitudes toward children with mental disorders. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Parents of children attending two public primary schools in Beni-Suef city in southern Egypt were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study during the first semester of the academic year 2017/2018. Knowledge and attitude of parents toward childhood mental disorders in addition to their socio-demographic characteristics were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 468 parents (41.5% fathers and 58.5% mothers) participated in this study. Only 21.6% of parents had optimal knowledge of risk factors, 33.3% of manifestations/screening, 58.8% of types and 47.6% of treatment, while 42.7% of parents held a positive attitude toward impressions, 43.4% toward social distance, 63.7% toward spiritual treatment, and 59.4% toward chemotherapy and psychotherapy of childhood mental disorders. The multivariable-adjusted regression analyses showed that optimal knowledge associated with urban residence [odds ratio (OR) 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.30)] and knowing someone with a mental disorder (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.08-2.41). The positive attitude was associated with urban residence (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.18-2.74) and higher education (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.32-3.48). Knowledge of parents correlated positively with their attitude toward childhood mental disorders (r = 0.258, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A significant portion of parents in southern Egypt have suboptimal knowledge of childhood mental disorders and hold a negative attitude toward children with mental disorders. Future studies should focus on the possibility of including parents in screening for childhood mental disorders.

WPA guidance on the protection and promotion of mental health in children of persons with severe mental disorders.

This guidance details the needs of children, and the qualities of parenting that meet those needs. Parental mental disorders can damage the foetus during pregnancy through the action of drugs, prescribed or abused. Pregnancy and the puerperium can exacerbate or initiate mental illness in susceptible women. After their birth, the children may suffer from the social disadvantage associated with severe mental illness. The parents (depending on the disorder, its severity and its persistence) may have intermittent or prolonged difficulties with parenting, which may sometimes result in childhood psychological disturbance or child maltreatment. This guidance considers ways of preventing, minimizing and remedying these effects. Our recommendations include: education of psychiatrists and related professions about the effect of parental mental illness on children; revision of psychiatric training to increase awareness of patients as caregivers, and to incorporate relevant assessment and intervention into their treatment and rehabilitation; the optimum use of pharmacological treatment during pregnancy; pre-birth planning when women with severe mental illness become pregnant; development of specialist services for pregnant and puerperal women, with assessment of their efficacy; community support for parenting by mothers and fathers with severe mental disorders; standards of good practice for the management of child maltreatment when parents suffer from mental illness; the importance of multi-disciplinary teamwork when helping these families, supporting their children and ensuring child protection; the development of child and adolescent mental health services worldwide.