Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Soc Sci Med. 2018 Apr;202:170-178. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.02.026. Epub 2018 Feb 24.
Mental health problems in children and adolescents are widespread and are a primary public health concern worldwide. During childhood and adolescence different challenges must be met. Whether the corresponding developmental tasks can be mastered successfully and in a psychologically healthy manner depends on the availability of resources.
The aim of the current study was to examine the benefits of maternal education on the development of mental health in children and adolescents.
Data from 2810 participants (48.7% female, 7- to 19-years old) of the longitudinal BELLA study (mental health module of the representative German KiGGS study) were analyzed from up to four measurement points (2003-2012). Individual growth modeling was employed to estimate the benefits of maternal education (Comparative Analysis of Social Mobility in Industrial Nations, CASMIN) for the trajectories of mental health problems (parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ) in children and adolescents.
Children of mothers with low education had significantly more mental health problems compared to children of mothers with high education. This difference due to maternal education applied for girls as well as boys and especially for participants who did not live with both biological parents. Further, the difference in mental health problems due to varying maternal education decreased with increasing age of the participants.
Prevention programs should focus on children of mothers with lower education who additionally live in single- or step-parent families as a high-risk group. Knowledge of the underlying mechanism between education and mental health is highly important.
儿童和青少年的心理健康问题普遍存在，是全球主要的公共卫生关注点。在儿童和青少年时期，他们需要应对不同的挑战。能否成功并以心理健康的方式应对相应的发展任务，取决于他们可利用资源的多少。
本研究旨在探讨母亲教育对儿童和青少年心理健康发展的益处。
本研究对来自于 2810 名（女性占比 48.7%，年龄 7-19 岁）参与者的纵向 BELLA 研究（德国 KiGGS 研究的代表性心理健康模块）数据进行了分析，共涉及四个测量点（2003-2012 年）。采用个体增长模型估计母亲教育（国际社会流动调查比较分析，CASMIN）对儿童和青少年心理健康问题轨迹（家长报告的长处与困难问卷，SDQ）的益处。
与母亲教育程度较高的儿童相比，受教育程度较低的母亲的孩子心理健康问题明显更多。这种因母亲教育程度导致的差异既适用于女孩，也适用于男孩，尤其是对于那些没有与亲生父母同住的参与者。此外，由于母亲教育程度不同而导致的心理健康问题的差异随着参与者年龄的增长而减小。
预防计划应侧重于受教育程度较低的母亲所生的孩子，尤其是那些生活在单亲或再婚家庭中的孩子，因为他们属于高风险群体。了解教育和心理健康之间的潜在机制非常重要。
