UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

A drop-in centre for treating mental health problems in children with chronic illness: outcomes for parents and their relationship with child outcomes

Bennett, S; Kerry, E; Fifield, K; Ching, C; Catanzano, M; Liang, H; Heyman, I; ... Shafran, R; + view all (2021) A drop-in centre for treating mental health problems in children with chronic illness: outcomes for parents and their relationship with child outcomes. JCPP Advances , 1 (4) , Article e12046. 10.1002/jcv2.12046. Green open access

[thumbnail of Bennett_JCPP Advances - 2021 - Bennett - A drop‐in centre for treating mental health problems in children with chronic illness.pdf]
Preview
Text
Bennett_JCPP Advances - 2021 - Bennett - A drop‐in centre for treating mental health problems in children with chronic illness.pdf

Download (477kB) | Preview

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with chronic health conditions and their parents are at greater risk of developing emotional and behavioural problems compared to their physically healthy peers. The psychological impact on parents is crucial to understand given the relationship between parental mental health and child emotional and behavioural difficulties. This study was part of a broader research project examining the acceptability, feasibility and impact of a ‘Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing Drop-in Centre’ in a paediatric hospital providing access to support and intervention for children and their families. This paper aimed to investigate the impact of the centre on parents (n = 148). METHODS: Parental anxiety and depression were assessed using the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 at baseline and 6-month post-baseline. Child mental health was assessed using the parent-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). If parents had significant mental health needs, a brief intervention/signposting to relevant services was provided. RESULTS: At baseline, 48% of parents scored above clinical threshold for anxiety and 41% for depression, and parent reported child SDQ scores were correlated with parental anxiety and parental low mood. Self-reported parental anxiety and low mood decreased at 6-months post-baseline (parental anxiety: mean decrease = 2.29 [1.22–3.36], d = 0.38; parental low mood: mean decrease = 1.81 [0.64–3.00], d = 0.28). There were no significant correlations between change in parent reported child wellbeing and changes in parental low mood and anxiety between baseline and 6-month post-baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing and providing a brief treatment to address the mental health needs of parents of children with comorbidity may bring important benefits. It is recommended that children's mental health services consider assessment of parental mental health as part of routine care.

Type: Article
Title: A drop-in centre for treating mental health problems in children with chronic illness: outcomes for parents and their relationship with child outcomes
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12046
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12046
Language: English
Additional information: © 2021 The Authors. JCPP Advances published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Chronic illness, drop‐in ,mental health, parents
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10134711
Downloads since deposit
101Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item