Elizabeth M. Westrupp

Mothers’ work–family conflict and enrichment:associations with parenting quality and couple relationship

Background Employment participation of mothers of young children has steadily increased in developed nations. Combining work and family roles can create conflicts with family life, but can also bring enrichment. Work–family conflict and enrichment experienced by mothers may also impact childrens home environments via parenting behaviour and the couple relationship, particularly in the early years of parenting when the care demands for young children is high. Methods In order to examine these associations, while adjusting for a wide range of known covariates of parenting and relationship quality, regression models using survey data from 2151 working mothers of 4- to 5-year-old children are reported. Results/Conclusion Results provided partial support for the predicted independent relationships between work–family conflict, enrichment and indicators of the quality of parenting and the couple relationship.

Adult psychiatric outcomes of very low birth weight survivors

Background: Childhood studies have identified relationships between low birth weight and a variety of psychological disorders. However, very few studies have prospectively followed VLBW survivors into adulthood and none have examined adult psychiatric disorders in this population. Objective: This exploratory study sought to determine the rates and nature of psychiatric disorders in very low birth weight (VLBW, birth weight < 1500 g) adults. Method: 117 VLBW participants and 32 normal birth weight (NBW, birth weight > 2499 g) controls, born 1977–1982, were assessed in early adulthood (24–29 years). Participants were first screened for psychopathology using the Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90-R). Participants who were elevated on this measure were eligible for a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID-I/NP) to determine a formal psychiatric diagnosis. Results: VLBW adults were more likely than controls to be elevated on the Global Severity Index (odds ratio (OR) = 4.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.96, 19.14) and the depression (OR = 5.17, 95%CI = 1.17, 23.00), paranoid ideation (OR = 4.08, 95%CI = 0.91, 18.23), hostility (relative risk (RR) = 1.34, 95%CI = 1.21, 1.49), and interpersonal sensitivity (OR = 3.80, 95%CI = 1.08, 13.32) subscales of the SCL-90-R. VLBW adults were also more likely to be diagnosed with a current mood disorder than NBW adults (RR = 1.36, 95%CI = 1.22, 1.51). Conclusions: VLBW adults are at greater risk of psychopathology than NBW peers.

Mental Health in Low-to-Moderate Risk Preterm, Low Birth Weight, and Small for Gestational Age Children at 4 to 5 Years: The Role of Early Maternal Parenting.

OBJECTIVES The majority of children born preterm, with low birth weight, or small for gestational age are born with low-to-moderate risk (LTM), yet most research focuses on the high-risk group. Little is known about whether children with LTM perinatal risk are at greater risk for mental health problems, or what the role of early maternal parenting is in determining these outcomes. METHOD Longitudinal data were from a large nationally representative Australian cohort of 5,000 children, aged 0 to 1, 2 to 3, and 4 to 5 years of age. Participants were 354 children with LTM perinatal risk born at 33 to 36 weeks, with birth weight 1,501 to 2,499 grams, or born between the first and 10th percentiles for gestational age; and 2,461 children in the normal birth weight, term comparison group. Child mental health was measured by mother-report on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parenting irritability, warmth, self-efficacy, maternal separation anxiety, and overprotective parenting were measured when children were 0 to 1 and 2 to 3 years of age. RESULTS Parents in the LTM perinatal risk group were more likely to experience parenting difficulties on one of eight parenting measures (irritable parenting at age 0-1 year) when adjusting for socio-demographic differences (odds ratio = 1.43; 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 1.95, p < .02). This group difference was no longer apparent by age 2 to 3 years. Compared with healthy-term peers, there were small increases in Emotional Symptoms and Total Difficulties on the SDQ for the LTM perinatal risk group at age 4 to 5 years. When accounting for maternal-specific and socio-demographic factors, LTM perinatal risk group continued to predict Emotional Symptoms but not Total Difficulties at age 4 to 5 years. CONCLUSIONS Children with LTM perinatal risk were at a small increased risk for emotional difficulties but did not differ significantly from other children of similar social backgrounds in their risk for generalized mental health problems. These findings support a biological and socio-economic, rather than parenting, pathway to psychological risk in children born with LTM perinatal risk.

Healthcare costs associated with language difficulties up to 9 years of age: Australian population-based study.

Abstract Purpose. This study aimed to quantify the non-hospital healthcare costs associated with language difficulties within two nationally representative samples of children. Method. Data were from three biennial waves (2004–2008) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (B cohort: 0–5 years; K cohort: 4–9 years). Language difficulties were defined as scores ≤ 1.25 SD below the mean on measures of parent-reported communication (0–3 years) and directly assessed vocabulary (4–9 years). Participant data were linked to administrative data on non-hospital healthcare attendances and prescription medications from the universal Australian Medicare subsidized healthcare scheme. Result. It was found that healthcare costs over each 2-year age band were higher for children with than without language difficulties at 0–1, 2–3, and 4–5 years, notably 36% higher (mean difference =

Community-based healthcare costs for children born low birthweight, preterm and/or small for gestational age: Data from the longitudinal study of Australian children

AU206, 95% CI =

Fathers at Work Work–Family Conflict, Work–Family Enrichment and Parenting in an Australian Cohort

90,

The cost of healthcare for children with mental health difficulties

321) at 4–5 years (B cohort). The slightly higher 2-year healthcare costs for children with language difficulties at 6–7 and 8–9 years were not statistically different from those without language difficulties. Modelled to the corresponding Australian child population, 2-year government costs ranged from

The Agreement between Parent-Reported and Directly Measured Child Language and Parenting Behaviors.

AU1.2–

Reducing and preventing internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in children with type 1 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program

AU12.1 million (depending on age examined). Six-year healthcare costs increased with the persistence of language difficulties in the K cohort, with total Medicare costs increasing by

Bidirectional associations between mothers' and fathers' parenting consistency and child bmi

192 (95% CI =