Journal article
Natural history of mental health competence from childhood to adolescence
M O’Connor, SJ Arnup, F Mensah, C Olsson, S Goldfeld, RM Viner, S Hope
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health | Published : 2022
Abstract
Background Mental health competence (MHC) involves psychosocial capabilities such as regulating emotions, interacting well with peers and caring for others, and predicts a range of health and social outcomes. This study examines the course of MHC from childhood to adolescence and patterning by gender and disadvantage, in Australian and UK contexts. Methods Data: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=4983) and the Millennium Cohort Study (n=18 296). Measures: A measure capturing key aspects of MHC was derived summing items from the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, assessed at 4–5 years, 6–7 years, 10–11 years and 14–15 years. Analysis: Proportions of children w..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by Australian Institute of Family Studies
Funding Acknowledgements
MO'C and SJA were supported by the Melbourne Children's LifeCourse initiative, funded by a Royal Children's Hospital Foundation Grant (2018-984). SG is supported by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Fellowship 1082922, and FM is supported by NHMRC Career Development Fellowship 1111160. SH and RMV were supported by an MRC/AHRC/ESRC Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind Initiative engagement award (MR/T046260/1). Work conducted at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. All research at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health is made possible by the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre. The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children is conducted in partnership between the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Millennium Cohort Study is funded by grants to former and current directors of the study from the Economic and Social Research Council (Professor Heather Joshi, Professor Lucinda Platt and Professor Emla Fitzsimons) and a consortium of government funders. The authors would like to thank all the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and Millennium Cohort Study families for their participation. The findings and views reported in this article are those of the authors and should not be attributed to DSS, AIFS, the ABS, the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.