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Snapshots of America's FamiliesAdults' Environment and
Behavior By Jennifer
Ehrle, Kristin Moore and Brett Brown
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| A child's well-being
depends in part upon the mental health of his or
her parents. If a parent's mental health is
compromised, he or she may be less able to
nurture, love, care for, and pay attention to the
child. Several studies indicate that single
mothers on welfare with young children are at
considerable risk of exhibiting symptoms of
depression. Parents with such symptoms provide
less emotional support and tend to employ harsh
disciplinary practices. Further, children of
depressed parents exhibit more behavioral
problems, frequently display deficits in social
and academic competence, and are in poorer
physical health than children of nondepressed
parents. It is not certain how changes in welfare programs will affect the mental health of parents. Mental health may worsen if parents have difficulty obtaining or keeping a job or if they have difficulty complying with more demanding welfare program rules. On the other hand, mental health may improve if a parent's job enhances family income or the parent's social contacts. The effects may not become apparent until after parents have taken on new employment or reached welfare time limits. Parents were asked to rate their feelings of anxiety and depression, loss of behavioral or emotional control, and psychological well-being during the past month. A score of 67 or less out of 100 points was considered indicative of poor mental health. Nationally, 17 percent of children lived with a parent whose survey responses suggested poor mental health. Of children in families with low incomes (below 200 percent of the poverty level), 25 percent lived with a parent who had symptoms of poor mental health, compared to only 10 percent of children in families with higher incomes, a statistically significant difference. Children of parents without a spouse were significantly more likely than other children to be living with a parent in poor mental health-28 percent versus 13 percent. In the 13 states surveyed, 13 percent to 24 percent of all children lived with a parent who exhibited symptoms of poor mental health. Three states had higher percentages than the national average: Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Five states had percentages below the national average: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin. Of children in low-income families, 20 percent to 34 percent lived with a parent whose responses suggested poor mental health. The percentage of low-income children living with a parent in poor mental health was higher than the national average in Massachusetts, Mississippi, and New Jersey. The percentage was below the national average in Colorado and Washington. In low-income families where the parent did not have a spouse, 24 percent to 40 percent of children lived with a parent who had symptoms of poor mental health. The percentage was above the national average in Mississippi and New Jersey. In Washington, it was below average. The five-item mental health scale (MHI-5) was constructed for the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) using questions from the 38-item Mental Health Inventory (MHI). Ware, J.E., and D.C. Sherbourne. 1992. The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Medical Care 30:473-81. |
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| If you are interested in
additional information, or would like to set up a
Families Worldwide Chapter in your community,
please feel free to contact us via
e-mail. Families Worldwide |
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