Social and Relational Health Risks and Common Mental Health Problems Among US Children: The Mitigating Role of Family Resilience and Connection to Promote Positive Socioemotional and School-Related Outcomes

Christina D Bethell; Andrew S Garner; Narangerel Gombojav; Courtney Blackwell; Laurence Heller; Tamar Mendelson

doi:10.1016/j.chc.2021.08.001

Social and Relational Health Risks and Common Mental Health Problems Among US Children: The Mitigating Role of Family Resilience and Connection to Promote Positive Socioemotional and School-Related Outcomes

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2022 Jan;31(1):45-70. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.08.001.

Authors

Christina D Bethell¹, Andrew S Garner², Narangerel Gombojav³, Courtney Blackwell⁴, Laurence Heller⁵, Tamar Mendelson³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: cbethell@jhu.edu.
² Partners in Pediatrics and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
³ Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁵ NeuroAffective Relational Model Training Institute, Inc, Littleton, CO, USA.

PMID: 34801155
DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.08.001

Abstract

Nearly 70% (67.6%) of US children with mental, emotional, and behavioral problems (MEB) experienced significant social health risks (SHR) and/or relational health risks (RHR). Shifts are needed in child mental health promotion, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to address both RHR and SHR. Public health approaches are needed that engage families, youth, and the range of child-serving professionals in collaborative efforts to prevent and mitigate RHR and SHR and promote positive mental health at a community level. Building strong family resilience and connection may improve SR and, in turn, academic and social outcomes among all US children with or without MEB.

Keywords: Economic hardship; Family resilience; Food insecurity; Neighborhood violence; Parent mental health; Parental stress; Racial discrimination; Relational health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Family
Family Health
Humans
Mental Health*
Resilience, Psychological*
Schools