Parental beliefs and child-rearing attitudes and mental health problems among schoolchildren
Vitolo, Y.Lúcia.Camargo.; Fleitlich-Bilyk, B.; Goodman, R.; Bordin, I.Altenfelder.Santos.
Revista de Saude Publica 39(5): 716-724
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-8910 PMID: 16254646 Document Number: 258909
A cross-sectional study was carried out to verify the prevalence and identify the risk factors related to mental health problems among schoolchildren and its possible association with the beliefs and educational attitudes of parents/caretakers. A stratified probabilistic sample (n=454) of first to third-graders from public schools in southeastern Brazil was used. Standardized instruments were administered to parents/caretakers by trained interviews, including screening questionnaires for mental health problems among children and parents/caretakers; a questionnaire on beliefs and attitudes; and a questionnaire for socioeconomic status. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. A 35.2% prevalence of clnical/borderline cases was observed among students. Parents/caretakers that believed in corporal punishment as a child-rearing method used physical aggression towards their children more frequently (64.8%). Logistic regression models showed that the act of hitting the child with a belt was associated to conduct problems and to overall mental health problems among schoolchildren in the presence of other risk factors: child gender (male), parents/caretakers with mental health problems and adverse socioeconomic conditions. The high prevalence of mental health problems among schoolchildren and its association with child-rearing methods and mental health among parents/caretakers indicate the need for psycho-educational interventions aimed to reduce physical abuse and mental health problems in childhood.