Conceptual causal models of socioeconomic status, family structure, family functioning and their role in public health

Using Life Course Theory to Explore the Association Between Autistic Traits, Child, Family, and School Factors and the Successful Transition to Secondary School

Life Course Theory contends that school transitions can interrupt academic and wellbeing trajectories, depending on child, family, and school factors. Hierarchical regression analyses examined how autistic traits were associated with school transition outcomes. Autistic traits explained 12% of the variance in Quality of Life (QOL), 24% of the variance in mental health and 9% of the variance in school belonging. When autistic traits were accounted for, gender was a significant predictor of changes in QOL whereas changes in school belonging were predicted by cognitive functioning, parent education, school attendance and school refusal. Changes in mental health after transition were mostly predicted by family factors including family structure, family functioning and parent education but were also significantly predicted by sleep problems.

Aspects of public health development in China's western region

The public health level in a country is closely related to national development and quality of life. In order to appraise the level of health services in the western region of China, panel data of 124 prefecture-level units covering the period 2011 to 2021 was used together with a health evaluation index system based on four dimensions: quality of life, environmental situation, the level of health services and longevity. To assess this, we used entropy weights, standard deviation and coefficient of variation together with the geographical detector model that measures the stratified spatial heterogeneity. The results show that although public health services have improved overall, the various dimensions are still not balanced as longevity did not match up everywhere. While the developmental level of the various health dimensions presents a pattern of a relatively smooth increasing gradient in the west-central- east direction, the situation with respect to the north-centralsouth is more uneven with both ups and downs. However, a trend of continuous enhancement of all health dimensions was found with a significant positive correlation of spatial clustering, with hotspots and 'sub-hotspots' contracting from north to south, while coldspots and 'sub-coldspots' expanded from west to east. This can be seen as the result of multiple factors, with the level of urbanization and economic level as the dominant factors and government guidance, agglomeration capacity and industrial structure being auxiliary.

Changes in, and factors associated with family functioning: results of four cross-sectional household surveys from 2011 to 2017 in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND

Previous research has well-documented that family functioning is an important predictor of individuals' physical and mental health. However, relatively little research has explored family functioning at the family and population levels, such as changes in family functioning across years and whether predictors of family functioning differ across different family structures. Understanding of the changes in family functioning across years and factors promoting family functioning will inform the development of preventive measures to enhance family health and resilience. Objectives of the study were: (1) to examine the changes in family functioning across a 6-year study period and (2) to study protective factors associated with family functioning and the extent to which the factors are the same or different across different family structures.

METHOD

The study involved secondary data analysis of the biannual Family Survey carried out by the Family Council, an advisory body to the Hong Kong government. A series of ANOVA and regression analyses were conducted using data of four population-based cross-sectional household surveys conducted in Hong Kong in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.

RESULTS

There were some fluctuations in overall family functioning scores across the study period, but no significant difference was found between the scores in 2011 and 2017. Different predictors of family functioning were found for different family types, and frequent family communication was a common protective factor for most family types, including never married, married/cohabiting with children, and married/cohabiting with no children.

CONCLUSION

The study is among the first to examine changes in family functioning at the population level. Monitoring and addressing family functioning may help tackle various social problems and future public health crises. Interventions to promote family functioning should address both common and different protective factors of different family types.

Combining Asset Accumulation and Multifamily Group Intervention to Improve Mental Health for Adolescent Girls: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Uganda

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to expand the current knowledge on the relationship between poverty, family functioning, and the mental health of adolescent girls in families affected by poverty and HIV/AIDS in southern Uganda. The study investigates the association between family functioning and mental health and examines whether family functioning moderates the intervention effect on adolescent mental health.

METHODS

Longitudinal data were collected over the course of 24 months in a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted among N=1,260 girls aged 14-17 years in Uganda. Participants were randomized into control group (n=408 girls from n=16 schools), matched youth development accounts treatment, YDA (n=471 girls from n=16 schools), and integrated intervention combining YDA with multiple family group component (n=381 girls from n=15 schools).

RESULTS

We found a significant positive association between family functioning and mental health of adolescent girls in our sample. Moderator analyses suggests that effect of the intervention on Beck Hopelessness Scale was significantly moderated by family cohesion (χ2 (4) =21.43; p = .000), frequency of family communication (χ2 (4) =9.65; p = .047), and quality of child-caregiver relationship (χ2 (4) =11.12; p = .025). Additionally, the intervention effect on depression was moderated by the comfort of family communication (χ2 (4) =10.2; p = .037).

DISCUSSION

The study findings highlight the importance of family functioning when examining the link from poverty to adolescent mental health. The study contributes to the scarce evidence suggesting that asset-accumulation opportunities combined with a family strengthening component may improve parenting practices and adolescent mental health in poor households.

Mothers' and Children's Mental Distress and Family Strain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic had a widespread impact on families with dependent children. To better understand the impact of the pandemic on families' health and relationships, we examined the association between mothers' and children's mental distress and family strain.

METHODS

Three waves of the COVID-19 Impact Survey were analyzed, collected from a subsample of mother-child pairs (n = 157) from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) longitudinal cohort in Alberta, Canada. Latent class analyses were performed to determine patterns and group memberships in mothers' and children's mental distress and family strain. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to test associations between mothers' and children's mental distress and family strain trajectory classes.

RESULTS

Mothers with medium/high levels of mental distress were at increased odds of experiencing high family strain compared to those with low levels of distress (medium aOR = 3.90 [95% CI: 1.08-14.03]; high aOR = 4.57 [95% CI: 1.03-20.25]). The association between children's mental distress and family strain was not significant (aOR = 1.75 [95% CI: 0.56-5.20]).

CONCLUSION

Mothers' mental distress, but not children's, was associated with family strain during the pandemic. More distressed individuals experienced greater family strain over time, suggesting that this association may become a chronic problem.

The Myth of Zero-Sum Responsibility: Towards Scaffolded Responsibility for Health

Some people argue that the distribution of medical resources should be sensitive to agents' responsibility for their ill-health. In contrast, others point to the social determinants of health to argue that the collective agents that control the conditions in which agents act should bear responsibility. To a large degree, this is a debate in which those who hold individuals responsible currently have the upper hand: warranted appeals to individual responsibility effectively block allocation of any significant degree of responsibility to collective agents. We suggest that a different understanding of individual responsibility might lead to a fairer allocation of blame. Scaffolded agency is individual agency exercised in a context in which opportunities and affordances are structured by others. Appeals to scaffolded agency at once recognize the role of the individual and of the collective agents who have put the scaffolds in place.

Premorbid Sociodemographic Status and Multiple Sclerosis Outcomes in a Universal Health Care Context

Importance

Multiple sclerosis (MS) severity may be informed by premorbid sociodemographic factors.

Objective

To determine whether premorbid education, income, and marital status are associated with future MS disability and symptom severity, independent of treatment, in a universal health care context.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This nationwide observational cohort study examined data from the Swedish MS Registry linked to national population registries from 2000 to 2020. Participants included people with MS onset from 2005 to 2015 and of working age (aged 23 to 59 years) 1 year and 5 years preceding disease onset.

Exposures

Income quartile, educational attainment, and marital status measured at 1 and 5 years preceding disease onset.

Main Outcome and Measures

Repeated measures of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores and patient-reported Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) scores. Models were adjusted for age, sex, relapses, disease duration, and treatment exposure. Secondary analyses further adjusted for comorbidity. All analyses were stratified by disease course (relapse onset and progressive onset).

Results

There were 4557 patients (mean [SD] age, 37.5 [9.3] years; 3136 [68.8%] female, 4195 [92.1%] relapse-onset MS) with sociodemographic data from 1-year preonset of MS. In relapse-onset MS, higher premorbid income and education correlated with lower disability (EDSS, -0.16 [95% CI, -0.12 to -0.20] points) per income quartile; EDSS, -0.47 [95% CI, -0.59 to -0.35] points if tertiary educated), physical symptoms (MSIS-29 physical subscore, -14% [95% CI, -11% to -18%] per income quartile; MSIS-29 physical subscore, -43% [95% CI, -35% to -50%] if tertiary educated), and psychological symptoms (MSIS-29 psychological subscore, -12% [95% CI, -9% to -16%] per income quartile; MSIS-29 psychological subscore, -25% [95% CI, -17% to -33%] if tertiary educated). Marital separation was associated with adverse outcomes (EDSS, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.18 to 0.51]; MSIS-29 physical subscore, 35% [95% CI, 12% to 62%]; MSIS-29 psychological subscore, 25% [95% CI, 8% to 46%]). In progressive-onset MS, higher income correlated with lower EDSS (-0.30 [95% CI, -0.48 to -0.11] points per income quartile) whereas education correlated with lower physical (-34% [95% CI, -53% to -7%]) and psychological symptoms (-33% [95% CI, -54% to -1%]). Estimates for 5-years preonset were comparable with 1-year preonset, as were the comorbidity-adjusted findings.

Conclusions and relevance

In this cohort study of working-age adults with MS, premorbid income, education, and marital status correlated with disability and symptom severity in relapse-onset and progressive-onset MS, independent of treatment. These findings suggest that socioeconomic status may reflect both structural and individual determinants of health in MS.

The impact of poverty-reduction intervention on child mental health mediated by family relations: Findings from a cluster-randomized trial in Uganda

Reviews that synthesize global evidence on the impact of poverty reduction interventions on child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) report inconclusive results and highlight the need to unpack the mechanisms that connect poverty-reduction to CAMH. To address this gap, we examine the proposition that family relations is an important relational factor transmitting effect of poverty on CAMH, and test whether family relations mediate the effect of poverty-reduction intervention on depression, hopelessness, and self-concept among AIDS orphans in Uganda. We use longitudinal data collected over the course of 48 months in a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted among N = 1410 AIDS orphans from n = 48 schools in Uganda. To examine the relationship between intervention, latent mediator (family relations and support) and CAMH outcomes (Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), and Depression), we ran structural equation models adjusting for clustering of individuals within schools. Relative to the control group, participants in both treatment arms reported lower levels of hopelessness and depression, and significantly higher levels of self-concept. They also report significantly higher levels of latent family relationship in all three models. In both treatment arms, the direct effect of the intervention on all three outcomes is still significant when the latent family relations mediator is included in the analyses. This suggests partial mediation. In other words, in both treatment arms, the significant positive effect of the intervention on children's depression, hopelessness, and self-concept is partially mediated by their family relationship quality. Our findings support the argument put forward by the Family Stress Model showing that the poverty-reduction program improves children's mental health functioning by improving family relationships. The implications of our study extend beyond the narrow focus of poverty reduction, suggesting that asset-building interventions have broader impacts on family dynamics and child mental health.

Advancing family science and health equity through the 2022-2026 National Institute of Nursing Research strategic plan

BACKGROUND

Consistent with the National Institute of Nursing Research's mission of leading nursing research to address current health challenges, the new Strategic Plan identifies five research lenses: health equity, social determinants of health, population and community health, prevention and health promotion, and systems and models of care. Family research, central to nursing research and practice, is the cornerstone of social ecology and represents a critical intersection of social and structural determinants of health.

PURPOSE

We argue why family health is essential to the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and how the lenses can strengthen family research.

METHODS

Drawing from collective expertise and existing literature in family research, sociology, psychology, and nursing science, the authors present a new conceptual model that integrates structural racism and heteropatriarchy to examine the salience of family structure statuses for family outcomes and discuss approaches to research design, empirical measurement, and interpretation in order to bring this new model into practice.

DISCUSSION

The NINR Strategic Plan has the potential to dismantle structures that perpetuate racism and health inequity within and across family structures. An underaddressed research area under the new Strategic Plan relates to how social determinants of health influence and are influenced by families.

CONCLUSION

We challenge all investigators, not just family scientists, to expand the scope of their research to conceptualize the role of family on health inequities.

The importance of socio-economic determinants of health in the care of patients with peripheral artery disease: A narrative review from VAS

Socio-economic determinants of health (SDoH) include various nonmedical factors in the socio-economic sphere with a potentially significant impact on health outcomes. Their effects manifest through several mediators/moderators (behavioral characteristics, physical environment, psychosocial circumstances, access to care, and biological factors). Various critical covariates (age, gender/sex, race/ethnicity, culture/acculturation, and disability status) also interact. Analyzing the effects of these factors is challenging due to their enormous complexity. Although the significance of SDoH for cardiovascular diseases is well documented, research regarding their impact on peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurrence and care is less well documented. This narrative review explores to what extent SDoH are multifaceted in PAD and how they are associated with its occurrence and care. Additionally, methodological issues that may hamper this effort are addressed. Finally, the most important question, whether this association may contribute to reasonable interventions aimed at SDoH, is analyzed. This endeavor requires attention to the social context, a whole systems approach, multilevel-thinking, and a broader alliance that reaches out to more stakeholders outside the medical sphere. More research is needed to justify the power in this concept to improve PAD-related outcomes like lower extremity amputations. At the present time, some evidence, reasonable consideration, and intuitive reasoning support the implementation of various interventions in SDoH in this field.

Family functioning and preschool children's oral health-related quality of life

INTRODUCTION

Identifying which aspects of how a family functions are relevant to child oral health provides opportunities for interventions targeting the family context. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of general and domain-specific family functioning with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of 3-4-year-old children.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from 740 parent-child dyads from East London were analysed. Family functioning was assessed with the 60-item Family Assessment Device that yields scores for general functioning and six domains (roles, behaviour control, communication, affective involvement, affective responsiveness and problem solving). Children's OHRQoL was measured using the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), which measures the lifetime impacts of children's oral conditions on the child (child impact section, CIS) and family (family impact section, FIS). The associations of family functioning with the ECOHIS total, CIS and FIS scores were assessed in negative binomial regression models (rate ratios [RR] and 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] were calculated), adjusting for parental sociodemographic factors and child demographic factors and caries experience.

RESULTS

Children in families with unhealthy general functioning had 1.45 (95% CI: 0.87-2.43), 1.24 (95% CI: 0.73-2.13) and 2.19 (95% CI: 1.20-3.99) times greater ECOHIS total, CIS and FIS scores, respectively, than those in families with healthy general functioning after adjustment for confounders. Unhealthy functioning in the roles domain was associated with greater ECOHIS total and FIS scores. Unhealthy functioning in the problem solving, roles and affective involvement domains were also associated with greater FIS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Unhealthy family functioning was associated with worse child OHRQoL, especially in terms of disrupting family life. Effective assignment and undertaking of roles should be further explored as a target for intervention.

Family Structure and Family Climate in Relation to Health and Socioeconomic Status for Older Adults: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Analysis

Family characteristics are associated with individuals' health and wellbeing. However, the link between family structure (e.g., operationalized via marital status) and health outcomes is ambiguous, and whether family climate mediates the relationship is unclear. This study uses the Biobehavioral Family Model (BBFM) to investigate the association of older adults' family structure with later health, the mediating role of family climate and mental health and how these links vary by socioeconomic status (SES). Using data from n = 29,457 respondents aged over 50 in Waves 4, 5 and 6 (2011, 2013 and 2015) of the Survey of Health, Retirement and Ageing in Europe (SHARE), the BBFM was applied in a longitudinal mediation analysis of family structure and health, including both indicators of mental and physical health. Structural equation modeling was applied, and a multigroup analysis was performed to test the role of SES in a moderated mediation. Family climate and mental health mediated the relationship between family structure and subsequent physical health. Good levels of family climate were found to be consistently associated with improved mental and physical health. These relationships were significantly moderated by SES, showing that the association of family climate and health was weaker for those in low SES positions. Family climate and mental health should be considered as potential mechanisms linking family structure to later physical health outcomes across time; however, these associations are diminished for those with low SES.

Differences in close-work activities and optical axis length between only children and non-only children: a cross-sectional study

Background

This study aimed to investigate the differences in optical axial length and close-work activities between only children and children with siblings in Wenzhou.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional population-based study. In total, 2913 school-aged children and their parents in Wenzhou were included as study subjects from April to May 2021. Data regarding the optical axial length, spherical equivalent refraction, number of children in a family, parental myopia, and close-work activities were collected through eye examinations and questionnaires. A multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the number of children in a family and optical axial length.

Results

The children were aged 9.80 ± 3.41 years. The overall percentage of children with an axial length > 24 mm was 38.9%, 44.5% in only children and 35.6% in multiples. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of having an AL > 24 mm were 1.24 times higher in only children than in multiples (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.025–1.480, P = 0.028). Only children were 1.331 times more likely to perform homework > 1 h on weekends than multiples (OR: 1.331, 95% CI: 1.049–1.688, P = 0.019). Only children in upper grades were 1.543 times more likely to perform homework > 1 h on weekends than multiples (OR: 1.543, 95% CI: 1.065–2.235, P = 0.025). Boys who were only children were more likely to attend three or more extracurricular classes for academic subjects than multiples (OR: 1.224, 95% CI: 1.011–1.562, P = 0.004).

Conclusions

Being an only child may be associated with a higher risk of myopia and higher odds of close-work behaviors. Only children, especially those in upper grades, are more likely to spend more time on homework than their peers who are multiples. Only children, especially boys, are more likely to attend extracurricular classes in academic subjects.

Trial registration

This trial is registered as ChiCTR1900020584 at www.Chictr.org.cn.

“I’m suffering for food”: Food insecurity and access to social protection for TB patients and their households in Cape Town, South Africa

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health concern and the number one cause of death in South Africa. Social protection programmes can strengthen the resilience of TB patients, their families and households. This study aimed to get a better understanding of the role of social protection and other forms of support in relation to the burden of TB on patients and their households in South Africa.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional exploratory qualitative study using a phenomenological approach to focus on the lived experiences and perceptions of TB patients and healthcare workers. We interviewed 16 patients and six healthcare workers and analysed data thematically.

Results

The challenges faced by participants were closely related to household challenges. Participants reported a heavy physical burden, aggravated by a lack of nutritious food and that households could not provide the food they needed. Some needed to resort to charity. At the same time, households were significantly affected by the burden of caring for the patient—and remained the main source of financial, emotional and physical support. Participants reported challenges and costs associated with the application process and high levels of discretion by the assessing doctor allowing doctors’ opinions and beliefs to influence their assessment.

Conclusion

Access to adequate nutritious food was a key issue for many patients and this need strained already stretched households and budgets. Few participants reported obtaining state social protection support during their illness, but many reported challenges and high costs of trying to access it. Further research should be conducted on support mechanisms and interventions for TB patients, but also their households, including food support, social protection and contact tracing. In deciding eligibility for grants, the situation of the household should be considered in addition to the individual patient.

The Impact of Family Socioeconomic Status on Elderly Health in China: Based on the Frailty Index

China is about to enter a moderate aging society. In the process of social and economic development, the family socioeconomic status and health status of the elderly have also changed significantly. Learning the impact of family socioeconomic status on elderly health can help them improve family socioeconomic status and better achieve healthy and active aging. Using the data of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey in 2018, this study firstly analyzed the impact of family socioeconomic status on elderly health using the multivariate linear regression model and quantile regression model, the heterogeneity of different elderly groups using subsample regression, and the mediation effects of three conditions associated with the family socioeconomic status of the elderly. The results show that family socioeconomic status has a negative effect on the frailty index, that is, it has a positive impact on elderly health. Family socioeconomic status has a higher positive impact on the health status of the middle and lower age elderly and rural elderly. Overall living status and leisure and recreation status both have mediation effects, while health-care status has no mediation effect.

Family functioning and dental caries among preschool children

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the relationship of family functioning with dental caries among 3-4-year-olds and the role of family functioning in explaining the relationship of family socioeconomic status (SES) with childhood dental caries.

METHODS

Data from 761 parent-child dyads who took part in the East London Oral Health Inequalities study were analyzed. Family functioning was assessed using the 60-item family assessment device that yielded scores on general functioning and six domains (roles, communication, problem-solving, affective involvement, affective responsiveness, and behavior control). Children were clinically examined at home for dental caries. The association of family functioning and family SES (education and socioeconomic classification) with dental caries (dmft and dt scores) was tested using negative binominal regression while adjusting for child and parental demographic factors.

RESULTS

Children from families with unhealthy general functioning had 1.49 (95% CI: 1.01-2.20) and 1.84 (95% CI: 1.20-2.82) times greater dmft and dt, respectively, than those from families with healthy functioning after adjustment for confounders. The estimates for the associations of parental education and socioeconomic classification with dmft and dt were attenuated by around 12%-18% after adjusting for family functioning. Of the six family functioning domains assessed, only unhealthy behavior control in the family was associated with greater numbers of decayed teeth after adjustments.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that unhealthy family functioning was associated with dental caries among young children. Family functioning partly explained the relationship between family SES and childhood dental caries.