Mental health problems of Dutch youth with hearing loss as shown on the Youth Self Report

The prevalence OF mental health problems among youth with hearing loss was assessed with an adjusted version of the Dutch rendition of the Youth Self Report, or YSR (Achenbach, 1991). The sample totaled 202 youth, aged 11-18 years, with auditory disabilities. The prevalence rates of externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and moderate to severe overall mental health problems were found to be 2-3 times higher than in a normative sample. Deaf participants scored significantly higher than hard of hearing participants in these areas. Main-streamed participants scored significantly lower than peers in schools for the deaf or for the hard of hearing. Participants with low IQ scores showed significantly more internalizing and social problems than those with moderate to high scores. The adjusted YSR is recommended for screening in schools and in mental health services for youth with hearing loss for prevention and early intervention.     

Mental health problems of deaf Dutch children as indicated by parents' responses to the child behavior checklist

Emotional/behavioral problems of 238 deaf Dutch children ages 4-18 years were studied. Parental reports indicated that 41% had emotional/behavioral problems, a rate nearly 2.6 times higher than the 16% reported by parents of a Dutch normative sample. Mental health problems seemed most prevalent in families with poor parent-child communication. Deaf children ages 12-18 showed more problems with anxiety and depression and more social problems than those ages 4-11. Deaf children with relatively low intelligence showed more social problems, thought problems, and attention problems than those with relatively high intelligence. The authors stress the need to get information on deaf children's mental health functioning not just from parents but from other informants such as teachers and the children themselves. An expansion assessment of deaf children, and of special services and treatments for deaf children and adolescents with emotional/behavioral problems, is recommended.     

The relationship between child protection contact and mental health outcomes among Canadian adults with a child abuse history

Despite being a primary response to child abuse, it is currently unknown whether contact with child protection services (CPS) does more good than harm. The aim of the current study was to examine whether contact with CPS is associated with improved mental health outcomes among adult respondents who reported experiencing child abuse, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and abuse severity. The data were drawn from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-2012), which used a multistage stratified cluster design (household-level response rate = 79.8%). Included in this study were individuals aged 18 years and older living in the 10 Canadian provinces (N = 23,395). Child abuse included physical abuse, sexual abuse, and exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). Mental health outcomes included lifetime mental disorders, lifetime and past year suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts, and current psychological well-being and functioning and distress. All models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors and severity of child abuse. For the majority of outcomes, there were no statistically significant differences between adults with a child abuse history who had CPS contact compared to those without CPS contact. However, those with CPS contact were more likely to report lifetime suicide attempts. These findings suggest that CPS contact is not associated with improved mental health outcomes. Implications are discussed.     

Perpetration patterns and environmental contexts of IPV in Sweden: Relationships with adult mental health

Although excellent data exist on the overall prevalence of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), there is less information available on the specific patterns of IPV exposure in childhood and how they influence adult mental health. The current study examines 703 Swedish adults who reported exposure to IPV in childhood. Participants were part of a large national study on violence exposure. They provided an extensive history of their exposure to IPV and maltreatment experiences during childhood via electronically administered questionnaires. Mean comparison and multivariate regression methods were employed to assess differences in violence severity by reported perpetration pattern (mother-only, father-only, bidirectional or other), the association between violence severity and environmental context, and the contribution of these characteristics to adult mental health outcomes. Overall, violence perpetrated in public and by fathers was more severe and was related to poorer mental health outcomes in adulthood for child witnesses. These findings provide important insight into possible clinical “flags” for identifying children at high risk for exposure to IPV and abuse in the home.     

“I Have Been Given the Power to Teach. The Children Understand Me Very Well.” The Social and Academic Impact of Deaf Teacher Training in Kenya

Kenya has 41 Deaf schools that serve children from Class 1 through secondary school. These schools are all characterised by the fact that they have very few teachers who are fluent in Kenyan sign language. In order to meet the needs of schools and to provide employment opportunities for Deaf Kenyan adults, a small non-governmental organisation identified Deaf secondary school students for training. They received two years of teacher training free of charge. Most have since been awarded teaching contracts by the Kenyan Teacher Service Commission or local school boards. This article reports on results from a preliminary study of the social and academic impacts of this innovation. Results indicate that Deaf teachers are inspirational in the classroom, represent a significant resource for their school communities and are preferred by Deaf students. A follow-up study on the relative learning gains of Deaf students when taught by Deaf teachers is planned once relevant data are available.     

Making public mental-health services accessible to deaf consumers: Illinois Deaf Services 2000

Illinois Deaf Services 2000 (IDS2000), a public/private partnership, promotes the creation and implementation of strategies to develop and increase access to mental health services for deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind consumers. IDS2000 has resulted in the establishment of service accessibility standards, a technical support and adherence monitoring system, and the beginnings of a statewide telepsychiatry service. These system modifications have resulted in increase by 60% from baseline survey data in the number of deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind consumers identified in community mental-health agencies in Illinois. Depending on the situation of deaf services staff and infrastructure, much of IDS2000 could be replicated in other states in a mostly budget-neutral manner.     

The horror of being deaf and in prison

Being Deaf and in prison is a horror. The main fear of prison inmates, whether Deaf or hearing, is that they will be raped, killed, or subjected to other forms of violence. Such fears are based in reality. The recent overcrowding of jails and prisons has increased these problems significantly. A major reason for this situation is the blatant violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act by most jails and prisons in the United States. This includes the failure to provide interpreting services for necessary activities and facilities such as religious services, educational programs, vocational training, faith-based prisons, and mental health treatment for addiction. The author discusses other problems faced by inmates who are Deaf and offers suggestions for correcting injustices faced by those who are Deaf in American jails and prisons.     

Examining the association between suicidal behaviors and referral for mental health services among children involved in the child welfare system in Ontario,Canada

Although various studies have investigated factors associated with mental health service utilization, few studies have examined factors associated with referral for mental health services among maltreated children. The objective of this study was to examine the association between suicidal thoughts and self-harming behavior and referral for mental health services among children involved in the Child Welfare System in Ontario, Canada. Data for this study were obtained from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2013. An estimate 57,798 child maltreatment investigations was analyzed using binary logistic regression with referral for mental health service as the outcome variable. Of the 57,798 cases, 4709 (8.1%), were referred for mental health services. More than seven out of ten maltreated children who engaged in self-harming behavior and two out of three maltreated children who expressed suicidal thoughts were not referred for mental health services. In the multivariate logistic regression model, children who expressed suicidal thoughts had 2.39 times higher odds of being referred for mental health services compared to children with no suicidal thoughts (AOR = 2.39, 99% C.I. 2.05–2.77) and children who engaged in self-harming behavior had 1.44 times higher odds of being referred for mental health services compared to children who did not engage in self-harming behavior (AOR = 1.44, 99% C.I. 1.24–1.67), both after controlling for child demographic characteristics, maltreatment characteristics, and child functioning concerns. Given that referral is the initial step towards mental health service utilization, it is important that child welfare workers receive the necessary training so as to carefully assess and refer children in care who expressed suicidal thoughts or engaged in self-harming behavior for appropriate mental health services. The paper discusses the results and their implications for child welfare policy and practice.     

Interagency collaboration between child protection and mental health services: practices, attitudes and barriers

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to examine some of the factors that facilitate and hinder interagency collaboration between child protection services and mental health services in cases where there is a parent with a mental illness and there are protection concerns for the child(ren). The paper reports on agency practices, worker attitudes and experiences, and barriers to effective collaboration. METHOD: A self-administered, cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed via direct mail or via line supervisors to workers in statutory child protection services, adult mental health services, child and youth mental health services, and Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Teams. There were 232 completed questionnaires returned, with an overall response rate of 21%. Thirty-eight percent of respondents were statutory child protection workers, 39% were adult mental health workers, 16% were child and youth mental health workers, and 4% were SCAN Team medical officers (with 3% missing data). RESULTS: Analysis revealed that workers were engaging in a moderate amount of interagency contact, but that they were unhappy with the support provided by their agency. Principle components analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) on items assessing attitudes toward other workers identified four factors, which differed in rates of endorsement: inadequate training, positive regard for child protection workers, positive regard for mental health workers, and mutual mistrust (from highest to lowest level of endorsement). The same procedure identified the relative endorsement of five factors extracted from items about potential barriers: inadequate resources, confidentiality, gaps in interagency processes, unrealistic expectations, and professional knowledge domains and boundaries. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health and child protection professionals believe that collaborative practice is necessary; however, their efforts are hindered by a lack of supportive structures and practices at the organizational level.     

Mental health services for people who are deaf

The issue of mental health services available to adults and children in the United States who are deaf is addressed. Included is a historical perspective on the changes in these services over the last 50 years. Within this scope, the current status of services is described in some detail. Psychological research on children who are deaf is reviewed, and current issues faced by school psychology and psychologists who evaluate deaf children in school settings are examined. The disturbing current trend toward the criminalization of people with mental illness, which affects both hearing and deaf adults with psychiatric diagnoses, is covered. Suggestions are made for improving mental health services for children and adults who are deaf.     

National survey of problems and competencies among four- to sixteen-year-olds: parents' reports for normative and clinical samples.

We compared parent-reported problems and competencies for national samples of 2,600 4-16-year-olds assessed at intake into mental health services and 2,600 demographically matched nonreferred children assessed in a home interview survey. Parents responded to the ACQ Behavior Checklist, which includes 23 competence items, three competence scales, 216 problem items, eight syndrome scales, Internalizing, Externalizing, and total competence and problem scores. Most items and scales discriminated significantly (p less than .01) between referred and nonreferred samples. There were important sex and age differences in problem patterns, but regional and ethnic differences were minimal. Somewhat more problems and fewer competencies were reported for lower- than upper-socioeconomic-status children. Referral rates were similar in the most urban and rural areas, but they were significantly higher in areas of intermediate urbanization. Correlations of problem scores with those obtained 10 years earlier in a regional survey and with surveys in other countries showed considerable consistency in the rank order of prevalence rates among specific problems. Apparently owing to its more differentiated response scales, the ACQ was susceptible to respondent characteristics that reduced its discriminative power below that of the Child Behavior Checklist. Comparisons of procedures for discriminating between the normal and the clinical range supported the value of a borderline category for children who are neither clearly normal nor clearly deviant. Interview data from the survey sample yielded significantly higher ACQ problem scores for children who had fewer related adults in their homes, those who had more unrelated adults in their homes, those whose biological parents were unmarried, separated, or divorced, those whose families received public assistance, and those whose household or family members had received mental health services. Children who scored higher on Externalizing than Internalizing problems tended to have unmarried, separated, or divorced parents and to come from families receiving public assistance. However, among children whose household or family members had received mental health services, there were greater proportions of both Externalizing and Internalizing patterns than among other children.     

Factors associated with mental health services referrals for children investigated by child welfare

Although child welfare caseworkers are responsible for facilitating mental health services access for maltreated children, little is known about caseworkers’ decisions to refer children to services. We aimed to identify factors associated with caseworker referral of children to mental health services after a maltreatment investigation. We analyzed data from 1956 children 2–17 years old from the Second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being. We examined associations of children’s predisposing, enabling, and need-related factors and caseworkers’ work environment characteristics with referral to mental health services. Caseworkers referred 21.0% of children to mental health services. In multivariable analyses controlling for potential covariates, factors associated with increased odds of caseworker referral included: older child age; child sexual abuse (versus neglect); child out-of-home placement; caregiver mental health problems; prior maltreatment reports; clinically significant child behavioral problems; and child welfare agency collaborative ties with mental health providers (all p < .05). Factors associated with decreased odds of caseworker referral included child Black race (versus White race) and lack of insurance (versus Private insurance) (all p < .05). In summary, children’s need for mental health services was positively associated with caseworker referral to services but certain predisposing and enabling factors and caseworker work environment characteristics also correlated with services referral. Interventions to reduce disparities in services referral by race and insurance type are critically needed. These may include child welfare agency implementation of policies for mental health screening, assessment, and services referral based on clinical need and establishment of child welfare-mental health agency collaborative ties.     

Mental health among former students with special educational needs who are now in their mid‐30s

This article discusses how psychosocial health in adolescence influences adult mental health among former students with special educational needs in Norway. These individuals have been followed prospectively from their teens and into their mid‐30s. The study is inspired by life course perspectives with an emphasis on cumulative processes. The logistic regression analysis reveals that the risk of suffering from adult mental distress is higher among those with psychosocial difficulties in their juvenile years compared with those without such problems. Our results also show that the mental health of subjects who experienced health problems and received social security benefits in their late 20s is negatively affected when they are 33 to 34 years of age. In addition, the risk of poor adult mental health is considerably higher for females than males. Receiving assistance from teaching assistants in the classroom at upper secondary school does not seem to be conducive to subsequent positive mental health.     

South African Deaf education and the Deaf community

In a special section of the american Annals of the Deaf, Deaf education and the Deaf community in South Africa are discussed. The special section is organized into 7 segments: a historical overview to establish context, the educational context, educators and learners, postgraduate education and employment, perspectives of Deaf children and their parents, sport and the arts, and spiritual lives and mental health. Throughout the entire section, however, the central focus is on the overall foundation (or lack thereof) of education for Deaf learners in South Africa.     

Theory of mind in deaf adults and the organization of verbs of knowing

Naive theories of mind provide an organizing scheme for concept formation and categorization. Additionally, they highlight what is important within a domain. This study investigated how deaf adults with hearing parents orgaize 17 cognitive verbs of knowing as a way of describing their naive theory of mind. Deaf adults rated on 1 to 7 scale the similarity of pairs of cognitive verbs in terms of whether 'the words are alike or different based on how you would use your mind when you do that mental activity'. We directly compared the similarity of cognitive verbs in these deaf adults with data collected in earlier research describing the organisation of cognitive verbs in hearing adults. We conducted multidimensional scaling, additive similarity tree, and Pathfinder analyses to assess global, categorical, and local relations in the domain. Deaf adults' theory of mind revealed distinction among mental verbs in terms of information-processing components and constructive certainty components. In all analyses, the deaf group showed a very similar organization to that of hearing adults examined in previous research. We conclude that, although deaf adults might be expected to view congnitive processes differently than hearing adults, they nonetheless exhibit a theory of mind that is highly similar to that of hearing adults.     

Oxford House: deaf-affirmative support for substance abuse recovery

Deaf individuals seeking substance abuse recovery are less likely to have access to treatment and aftercare services because of a lack of culturally and linguistically specific programs and insufficient information about existing services. Previous research indicates that Oxford House, a network of resident-run recovery homes, serves a diverse group of individuals in recovery. However, research has not addressed the experiences of Deaf Oxford House residents. The present study found no significant differences between Deaf and hearing men living in Oxford House in terms of sense of community and abstinence self-efficacy. However, while most of the hearing participants were employed, none of the Deaf Oxford House members were. The study's findings indicate that Oxford House may be a promising Deaf-affirmative alternative for individuals seeking recovery from substance abuse. However, since Oxford Houses are self-supporting, Oxford Houses designed for the Deaf community may face unique economic challenges.     

Age and language skills of deaf children in relation to theory of mind development

Using four traditional false-belief tasks, I investigated deaf children's age and expressive language skills in relation to their theory of mind development. The children's parents who signed reported on their own knowledge of a mental sign vocabulary. The results indicate age of the child to be strongly related to theory of mind development. Deaf children demonstrated an ability to pass the theory of mind assessment battery between the ages of 7 and 8 years, on average. In comparison, hearing children have consistently demonstrated the ability to perform such tasks between the ages of 4 and 5 years. Therefore, the results indicate deaf children are delayed by approximately 3 years in this cognitive developmental milestone. Expressive language skills of the children and sign language skills of the parents who signed were not found to be significantly related to the children's theory of mind development.     

‘It’s a bit taboo’: a qualitative study of Norwegian adolescents’ perceptions of mental healthcare services

The aim of this study is to investigate adolescents’ perspectives on mental healthcare services. Based on theoretical perspectives concerning barriers for help-seeking, individual interviews were carried out in order to obtain the adolescents’ perspectives on knowledge of services for mental health problems, potential barriers for help-seeking, and services to which they have access. The sample consisted of vocational students from an upper secondary school in the southwest of Norway (n = 8). None of the informants was currently in treatment for mental health problems. Interview data were transcribed and analysed with the assistance of NVivo Software. Qualitative content analysis indicated that the adolescents have limited knowledge of available resources, and, that stigma-related factors may prevent the adolescents from seeking help for mental health problems. Future directions for delivering mental health services for adolescents are given.