Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study

Louise Marryat; Lucy Thompson; Helen Minnis; Philip Wilson

doi:10.1136/jech-2017-208995

Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study

Louise Marryat (Lead / Corresponding author), Lucy Thompson, Helen Minnis, Philip Wilson

Health Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

91 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: This paper examines socioeconomic inequalities in mental health at school entry and explores changes in these inequalities over the first 3 years of school.

Methods: The study utilises routinely collected mental health data from education records and demographic data at ages 4 and 7 years, along with administrative school-level data. The study was set in preschool establishments and schools in Glasgow City, Scotland. Data were available on 4011 children (59.4%)at age 4 years, and 3166 of these children were followed at age 7 years (46.9% of the population). The main outcome measure was the teacher-rated Goodman's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (4-16 version) at age 7 years, which measures social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Results: Children living in the most deprived area had higher levels of mental health difficulties at age 4 years, compared with their most affluent counterparts (7.3%vs4.1% with abnormal range scores). There was a more than threefold widening of this disparity over time, so that by the age of 7 years, children from the most deprived area quintile had rates of difficulties 3.5 times higher than their more affluent peers. Children's demographic backgrounds strongly predicted their age 7 scores, although schools appeared to make a significant contribution to mental health trajectories.

Conclusions: Additional support to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds at preschool and in early primary school may help narrow inequalities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds started school with a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, compared with their more advantaged peers, and this disparity widened markedly over the first 3 years of school.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	27-33
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Volume	72
Issue number	1
Early online date	22 Oct 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2017-208995
Publication status	Published - Jan 2018

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Epidemiology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1136/jech-2017-208995Licence: CC BY

Final published version
© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Final published version, 500 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{9c29ef47f5f64809a35bd13cf449e88f,

title = "Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study",

abstract = "Background: This paper examines socioeconomic inequalities in mental health at school entry and explores changes in these inequalities over the first 3 years of school. Methods: The study utilises routinely collected mental health data from education records and demographic data at ages 4 and 7 years, along with administrative school-level data. The study was set in preschool establishments and schools in Glasgow City, Scotland. Data were available on 4011 children (59.4%)at age 4 years, and 3166 of these children were followed at age 7 years (46.9% of the population). The main outcome measure was the teacher-rated Goodman's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (4-16 version) at age 7 years, which measures social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Results: Children living in the most deprived area had higher levels of mental health difficulties at age 4 years, compared with their most affluent counterparts (7.3%vs4.1% with abnormal range scores). There was a more than threefold widening of this disparity over time, so that by the age of 7 years, children from the most deprived area quintile had rates of difficulties 3.5 times higher than their more affluent peers. Children's demographic backgrounds strongly predicted their age 7 scores, although schools appeared to make a significant contribution to mental health trajectories. Conclusions: Additional support to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds at preschool and in early primary school may help narrow inequalities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds started school with a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, compared with their more advantaged peers, and this disparity widened markedly over the first 3 years of school.",

author = "Louise Marryat and Lucy Thompson and Helen Minnis and Philip Wilson",

year = "2018",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1136/jech-2017-208995",

language = "English",

volume = "72",

pages = "27--33",

journal = "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health",

issn = "0143-005X",

publisher = "BMJ Publishing Group",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health

T2 - a population-based cohort study

AU - Marryat, Louise

AU - Thompson, Lucy

AU - Minnis, Helen

AU - Wilson, Philip

PY - 2018/1

Y1 - 2018/1

N2 - Background: This paper examines socioeconomic inequalities in mental health at school entry and explores changes in these inequalities over the first 3 years of school. Methods: The study utilises routinely collected mental health data from education records and demographic data at ages 4 and 7 years, along with administrative school-level data. The study was set in preschool establishments and schools in Glasgow City, Scotland. Data were available on 4011 children (59.4%)at age 4 years, and 3166 of these children were followed at age 7 years (46.9% of the population). The main outcome measure was the teacher-rated Goodman's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (4-16 version) at age 7 years, which measures social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Results: Children living in the most deprived area had higher levels of mental health difficulties at age 4 years, compared with their most affluent counterparts (7.3%vs4.1% with abnormal range scores). There was a more than threefold widening of this disparity over time, so that by the age of 7 years, children from the most deprived area quintile had rates of difficulties 3.5 times higher than their more affluent peers. Children's demographic backgrounds strongly predicted their age 7 scores, although schools appeared to make a significant contribution to mental health trajectories. Conclusions: Additional support to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds at preschool and in early primary school may help narrow inequalities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds started school with a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, compared with their more advantaged peers, and this disparity widened markedly over the first 3 years of school.

AB - Background: This paper examines socioeconomic inequalities in mental health at school entry and explores changes in these inequalities over the first 3 years of school. Methods: The study utilises routinely collected mental health data from education records and demographic data at ages 4 and 7 years, along with administrative school-level data. The study was set in preschool establishments and schools in Glasgow City, Scotland. Data were available on 4011 children (59.4%)at age 4 years, and 3166 of these children were followed at age 7 years (46.9% of the population). The main outcome measure was the teacher-rated Goodman's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (4-16 version) at age 7 years, which measures social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Results: Children living in the most deprived area had higher levels of mental health difficulties at age 4 years, compared with their most affluent counterparts (7.3%vs4.1% with abnormal range scores). There was a more than threefold widening of this disparity over time, so that by the age of 7 years, children from the most deprived area quintile had rates of difficulties 3.5 times higher than their more affluent peers. Children's demographic backgrounds strongly predicted their age 7 scores, although schools appeared to make a significant contribution to mental health trajectories. Conclusions: Additional support to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds at preschool and in early primary school may help narrow inequalities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds started school with a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, compared with their more advantaged peers, and this disparity widened markedly over the first 3 years of school.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041705755&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1136/jech-2017-208995

DO - 10.1136/jech-2017-208995

M3 - Article

C2 - 29056594

AN - SCOPUS:85041705755

SN - 0143-005X

VL - 72

SP - 27

EP - 33

JO - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

IS - 1

ER -

Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

The Scottish eHealth Informatics Research Centre (E-HIRCs) (Joint with Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Strathclyde, St Andrews & Leicester and ISD)

Cite this

Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

The Scottish eHealth Informatics Research Centre (E-HIRCs) (Joint with Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Strathclyde, St Andrews & Leicester and ISD)

Cite this