Offering Cool Little Kids across the population for inhibited preschoolers does not impact population outcomes after 1 year. Effects may be emerging for inhibited children at highest risk with parent anxiety. Trial outcomes will continue into mid-childhood.
Aims
To systematically evaluate published experimental studies of sustained nurse home visiting (SNHV) programs. This review summarizes the evidence and identifies gaps in the literature to inform practice, policy, and future research.
Design
Restricted systematic review with narrative summary.
Data Sources
Databases searched were Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Year of publication was originally restricted from 2008 to the date of search (13 February 2018, with supplementary searches conducted to identify more recent publications (up to 2019). Several reputable evidence clearinghouses were also searched.
Review Methods
Studies were included if they used a randomized or cluster‐randomized controlled trial to evaluate a home visiting program that: (a) targeted disadvantaged mothers; (b) commenced during pregnancy or prior to the child's first birthday; (c) had an intended duration of at least 12 months from the time of enrolment; and (d) was substantively delivered by nurses or midwives. Meta‐analyses and reviews of studies meeting these criteria were also included. A quality appraisal was conducted for all studies.
Results
Of 1,393 total articles, 30 met inclusion criteria. Seven specific SNHV programs were identified. Each demonstrated evidence of a positive statistical effect on at least one child or maternal outcome.
Conclusion
Sustained nurse home visiting programs benefit disadvantaged families, though effects vary across outcomes and subgroups. Further research is needed to discern the critical components of effective programs.
Impact
As SNHV programs have gained policy appeal, the need to evaluate the evidence‐base supporting such interventions has become imperative. The findings of this review will assist policy‐makers and practitioners in high‐income countries to make evidence‐informed decisions about which programs are best suited to addressing specific maternal and child outcomes for disadvantaged families. This should in turn ameliorate some of the inequalities in child development that have significant social and economic costs.
A minority of respondents with mental health problems had experienced discrimination from their healthcare professional, potentially interfering with recovery. Anti-stigma education interventions for healthcare professionals should address how to increase knowledge and understanding of mental health problems, reduce negative attitudes and encourage supportive behaviours.
This research paper presents findings from an experimental investigation of the attitudes that people hold towards animals when they are reminded of the fact that humans and animals are creatures alike. We tested the hypothesis that mortality salience (MS) would lead participants reminded of human creatureliness to evaluate animals more negatively, especially when they reported lower self-esteem. Student participants were randomly assigned to conditions in which MS was made salient and thoughts about human creatureliness were manipulated. Participants then reported their attitudes towards animals. Lending support to the hypothesis of this study, MS led participants with lower self-esteem to rate animals more negatively, when they were reminded of human-animal similarity. The implications of these results for understanding people's attitudes towards animals were discussed.
The aim of this study was to explore how some temperamentally inhibited young children and not others in the general population develop anxiety disorders and broader clinical-level internalizing (anxious/depressive) problems, with a focus on the family. A brief screening tool for inhibition was universally distributed to parents of children in their year before starting school across eight socioeconomically diverse government areas in Melbourne, Australia (307 preschool services). Screening identified 11% of all children as inhibited. We invited all parents of inhibited children to participate in a longitudinal prevention study. Participants were 545 parents of inhibited pre-schoolers (78% uptake) of whom 498 (91%) completed assessment one year later and 469 (86%) two years later. Parents completed questionnaires to assess parenting practices, parent wellbeing, and child internalizing problems. Parents also engaged in structured diagnostic interviews to assess child anxiety disorders. During the follow up period close to half of the inhibited young children had anxiety disorders and one in seven had clinical-level internalizing problems, with girls perhaps at higher risk. The family variables significantly predicted inhibited children's anxiety disorders and broader internalizing problems. For child anxiety disorders, overinvolved/protective parenting was particularly important for girls and boys, and poorer parent wellbeing contributed. For child anxious/depressive problems, harsh discipline was a consistent predictor for girls and boys, and poorer parent wellbeing again contributed. These etiological findings support early intervention for temperamentally inhibited young children that focuses on the family environment to prevent the development of mental health problems.
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