Psychological Distress in Parents and School-Functioning of Adolescents: Results from the World Trade Center Registry

Abstract

Poor school-functioning can be indicative of parent and adolescent mental health and adolescent behavior problems. This study examined 472 adolescents enrolled in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry, with a two-step path analysis, using regression-based models, to unravel the relationships between parent and adolescent mental health, adolescent behavior problems, and adolescent unmet healthcare need (UHCN) on the outcome school-functioning. WTC exposure was associated with UHCN and parental mental health was a significant mediator. There was no evidence that family WTC exposure was associated with UHCN independent of its effect on parental mental health. For the second path, after accounting for the effects of adolescent mental health, behavioral problems, and UHCN, there remained a significant association between parental mental health and school-functioning. Interventions for poor school-functioning should have multiple components which address UHCN, mental health, and behavioral problems, as efforts to address any of these alone may not be sufficient.

<p>Prevalence and Associated Factors of Psychological Distress Among Secondary School Students in Mekelle City, Tigray Region, Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study</p>

“…7,8 This can be associated with undesirable mental health that affects their level of functionality 9 and for many it impacts on educational achievement as well as the total health of adolescents, thereby having a substantial effect on opportunities in adult life. [10][11][12] A study done among adolescent students in Canada showed that 35.1% suffered from psychological distress which was significantly higher than any other sector of the general population. 7 Furthermore, 7.6% of students in California, 13 40.1% of students in China, 14 54% of students in Saudi Arabia, 15 64.7% of students in Indonesia, 16 20.8% of students in India 17 and 41.7% of students in Egypt 18 experienced psychological distress.…”

Behavior problems in adolescence and subsequent mental health in early adulthood: results from the World Trade Center Health Registry Cohort

“…Few studies have evaluated the consequences of “single-incident traumas,” such as Hurricane Katrina, the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and school shootings, or have evaluated the consequences using longitudinal data. Literature suggests that exposure as a child to the events of September 11, 2001, such as being caught in the dust cloud, witnessing horrific events, and having a family member killed in the attacks have been associated with poor outcomes as an adolescent including, substance use (19, 20), poor school-functioning (19, 21), and behavioral problems (22, 23). However, there is a paucity of research on the extent to which the effects of these adolescent behavior problems related to a single-incident trauma in childhood impact early adulthood.…”

Parental posttraumatic stress and child behavioral problems in world trade center responders

“…Consistent with the results of the current study, Mann et al found that adolescents of parents with 9/11 related PTSD were at an increased risk for behavioral difficulties, specifically peer problems, and emotional symptoms. Additionally, Gargano et al found a significant association between WTC responder mental health and their child's mental health, behavioral problems, and school performance. WTC responder children largely had poor school functioning, including both cognitive traits (language and literacy skills) and non‐cognitive (social skills and self‐control strategies).…”