Homelessness increases likelihood of psychiatric disorders among children, says study
Like various socioeconomic deprivations, homelessness has always been a curse to the society. Being a leading cause of major mental and physical health issues, homelessness is a major concern for the state and federal governments. Unable to overcome the multi-pronged challenges of homelessness, many people resort to substances for comfort.
Several past researches have proved that homelessness is responsible for triggering a number of severe illnesses, especially psychiatric disorders. In fact, homeless children tend to develop a high level of mental illnesses. Due to the increased prevalence of mental disorders and risk-taking behaviors like substance abuse among such children, a large number of people develop the problem of coexisting disorders or dual diagnosis, such as depression and alcoholism.
With the rapidly growing population of homeless children, numerous studies are being conducted to understand the association between homelessness and mental health issues. A Danish study, published in “The Lancet,” revealed that the prevalence of mental health problems among homeless people affects the future generations by increasing the likelihood of developing psychiatric disorders in children. It highlighted that both parental and social factors play a pivotal role in the healthy and positive development of children.
The study results were based on an assessment of over 1 million children and adolescents in the age group 0 to 16 years. The participants were living or born in Denmark between Jan 1999 and Dec 2015. A team of researchers led by Sandra Feodor Nilsson, MSc, University of Copenhagen, conducted the study.
Key findings of the study
The study has revealed a number of surprising facts about the population of homeless children. Some of the prominent findings of the study are as mentioned below:
- Children with at least one parent having a history of homelessness were found to be more than twice at risk of developing a psychiatric disorder compared to those whose parents had no history of homelessness. The numbers revealed were 15.1 cases per 1,000 person-years and 6 cases per 1,000 person-years, respectively.
- Children with both parents or only a father with a history of homelessness were found to have similar incidence rate ratios (IRR) of psychiatric disorders. Compared to children of a father with the problem of homelessness, the IRR was found to be higher among those with only a mother suffering from a history of homelessness.
- The children of parents with a history of homelessness are at a higher risk of developing substance use disorders (SUDs). The IRR was higher in children with only mother having a history of homelessness.
- The risk of psychosis and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children was also found to be higher when only the mother had a history of homelessness.
- A child is likely to have a high IRR for attachment disorder in case his or her both parents had a history of homelessness.
- After adjustment for parental psychiatric disorders, children were still found to be at a higher risk of most psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), mental retardation, tics and Tourette’s disorders. However, some of the exceptions included affective disorders and eating disorders.
According to Wayne Hall of the Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research at the University of Queensland, “Homelessness makes parenting difficult and it is usually accompanied by social adversity and poverty. Unstable housing interferes with children’s schooling and prevents them from developing friendships and social relationships with peers. There could also be genetic risks of developing mental disorders that increase the risk of parental homelessness and their offspring’s risk of developing these disorders.”
Take the initiative to improve mental health
Despite having its own restrictions, such as inability to control the confounders like availability of alternative family support, undiagnosed mental disorders in parents, pre-existing risk risks for developing psychiatric illnesses, etc. the study plays a key role in emphasizing the importance of positive parenting on the mental health of children. Due to the challenges of mental disorders, most of such children are unable to attain appropriate education and employment. Moreover, once affected by a mental disorder, they are also at an increased risk of developing addiction.
If you or someone you know is affected by dual diagnosis, contact the California Dual Diagnosis Helpline for information and guidance. Call our 24/7 helpline number 855980-1736 or chat online to connect with the best dual diagnosis treatment centers in California.
hey there and thank you in your information – I’ve certainly picked up anything new from right here. I did then again experience a few technical issues using this website, as I skilled to reload the website many instances previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been pondering if your web hosting is OK? Now not that I’m complaining, but slow loading cases instances will often affect your placement in google and could harm your quality score if advertising and ***********|advertising|advertising|advertising and *********** with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my email and can look out for a lot more of your respective exciting content. Make sure you update this again soon..
Hey very nice blog!
Highly energetic post, I liked that bit. Will there be a
part 2?
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board
and I to find It truly helpful & it helped me out a lot.
I am hoping to provide something again and help others such as you helped me.
Hello, I enjoy reading through your post. I wanted to write
a little comment to support you.
I’ve been surfing online more than three hours today, yet
I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty
worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the
web will be much more useful than ever before.
Do you have a spam problem on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was
curious about your situation; we have developed some nice methods
and we are looking to swap strategies with others, be sure to
shoot me an email if interested.
Today, I went to the beach front with my kids.
I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and
said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She
put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had
to tell someone!
Hi! I got merely wanting to know how this kind of works for ones older kids. I could find it can be great for basic, what with regards to Junior. Higher and Senior high school (I obtain one involving each) Does she deal with that inside the girl reserve (The Workbox Book? ) Excellent more compact residence, several little ones and the other along the way i aren’t picture using a lot place!
[url=https://www.anten.fr/collections/coque-samsung-a6]coque samsung a6 2017[/url]
I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here.
The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish.
nonetheless, you command get got an nervousness over that you wish be delivering the following.
unwell unquestionably come further formerly again as exactly the
same nearly a lot often inside case you shield
this hike.
What’s up to every one, it’s genuinely a pleasant for me to go to see this web site, it contains important Information.
Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?
My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing
several weeks of hard work due to no data backup.
Do you have any methods to prevent hackers?
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Take care! Where are your contact details though?
Heya great website! Does running a blog similar to this take a
large amount of work? I’ve very little expertise in coding but I had been hoping to start my own blog in the
near future. Anyhow, should you have any recommendations or tips for new blog owners please share.
I know this is off subject nevertheless I just needed to ask.
Cheers!
whoah this weblog is great i really like reading your
articles. Stay up the great work! You realize,
a lot of persons are hunting around for this information, you could help them greatly.
Incredible points. Sound arguments. Keep up the amazing
work.
Since the admin of this web page is working,
no doubt very shortly it will be renowned, due to its feature contents.
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you should publish more about this subject
matter, it might not be a taboo subject but usually folks don’t talk about such subjects.
To the next! Cheers!!
Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Finding the
time and actual effort to generate a superb article…
but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told was once a entertainment account it.
Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?
?h=3e1c7e72c7be2c2c5eb8e61e74deebd5&
zJGRDyQv