Abstract
Objective To verify the prevalence and identify the risk factors related to mental health problems among schoolchildren and its possible association with the beliefs and educational attitudes of parents/caretakers. Methods Cross-sectional study with a stratified probabilistic sample (n = 454) of first to third-graders from public and private schools in Southeastern Brazil. Standardized instruments were administered to parents/caretakers by trained interviewers, including screening questionnaires for mental health problems among children and parents/ caretakers; a questionnaire on beliefs and attitudes; and a questionnaire for socioeconomic status. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. Results We found 35.2% prevalence of clinical/borderline cases among students. Parents/ caretakers that believed in corporal punishment as a child-rearing method used physical aggression towards their children more frequently (64.8%). Logistic regression models showed that the act of hitting the child with a belt was associated to conduct problems and to overall mental health problems among schoolchildren in the presence of other risk factors: child gender (male), parents/caretakers with mental health problems, and adverse socioeconomic conditions. Conclusions The high prevalence of mental health problems among schoolchildren and its association with child-rearing methods and mental health problems among parents/ caretakers indicate the need for psycho-educational interventions aimed to reduce physical abuse and mental health problems in childhood
| Translated title of the contribution | Parental beliefs and child-rearing attitudes and mental health problems among schoolchildren |
|---|---|
| Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
| Pages (from-to) | 716 - 724 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Revista De Saude Publica |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2005 |
