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A Longitudinal Study of Irish Children and their Families.

 This report describes a longitudinal study of children and their families. The first phase of the study, conducted in 1990 on a sample of 185 children, revealed that a considerable number of children (16%) and approximately a third of mothers showed evidence of clinically significant psychiatric disorder. Disorder in the child was associated with the economic circumstances of the family, and maternal health was linked to disadvantage as well as dissatisfaction with domestic roles and inadequate social support.

The second phase of the research, on which this report is based, included 97 young people, successfully contacted and interviewed for the study in 2000. The aim was to examine their subsequent health and social development and to determine whether childhood psychological and behavioural disturbance was associated with long-term outcome.

Contents

◊ Note re Authorship

◊ Acknowledgements

◊ Executive Summary

◊ Chapter 1: Introduction

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Phase One of the Study
• 1.3 Phase Two: A Ten Year Follow-up of Children and their Families
• 1.3.1 Aims of the Study
• 1.4 Outline of the Report

◊ Chapter 2: Methodology

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Ten Year Follow-up of Children and their Families: Aims of the Study
• 2.3 Research Design
• 2.4 Method of Data Collection
• 2.5 Research Instruments
• 2.6 Pilot Interviews
• 2.7 Locating the Sample
• 2.8 Fieldwork
• 2.8.1 Response Rate
• 2.8.2 Respondents and Non-Respondents
• 2.9 Statistical Analysis
• 2.10 Summary

◊ Chapter 3: Risk and Protection for children

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Risk and Resilience
• 3.3 Factors influencing the Child's Development
• 3.3.1 Age and Gender
• 3.3.2 Psychological Health & Well-being in Childhood
• 3.3.3 Family background and experiences
• 3.3.4 Economic Factors
• 3.3.5 Educational success or failure
• 3.4 Summary

◊ Chapter 4: Social and Psychological development

• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 Educational attainment and experiences
• 4.3 Employment and work experiences
• 4.4 Psychological Health Status
• 4.4.1 Present symptomatology
• 4.5 Suicide Ideation and Behaviour
• 4.6 Self-esteem and Locus of Control
• 4.7 Support Systems and Networks
• 4.7.1 Religion
• 4.8 Contact with the Law
• 4.9 Life Events & Life Satisfaction
• 4.10 Family Background and experiences
• 4.10.1 Socio-Economic Background of the Family
• 4.10.2 Financial circumstances of the family
• 4.10.3 Parental Mental Health
• 4.10.5 Marital relationship, parenting roles and support systems
• 4.10.4 Respondents' relationship with parents
• 4.11 Summary

◊ Chapter 5: Health and Behaviour in Childhoods

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Psychiatric Diagnosis
• 5.2.1 Education, Employment & Socio-economic Status
• 5.2.2 Social Supports & Networks
• 5.2.3 Psychological Health
• 5.2.4 Self-Esteem & Locus of Control
• 5.2.5 Family Background & Experiences
• 5.2.6 Contact with the Law
• 5.3 Behavioural Deviancy
• 5.3.1 Education, Employment & Socio-economic Status
• 5.3.2 Social Supports & Networks
• 5.3.3 Psychological Health
• 5.3.4 Self-esteem & Locus of Control
• 5.3.5 Family Background & Experiences
• 5.3.6 Contact with the Law
• 5.4 Summary

◊ Chapter 6: Educational Attainment

• 6.1 Introduction
• 6.2 Educational Attainment: Descriptive Variables
• 6.2.1 Personal factors
• 6.2.2 Employment
• 6.2.3 Psychological Health Status in Phase Two
• 6.2.4 Contact with the Law
• 6.3 Childhood Characteristics and Educational Outcome
• 6.3.1 Respondents' Psychological Health and Behavioural Status
• 6.3.2 Intellectual Capacity (IQ score)
• 6.3.3 Mother's Diagnosis
• 6.3.4 Socio-economic Background
• 6.4 A Predictive Model of Educational Attainment.
• 6.4.1 Loglinear Saturated Model
• 6.4.2 Loglinear Unsaturated Model
• 6.5 Summary

◊ Chapter 7: Discussion and Conclusions

• 7.1 Social Development and Family Background
• 7.2 Health and Well-Being
• 7.3 Maternal Health & Child Well-being
• 7.4 Childhood Behavioural Problems
• 7.5 Behavioural Deviance, Economic Disadvantage and Educational Outcome
• 7.6 Conclusions

◊ References

◊ Appendix 1

- Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Diagnoses (SCID)
- Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI)
- Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale
- Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (ASSIS)
- Locus of Control

◊ Appendix 2

- Frequency of SCID Diagnostic Categories