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- Dahlberg, Anton
(författare)
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Capturing and addressing preschool children’s emotional and behavioural problems : Using parents’, teachers’ and children’s perspectives
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Emotional and behavioural problems (EBP) are among the most common mental health problems in preschool children. EBP are also associated with poor parent mental health. Untreated, EBP can persist or worsen over time. In order to capture and address preschool children’s EBP, we need scientifically valid instruments that can access the perspectives of informants from different contexts of the child. We also need cut-off values for questionnaires assessing EBP that are representative of the population. Parenting support is a recommended intervention for addressing EBP in preschool children. Most parenting support programmes have a solid evidence-base and show positive effects on child EBP and parent wellbeing. However, we need a better understanding of the children’s emotional and relational experiences, especially in relation to their parents. Further, although the implementation of evidence-based interventions is a complex matter with substantial impact on intervention success, few studies assess the implementation process of parenting programmes. The studies constituting this thesis focused on preschool children. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was assessed for capturing EBP. Study I assessed the construct validity of the SDQ and its five subscales, when rated by fathers and preschool teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to evaluate construct validity. Results indicated that the SDQ can be used as an instrument to measure EBP in preschool children, rated by parents and preschool teachers. In study II, we established Swedish norms for the SDQ for preschool children. Results suggested lower SDQ cut-offs for Swedish preschool children compared with other countries, and higher cut-offs for boys compared with girls. In study III, preschool children whose parents participated in a parenting programme were interviewed regarding their emotional and relational experiences at home. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The children provided accounts of negative and positive interactions with their parents, elaborately describing a coercive cycle with escalating conflicts and lack of problem resolution. In study IV, the implementation of the parenting programme Triple P in a preschool setting was assessed using the RE-AIM framework. Results indicated a successful implementation that relied on customisation of the programme; assessment of the process from parent, staff, and organisation levels; interdisciplinary collaboration; and continuous work on securing maintenance over time. This thesis provides pieces to a complex puzzle of understanding and addressing child mental health problems, particularly EBP. Assessing EBP from different perspectives and promoting children’s voices are essential, as well as actively working with the implementation of evidence-based programmes.
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- Fält, Elisabet
(författare)
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A cross-service approach to identify mental health problems in 3–5-year-old children using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Child Healthcare Services (CHS) in Sweden offer regular health check-ups and reach almost all 0–5-year-old children. Although one of the objectives of the CHS is to detect mental health problems, evidence-based methods are not used for this purpose at the Child Health Clinics (CHCs). Therefore, an evidence-based instrument to assess children’s emotional and behavioural problems through parent and teacher reports, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), was introduced, as part of the Children and Parents in Focus trial, run between 2013 and 2017 in Uppsala, Sweden. The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the introduction of the procedure, including the facilitation strategies provided to support implementation, and to provide inter-rater correlations and norms for the SDQ in this population.Data were collected through individual interviews with nurses, parents and preschool teachers; group interviews with nurses; and a survey performed at the end of the trial to evaluate nurses’ experiences of the SDQ-procedure and the implementation process. In addition, delivery, response rate and population coverage of the questionnaires were calculated. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), and qualitative data using Grounded Theory and content analysis.Results showed that nurses found it useful for their assessment to have access to preschool teachers’ SDQ-ratings. Parents were also positive to the procedure but had concerns regarding confidentiality of the responses. Preschool teachers were least positive, fearing labelling of children and negative parental reactions. Significant, albeit poor, agreement (ICC) was found between parent and teacher ratings and good agreement between parents’ ratings. Teachers were found to report lower levels of problems compared to parents. Cut-off values differed for age and were somewhat higher for boys (lower for prosocial), suggesting that boys display more behaviour problems. Nurses perceived facilitation strategies used by the research team useful to support implementation and delivered the procedure, essentially, as intended. However, response rate remained lower than expected, around 50%.The findings suggest that implementing the SDQ to aid CHC-nurses’ assessment of 3-5-year-olds’ mental health is feasible, but requires further effort in regular services to reach all children.
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- Fält, Elisabet, et al.
(författare)
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Facilitating implementation of an evidence-based method to assess the mental health of 3–5-year-old children at Child Health Clinics: a mixed-methods process evaluation
- 2020
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; :6
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: A number of instruments for identifying mental health problems in children are available, but there is limited knowledge about how to successfully implement their use in routine practice. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is an instrument with sound psychometric properties. Because using multi-informant SDQs when assessing young children has been emphasized, parent- and preschool teacher reports on the SDQ were introduced at Child Health Clinics in a Swedish municipality. This paper aimed to describe a facilitation programme developed to support the introduction of SDQ in clinical practice and evaluate how nurses perceived the facilitation strategies used. Moreover, the dose (delivery) and reach (response rate and population coverage) of the questionnaires were assessed. Methods: The mixed-methods process evaluation was guided by Moore et al.'s framework. Process data were excerpted from monitoring data, the trial database, research group documents, study materials, group interviews with nurses, and a survey on nurses' opinions and experiences of the screening method and the implementation process. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Results: Facilitation strategies used included: educational meetings, educational outreach visits, newsletters, facilitative administrative support, and adaptations made in procedures and materials when required. Although nurses described a variety of barriers at the organisational and individual level, they were in favour of using the SDQ in clinical practice and emphasised the importance of the facilitation strategies used for its implementation. While dose levels (77-91%) indicated that nurses essentially delivered the intervention as intended, parental response rates remained between 54 and 63% and population coverage at around 50%, throughout the intervention period. Conclusion: The facilitation program was perceived to support the implementation of the SDQ at the yearly check-ups in the child healthcare setting, but further efforts are required to reach all families.
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