Children's understanding of psychological problems displayed by their peers: a review of the literature

Hennessy, Eilis; Swords, Lorraine; Heary, Caroline

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2007.00772.x

Cited by 41 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Literature corroborates the stigmatization and rejection of children with ADHD, depression and other mood and conduct disorders by other children (Hennessy et al 2008;Hoza 2007;Jorm and Wright 2008;McQuade and Hoza 2008;Roff 1990;Walker et al 2008), parents/family (Gentschel and McLaughlin 2000;McNab et al 2007) and teachers (Eisenberg and Schneider 2007). Literature on the rejection of children with mental disorders by adults in the general population is emerging (Hinshaw 2005;Martin et al 2007;Pescosolido et al , 2008.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Factors Associated with Attributions About Child Health Conditions and Social Distance Preference

Mukolo

Heflinger

2010

Community Ment Health J

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In order to better understand factors that account for the emergence and persistence of negative attitudes towards mental health problems, attributions about and stigma towards children's mental and physical illnesses were examined using National Stigma Study-Children data. Parent blame attributions were most strongly associated with attention deficit disorder, environmental causes with depression, and biology with asthma. Parent blame was more frequent for mental than physical health conditions. Child blame was associated with higher preferred social distance from the child, but no clear links were observed between social distance and attributions about genetic/biology, environment, or parent blame. Rurality was not significantly associated with attributions or social distance preference. Higher educational achievement was associated with increased endorsement of environmental stress factors and reduced odds of child blaming. The general public holds complex explanatory models of and nuanced responses to children's mental disorders that need further investigation, including effects on parents' and children's help-seeking.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Factors Associated with Attributions About Child Health Conditions and Social Distance Preference

Mukolo

Heflinger

2010

Community Ment Health J

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“…Children attribute intentions to others from a young age as they attempt to make sense of the world around them, often largely automatically. From the early years they also notice and react to others' atypical behaviour or appearance (Hennessy, Swords & Heary, 2008; Nabors & Keyes, 1997). While cognitive processes underlying the logical linkage of attributions, expectations and behavioural prescriptions develop later in childhood, providing information to younger children is effective in influencing their attributions and behaviour.…”

Section: Attributional Triggering Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE GULLIFORD LECTURE: Bullying or befriending? Children's responses to classmates with special needs

Frederickson¹

2010

British J Special Edu

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Children with special educational needs are generally less accepted, more rejected and more likely to be victims of bullying than their typically developing classmates. However, they are sometimes treated more favourably than classmates, more like friends than acquaintances. In this article, based on her contribution to the Gulliford Lecture series, Norah Frederickson of University College London argues that attributional processes which appear central to the establishment of peer acceptance and supportive relationships are more likely to be triggered when a child's difficulties are severe or obvious, classmates are older and explanatory information is given to them. Schools are sometimes reluctant to discuss the special needs of a pupil with their classmates due to concerns about labelling. However, the literature on labelling suggests that such concerns have been exaggerated and that labels can sometimes serve a protective function. Norah Frederickson suggests that respectful, helping relationships between typically developing classmates and pupils with special needs are valued by young people, their parents and teachers, and can build to friendships within a context of positive opportunities for interaction.

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“…Children often have limited knowledge about mental health disorders and confuse mental illness with physical illness or mental retardation . A lack of knowledge can contribute to stigmatizing attitudes, which in turn are associated with the exclusion of peers who are thought to have mental illness …”

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confidence: 99%

Mental Health Stigma Prevention: Pilot Testing a Novel, Language Arts Curriculum‐Based Approach for Youth

Weisman

Kia‐Keating

Lippincott

et al. 2016

Journal of School Health

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BACKGROUND Researchers have emphasized the importance of integrating mental health education with academic curriculum. The focus of the current studies was Mental Health Matters (MHM), a mental health curriculum that is integrated with English language arts. It is taught by trained community member volunteers and aims to increase knowledge and decrease stigma toward individuals with mental health disorders. METHODS In Study 1, 142 sixth graders participated in MHM and completed pre‐ and postprogram measures of mental health knowledge, stigma, and program acceptability. Teachers also completed ratings of acceptability. Study 2 (N = 120 seventh graders) compared participants who had participated in MHM the previous year with those who had not using the same measures. RESULTS Sixth grade students and teachers rated the program as highly acceptable. Participants significantly increased their knowledge and decreased their levels of stigma. Seventh graders who had participated in MHM had significantly more mental health knowledge than peers who had not, but there were no differences in stigma. CONCLUSIONS The model appears to be acceptable to students and teachers. Future research is needed to assess the long‐term effectiveness of integrating mental health education with other academic curriculum such as language arts or science.

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Children's understanding of psychological problems displayed by their peers: a review of the literature

Abstract: The UCD community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access Background There is widespread consensus in the literature that children who have

Cited by 41 publications

References 53 publications

Factors Associated with Attributions About Child Health Conditions and Social Distance Preference

Factors Associated with Attributions About Child Health Conditions and Social Distance Preference

THE GULLIFORD LECTURE: Bullying or befriending? Children's responses to classmates with special needs

Mental Health Stigma Prevention: Pilot Testing a Novel, Language Arts Curriculum‐Based Approach for Youth

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