Opportunities in public policy to support infant and early childhood mental health: The role of psychologists and policymakers.

Abstract

Infant and early childhood mental health practices can be supported by policies and professional standards of care that foster the healthy development of young children. Policies that support infants and toddlers include those that strengthen their families to provide a family environment that promotes mental wellness. Policy issues for infants, toddlers, and young children have come to the forefront of thinking as children need a "voice" to advocate for their support and care. This article (a) highlights several important policy areas that support the social-emotional development of very young children and (b) gives examples of current policy accomplishments and challenges. The article offers a policy agenda to promote the mental health of infants and young children and suggests ways that psychologists can engage with policymakers to promote policies that foster infant mental health, including contributing to the knowledge base that informs policy decisions, educating the public and policymakers about early childhood development and mental wellness, forming community partnerships to identify and address infant mental health risks, and participating in the development of policy recommendations that improve access to evidence-based practices in infant mental health.

Antenatal Dads and First Year Families program: a qualitative study of fathers’ and program facilitators’ experiences of a community-based program in Australia

“…Parenting programs also seek to aid parent's mental health, stress and maladaptive parenting techniques to provide a more favourable environment for the child and improve family wellbeing (Tully, 2009;Richter & Naicker, 2013;Borrelli et al, 2015;Love et al, 2016;Parry & Abbott, 2018). Regardless of the approach, all interventions attempt to reduce, or even prevent, a child living in disadvantage from the impact of the multiple and complex circumstantial vulnerabilities that accumulate to produce poorer adult health outcomes (Noble-Carr, 2007;Keys, 2009;Tully, 2009;Dockery et al, 2010;Gibson & Johnstone, 2010;Lynam et al, 2010;Solar & Irwin, 2010;Nelson & Mann, 2011;Kilmer et al, 2012;McCoy-Roth et al, 2012;Zlotnick et al, 2012;Coren et al, 2013;Embleton et al, 2013;Roos et al, 2013;Kuehn, 2014).…”

The Medical Home and Integrated Behavioral Health: Advancing the Policy Agenda

“…29,30 Last, the public administration and funding of pediatric behavioral health is highly complex and often fails to adequately serve certain populations, such as children in preschool. 31 Although gaps in knowledge remain, the current evidence base presents important opportunities to implement specific policy actions to advance behavioral health integration. 32 In March 2014, 6 family medicine associations published a set of joint principles calling for the integration of behavioral health into the PCMH, and 8 additional leading health care associations also recently endorsed behavioral health and primary care integration.…”

The development of a scale for tuned‐in parenting

“…Provision of mental health services are frequently understood in terms of a three or four level multi-tier system that includes universal, targeted, and specialist services underpinned by evidence-based theory and research (Hinshaw-Fuselier, Zeanah, & Larrieu, 2009;Nelson & Mann, 2011). Self-report checklists such as the Edinburgh Behaviour Scale (Cox, Holden, & Sagovsky, 1987) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1996) are established tools for identifying parents at risk at the universal and targeted levels.…”

“…Health economists and population health experts are united with clinicians and developmental theorists in calling for health policies that focus on the well-being of all babies, infants, and children and for sustained, evidence-based, preventative interventions in the early years of life (Heckman, 2006(Heckman, , 2008Hertzman & Power, 2003;Nelson & Mann, 2011;Shonkoff, 2010). Effective mental health services for young children are those that are grounded in developmental knowledge, relationship based, family supportive, infused into existing childhood networks and services, responsive to the community and cultural context, and attentive to outcomes (Knitzer, 2001, p. 3).…”