Valsamma Eapen1,2,3, Amelia Walter1,2, Jane Guan1, Joseph Descallar3, Emma Axelsson2,4, Stewart Einfeld5, John Eastwood3,6, Elisabeth Murphy7,8, Deborah Beasley7, Natalie Silove9, Cheryl Dissanayake10, Sue Woolfenden11, Katrina Williams12,13, Bin Jalaludin3. 1. School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 2. Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry South West Sydney (AUCS), South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 3. Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 4. Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5. Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 6. School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 7. Office of Kids and Families, NSW Ministry of Health, Child and Family Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 8. Child Health, School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 9. Child Development Unit, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 10. School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 11. Community Child Health, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 12. Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 13. Developmental Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract
AIM: To examine socio-demographic factors associated with maternal help-seeking for child developmental concerns in a longitudinal birth cohort study. An understanding of these factors is critical to improving uptake of services to maximise early identification and intervention for developmental concerns. METHODS: A birth cohort was recruited from the post-natal wards of two teaching hospitals and through community nurses in South Western Sydney, Australia, between November 2011 and April 2013. Of the 4047 mothers approached, 2025 consented to participate (response rate = 50%). Socio-demographic and service use information was collected after the child's birth and when the child was 18 months of age. Sources of help were divided into three categories (formal health services, other formal services and informal supports) and compound variables were created by summing the number of different sources identified by mothers. RESULTS: Significantly more sources of help were intended to be used and/or actually accessed by mothers born in Australia, whose primary language was English, with higher levels of education and annual household income, and among mothers of first-born children. CONCLUSIONS: Developmental concerns are known to increase with increased psychosocial adversity. Our findings of reduced intent to access and use of services by socio-economically disadvantaged families and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds suggests that an inverse care effect is in operation whereby those children with the greatest health needs may have the least access to services. Possible explanations for this, and recommendations for improving service accessibility for these populations through targeted and culturally appropriate services, are discussed.
AIM: To examine socio-demographic factors associated with maternal help-seeking for child developmental concerns in a longitudinal birth cohort study. An understanding of these factors is critical to improving uptake of services to maximise early identification and intervention for developmental concerns. METHODS: A birth cohort was recruited from the post-natal wards of two teaching hospitals and through community nurses in South Western Sydney, Australia, between November 2011 and April 2013. Of the 4047 mothers approached, 2025 consented to participate (response rate = 50%). Socio-demographic and service use information was collected after the child's birth and when the child was 18 months of age. Sources of help were divided into three categories (formal health services, other formal services and informal supports) and compound variables were created by summing the number of different sources identified by mothers. RESULTS: Significantly more sources of help were intended to be used and/or actually accessed by mothers born in Australia, whose primary language was English, with higher levels of education and annual household income, and among mothers of first-born children. CONCLUSIONS: Developmental concerns are known to increase with increased psychosocial adversity. Our findings of reduced intent to access and use of services by socio-economically disadvantaged families and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds suggests that an inverse care effect is in operation whereby those children with the greatest health needs may have the least access to services. Possible explanations for this, and recommendations for improving service accessibility for these populations through targeted and culturally appropriate services, are discussed.
Authors: Josephine Barbaro; Anne Masi; Melissa Gilbert; Radhika Nair; Ifrah Abdullahi; Joseph Descallar; Cheryl Dissanayake; John Eastwood; Iqbal Hasan; Bin Jalaludin; Lisa Karlov; Feroza Khan; Jane Kohlhoff; S T Liaw; Raghu Lingam; Antonio Mendoza Diaz; Natalie Ong; Chun Wah Michael Tam; Katy Unwin; Sue Woolfenden; Valsamma Eapen Journal: Front Pediatr Date: 2021-04-23 Impact factor: 3.418
Authors: Thi Thu Le Pham; Janneke Berecki-Gisolf; Angela Clapperton; Kerry S O'Brien; Sara Liu; Katharine Gibson Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-01-16 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Valsamma Eapen; Siaw-Teng Liaw; Raghu Lingam; Susan Woolfenden; Bin Jalaludin; Andrew Page; Jane Kohlhoff; James G Scott; K D Lawson; Christa Lam-Cassettari; Helen Heussler; Joseph Descallar; Lisa Karlov; Natalie Ong; Paul B Colditz; Robyn Littlewood; Elisabeth Murphy; April Deering; Kate Short; Pankaj Garg; Victoria Blight; Kim Rodgers; Lucille Chalmers; Kerri-Lyn Webb; Heidi Atkins; Dana Newcomb; Rachael Beswick; Clare Thomas; Catherine Marron; Aaron Chambers; Sue Scheinpflug; Matt Statham; Dimuthu Samaranayake; Paul Chay; Chun Wah Michael Tam; Feroza Khan; Antonio Mendoza Diaz; Sara Cibralic; Teresa Winata; Margo Pritchard Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2022-08-17 Impact factor: 3.006