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Biomedical subjects

J E Clarkson

Publications and source records attributed to J E Clarkson.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Prenatal screening of pregnant mothers for parenting difficulties: final results from the Queen Mary Child Care Unit.

This paper reports the results of 10 years of research into the prenatal identification of mothers likely to have major parenting problems. Previous published research reported the development of a set of criteria for determining risk status. These criteria were used to classify into four levels of risk a sample of mothers who were consecutive enrollments for prenatal care. The sample was monitored through various social agencies for 2 years. Results of this monitoring indicate the predictive validity of the risk code in an unselected sample. The value of prenatal identification of the 'at risk' is discussed together with the procedures adopted for implementing routine screening in the maternity hospital. The issue of causation, as distinct from prediction, is addressed.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Predicting child abuse and neglect in New Zealand.

We describe the three stages of our attempt to predict parenting problems and child abuse antenatally. In the first stage, we made an intuitive check list of ten items from 173 risk factors drawn from the literature. The check list was useful in predicting who would relinquish care or have major parenting difficulty in two different samples drawn four years apart and before and after some major sociocultural changes in New Zealand. In the second stage we used statistical techniques rather than intuition to maximise the predictive ability of the checklist and produced a new one of 9 items. In the third stage we validated the new list in a random sample of pregnant mothers. It was effective in predicting parenting difficulty in the 2 years after childbirth. We recommend it for routine use in a New Zealand setting. We do not know how useful the checklist will be in other cultural settings.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed1988

Mothers' perceptions of access to medical care for children in Otago.

Three hundred urban and 350 rural mothers were surveyed about their subjective perceptions of the availability of a doctor for their child. A third of rural mothers and a quarter of urban mothers expressed concern about lack of access. Shared parenting, a high socioeconomic status of mother and her partner and further training on leaving school, were associated with a greater satisfaction with existing services. Mothers with chronic psychiatric morbidity were more likely to express concern. Approximately one quarter of mothers expressed satisfaction with services overall. Specific improvements for child health services included reduced costs and waiting times together with an increase in the range of services available.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1988

Predicting and preventing parenting problems.

Over a ten year period a psychosocial risk scoring system for antenatal and perinatal use has been developed. A nine item questionnaire which can be administered by a range of health care personnel has been shown to predict future parenting problems. It has also been shown that the provision of special social interventions has been associated with a reduced likelihood of serious parenting failure, and that mothers who have been identified as being in a high risk group are likely to use such services when they are offered. We believe that by screening the whole obstetric population into no risk (78%) and some risk (22%) groups, limited social work services can be focused on areas of need.

Child Rearing↗
PubMed1986

Impact of a handicapped child on mental health of parents.

In a cross sectional study the mental health of parents of physically and mentally handicapped preschool children was compared with that of parents of healthy preschool children. The social networks of the parents with handicapped children were also studied to determine factors that might influence psychiatric morbidity. The mothers of the handicapped children showed significantly more psychiatric morbidity than the control mothers, but the fathers did not show the same deleterious effect on mental health.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Prenatal screening for risk of major parenting problems: further results from the Queen Mary Maternity Hospital Child Care Unit.

This research revealed in Stage I the ability to identify during the prenatal period women at risk for possible child abuse and in Stage II an intervention program which when introduced resulted in fewer high-risk mothers relinquishing the care of their infants. The research had two main aims: to use the data from Stages I and II to reassess the criteria for identifying "at risk" mothers, and to develop a brief, easily administered screening questionnaire which could be standardized for widespread prenatal use; and to collect data on a random sample of prenatal patients, to use these data for confirming the validity and stability of the screening procedures, and to estimate the incidence of potentially high-risk mothers in an urban population.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed1986

Ring 21 chromosome: the mild end of the phenotypic spectrum.

The case is reported of a child with the karyotype 46,XY,r(21), who presented with linear growth retardation but who appears, at age 2 years 8 months, to be developing normally mentally. There is a small number of reports of mildly affected cases of r(21), and of some with an apparently completely normal phenotype. We presume a structural and functional cytogenetic heterogeneity underlies the observed phenotypic heterogeneity in the ring 21 spectrum.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1985

Evaluation of Dunedin Plunket family units.

The 249 new cases who presented to Dunedin's two family units during an eight month period in 1983 are described. Data including demographic details, the nature of the presenting problems, the types and frequency of interventions used, and the outcome as perceived by unit staff, referring agency and the child's mother, were collected. Commonly the presenting problem was but one of several identified by unit staff. The number and duration of family unit contacts did not differ greatly for different types of presenting problems. Outcome ratings by the involved health care workers agreed closely with those who made the referral (usually Plunket nurses) and suggested a definite improvement in the majority of cases. There was a high level of consumer satisfaction. Family units are still evolving and adapting to suit local needs, and it seems that they are providing an efficient and effective service which is unique in New Zealand.

Child Care↗
PubMed1977

Child health revisited.

Much discussion has taken place over the recently published mortality statistics for infants and young children. These statistics are critically examined and conclusions reached. Suggestions with regard to the improving of Child Health Services are made.

Accidents↗
PubMed1976

Neonatal at risk factors, visual defects and the preschool child: A report from the Queen Mary Hospital multidisciplinary child development study.

An experimental group of 142 children aged four years who had experienced neonatal at risk factors and a control group of 112 children whose perinatal histories were optimal had vision screening tests to detect defective vision or strabismus. Five (3.5 percent) in the at risk group and 10 (8.9 percent) in the control group (total 15, 5.9 percent) were found to have a visual defect. Of those, six had already been identified because of a manifest squint. Nine children with defective vision were first identified through the study. The importance of the early identification and treatment of visual disorders, particularly amblyopia, is emphasised, and recommendations are made for more widespread vision screening of preschool children.

Amblyopia↗
PubMed1975

The later growth of children who were preterm and small for gestational age.

The four-year-old growth status of 56 preterm, 35 small for gestational age, and 111 randomly selected appropriate weight for gestational age children who were born at the Queen Mary Hospital (Dunedin) in 1968, is described. Children who were preterm but were greater than 2500g at birth were significantly heavier, taller and had larger head circumference measures than the control group. Preterm children who had weighed less than 2500g at birth were significantly lighter than the controls. Children who were smaller for gestational age were significantly shorter and lighter than the control group. Other results were reported on relationships between gestational age and birth weight and the later growth status of children, and some implications were discussed.

Birth Weight↗