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Mental Health and Well-Being for Children and Adults with and without Disabilities: Conceptual, Methodological, and Statistical Considerations

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 7856

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Georgios Sideridis

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Guest Editor

Department of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 10680 Athens, Greece
Interests: survey methodology; structural equation modeling; measurement; analysis of bias
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Faye Antoniou

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Guest Editor

Department of Secondary Education, College of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Zografou, Greece
Interests: interventions in reading and writing; assessment; learning disabilities; diagnosis of LD

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 era, mental health problems have significantly increased, as evidenced across several longitudinal studies. These findings add to the relevant literature that specifically posited increased mental health problems in populations of children and adults with disabilities. Therefore, investigating the potential role and functioning of mental health in individuals with and without disabilities is the primary goal of the present Special Issue. Interestingly, given advances in measurement and psychometrics, the present Special Issue highlights advances in measurement, such as tests of invariance, Bayesian methodologies, and evaluation of person behaviors during testing, as a means of advancing current knowledge in measurement, reliability, and validity. Conceptual issues related to diagnostic criteria and identification are also welcome.

Dr. Georgios Sideridis
Dr. Faye Antoniou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

mental health
well-being
children and adolescents
disabilities
psychometrics
diagnostic criteria
identification
prevalence of disorders

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vocational Identity Status in Chinese Emerging Adults with and without Hearing Impairment: Latent Profiles and Relationships with Self-Esteem and Subjective Well-Being

by Wei Yuan, Tianxi Xu, Meimei Liu and Biying Hu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114473 - 4 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2515

Abstract

This study aimed to (1) explore the configuration of vocational identity status among emerging adults with and without hearing impairment using latent profile analysis, and (2) investigate the relationships between vocational identity status and self-esteem and subjective well-being. In total, 408 students without disabilities and 432 with hearing impairments from two Chinese higher institutions participated in the study. The Vocational Identity Status Assessment, Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect were used to assess the major variables. The results derived five latent profiles (achieved, foreclosed, searching moratorium, undifferentiated, and diffused) of vocational identity in the present sample. The students were over-represented in undifferentiated profiles and under-represented in achieved and foreclosed ones. Hearing impairment significantly affected vocational identity status profile membership. The results showed that emerging adults with achievement and foreclosure statuses displayed healthy psychological outcomes, having the highest self-esteem, life satisfaction, and positive affect, and the lowest negative affect. In contrast, the diffused group showed the most disturbing pattern with the lowest self-esteem, life satisfaction, and positive affect, and the highest negative affect. The research findings reveal some notable issues in vocational identity status for emerging Chinese adults, raising concerns about the influence of hearing impairment on vocational identity formation, and provide implications for Chinese society to facilitate college students’ career development process to promote their vocational identity status and enhance their self-esteem and subjective well-being. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Well-Being for Children and Adults with and without Disabilities: Conceptual, Methodological, and Statistical Considerations)

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12 pages, 738 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validating the Five-Item World Health Organization Well-Being Index

by Mats Nylén-Eriksen, Ann Kristin Bjørnnes, Hege Hafstad, Irene Lie, Ellen Karine Grov and Mariela Loreto Lara-Cabrera

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11489; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811489 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2866

Abstract

Purpose: Research on the psychological well-being of caregivers of children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suggests that the well-being of parents and caregivers has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the psychological well-being of caregivers is a major concern, few validated well-being measures exist for caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD. Therefore, a valid self-report scale is needed to assess well-being during the pandemic. The brief Five-Item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) has previously been used in studies on caregivers. However, its validity in this population remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the WHO-5 with caregivers of children with ADHD. Methods: A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted in Norway. The study recruited caregivers from a community sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was carried out to investigate the construct validity by exploring the relationship between well-being, quality of life, social support, self-reported psychological distress, and perceived stress. Results: The findings of unidimensionality and high internal consistency, together with the results from the hypothesis testing, demonstrate the reliability and construct validity of the Norwegian version of the WHO-5 in this population. Conclusions: This study provides the first empirical evidence of the validity and reliability of the WHO-5 from a sample of Norwegian caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD, with excellent reliability and construct validity. The scale can be used to systematize the measurement of well-being in caregivers because of its brevity and good psychometric properties, making it a valuable resource in research settings and assisting healthcare professionals in their crucial work of caring for caregivers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Well-Being for Children and Adults with and without Disabilities: Conceptual, Methodological, and Statistical Considerations)

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13 pages, 711 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Classifying Young Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Based on Child, Parent, and Family Characteristics: A Cross-Validation Study

by Evelyn Law, Georgios Sideridis, Ghadah Alkhadim, Jenna Snyder and Margaret Sheridan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9195; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159195 - 27 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1951

Abstract

We aimed to identify subgroups of young children with differential risks for ADHD, and cross-validate these subgroups with an independent sample of children. All children in Study 1 (N = 120) underwent psychological assessments and were diagnosed with ADHD before age 7. Latent class analysis (LCA) classified children into risk subgroups. Study 2 (N = 168) included an independent sample of children under age 7. A predictive model from Study 1 was applied to Study 2. The latent class analyses in Study 1 indicated preference of a 3-class solution (BIC = 3807.70, p < 0.001). Maternal education, income-to-needs ratio, and family history of psychopathology, defined class membership more strongly than child factors. An almost identical LCA structure from Study 1 was replicated in Study 2 (BIC = 5108.01, p < 0.001). Indices of sensitivity (0.913, 95% C.I. 0.814–0.964) and specificity (0.788, 95% C.I. 0.692–0.861) were high across studies. It is concluded that the classifications represent valid combinations of child, parent, and family characteristics that are predictive of ADHD in young children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Well-Being for Children and Adults with and without Disabilities: Conceptual, Methodological, and Statistical Considerations)

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