title: What are the factors associated with good mental health among Aboriginal children in urban New South Wales, Australia? Phase I findings from the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH).
abstract: To identify the factors associated with 'good' mental health among Aboriginal children living in urban communities in New South Wales, Australia.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional survey (phase I of a longitudinal study).
  
  
  
  4 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services that deliver primary care. All services were located in urban communities in New South Wales, Australia.
  
  
  
  1005 Aboriginal children aged 4-17 years who participated in phase I of the Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH).
  
  
  
  Carer report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Scores <17 were considered to indicate 'good' mental health for the purposes of this article.
  
  
  
  The majority (72%) of SEARCH participants were not at high risk for emotional or behavioural problems. After adjusting for the relative contributions of significant demographic, child and carer health factors, the factors associated with good mental health among SEARCH children were having a carer who was not highly psychologically distressed (OR=2.8, 95% CI 1.6 to 5.1); not suffering from frequent chest, gastrointestinal or skin infections (OR=2.8, 95% CI 1.8 to 4.3); and eating two or more servings of vegetables per day (OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.8). Being raised by a foster carer (OR=0.2, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.71) and having lived in 4 or more homes since birth (OR=0.62, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.0) were associated with significantly lower odds of good mental health. Slightly different patterns of results were noted for adolescents than younger children.
  
  
  
  Most children who participated in SEARCH were not at high risk for emotional or behavioural problems. Promising targets for efforts to promote mental health among urban Aboriginal children may include the timely provision of medical care for children and provision of additional support for parents and carers experiencing mental or physical health problems, for adolescent boys and for young people in the foster care system.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia The Sax Institute, Haymarket, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Community Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Este
authors.affiliation: Australian Health Services Research Institute (AHSRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clapham
authors.affiliation: The Sax Institute, Haymarket, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Redman
authors.affiliation: Awabakal Aboriginal Medical Service, Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manton
authors.affiliation: Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eades
authors.affiliation: Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney, Mount Druitt Village, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South, New South Wales, Australia Medical School, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Beverley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raphael
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012931:Social Environment; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: MENTAL HEALTH