Work

How do parents perceive and utilize knowledge of their infant’s mental health? A systematic review

Year: 2018

Type: review

Abstract: Infant mental health (IMH) is a growing area of practice for health, education and social care practitioners, as links are increasingly made between experiences in the early years and subsequent child development, mental health and well-being. It is unclear how parents perceive IMH and use knowledge relating to IMH with their children. We conducted a systematic review, the aim of which was to determine parents' perceptions of IMH and how they utilize this knowledge with their infants. We undertook a search of relevant databases and journals and from an initial list of 4147 potential papers, identified 16 for the review. Original data were extracted and presented in a table, and the content of all papers was analysed thematically and presented in narrative form. Three main themes emerged from the available research: knowledge and understanding of child development, influences of society and culture, and interpretation of emotions and expressions. Our results indicate that research is limited in terms of parental perspectives of IMH and how they obtain and use this knowledge. Further research is needed to investigate this topic to maximize mental well-being in infancy and later life.

Source: Journal of Child Health Care

DOI: 10.1177/1367493518787311

Authors: Jane Peters, H Skirton, J Morgan, M Clark

Institutions: University of Plymouth, University of Greenwich, University of Birmingham

Language: English

Topic: Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2808149395