The impact of greenery on physical activity and mental health of adolescent and adult residents of deprived neighborhoods: A longitudinal study.

The aim of the study is to assess the impact of perceived and objective changes in greenery on physical activity and mental health of adolescents and adults living in severely deprived neighborhoods in the Netherlands. Longitudinal data regarding changes in greenery, walking, cycling, and depressive symptoms (CES-D), were gathered for 401 adolescents and 454 adults, using questionnaires and interviews with local district managers. Multivariate linear regression models examined the association between greenery and outcome variables, correcting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates and season.

Defining subgroups of low socioeconomic status women at risk for depressive symptoms: the importance of perceived stress and cumulative risks.

Background: Most disadvantaged women are exposed to risk factors for depression, but not all necessarily have an identical risk for this mental health problem. A better prediction of which low socioeconomic status (SES) women are most at risk for depressive symptoms can help target preventive interventions at high-risk subgroups most in need of support.

Aims: Exploring which demographic, socioeconomic and psychological risk factors are associated with self-reported depressive symptoms in a sample of low-SES women and whether the number of risk factors might expose them to an accumulated risk.

Design of a quasi-experiment on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using the child-interview intervention during the investigation following a report of child abuse and/or neglect.

Background: In the Netherlands, suspected cases of child maltreatment can be reported to an advice and reporting center on child abuse and neglect (Advies- en Meldpunt Kindermishandeling or AMK). AMKs investigate these reports, screen for problems in the family and its surroundings and refer to child welfare. Over the last decades the focus of AMK investigations has changed from an adult-only approach to a more child-oriented approach using a Child-Interview intervention.

What moves them? Active transport among inhabitants of Dutch deprived districts.

Background: Active modes of transport like walking and cycling have been shown to be valuable contributions to daily physical activity. The current study investigates associations between personal and neighbourhood environmental characteristics and active transport among inhabitants of Dutch deprived districts.

Method: Questionnaires about health, neighbourhoods, and physical activity behaviour were completed by 742 adults.

Design of a prospective study on mental health and quality of life of maltreated children (aged 5-16 years) after a report to an advice and reporting center on child abuse and neglect.

Background: Child maltreatment is recognized as a widespread problem with huge implications for mental health and quality of life. Studies have repeatedly shown that victims of child maltreatment report significantly more adverse life outcomes than non-victims. The main objective of the study is (1) to examine the mental health and quality of life of maltreated children over a 1.

A randomized controlled trial of combined exercise and psycho-education for low-SES women: short- and long-term outcomes in the reduction of stress and depressive symptoms.

Exercise may have both a preventive and a therapeutic impact on mental health problems. The Exercise without Worries intervention aims to reduce stress and depressive symptoms in low-SES women by means of a group-based program combining physical exercise and psycho-education. Between September 2005 and May 2008, 161 Dutch low-SES women with elevated stress or depressive symptom levels were randomly assigned to the combined exercise/psycho-education intervention (EP), exercise only (E) or a waiting list control condition (WLC).

Early school outcomes for children of postpartum depressed mothers: comparison with a community sample.

Previous studies of the long-term effects of maternal postpartum depression (PPD) on child development have mostly focused on a limited set of outcomes, and have often not controlled for risk factors associated with maternal depression. The present study compared children of postpartum depressed mothers (n = 29) with children from a community sample (n = 113) in terms of a broad range of developmental outcomes in the early school period. Controlling for risk factors associated with maternal depression, we found that children of postpartum depressed mothers had lower ego-resiliency, lower peer social competence, and lower school adjustment than the community sample children.

Which preventive interventions effectively enhance depressed mothers' sensitivity? A meta-analysis.

Improving depressed mothers' sensitivity is assumed to be a key element in preventing adverse outcomes for children of such mothers. This meta-analysis examines the short-term effectiveness of preventive interventions in terms of enhancing depressed mothers' sensitivity toward their child and investigates what type of intervention is most effective. Thirteen interventions, reported in 10 controlled outcome studies, met the inclusion criteria (N = 918).

Exploring recruitment, willingness to participate, and retention of low-SES women in stress and depression prevention.

Background: Recruitment, willingness to participate, and retention in interventions are indispensable for successful prevention. This study investigated the effectiveness of different strategies for recruiting and retaining low-SES women in depression prevention, and explored which sociodemographic characteristics and risk status factors within this specific target group are associated with successful recruitment and retention.

Methods: The process of recruitment, willingness to participate, and retention was structurally mapped and explored.

Long-term effects of a home-visiting intervention for depressed mothers and their infants.

Background: Whereas preventive interventions for depressed mothers and their infants have yielded positive short-term outcomes, few studies have examined their long-term effectiveness. The present follow-up of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) is one of the first to examine the longer-term effects of an intervention for mothers with postpartum depression and their infants at school-age. In early infancy, the intervention was found effective in improving mother-infant interaction and the child's attachment to its mother.

Psychosocial preventive interventions to reduce depressive symptoms in low-SES women at risk: a meta-analysis.

Background: Women who have low socioeconomic status (SES) or live in disadvantaged circumstances are a vulnerable group at risk for depression. Little is known about the efficacy of preventive interventions to reduce depressive symptoms in low-SES women. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of controlled outcome studies and to investigate the overall efficacy and moderators of interventions targeted at reducing depressive symptoms in this population.

A randomized controlled trial of a home-visiting intervention aimed at preventing relationship problems in depressed mothers and their infants.

This study examined the effect of a mother-baby intervention on the quality of mother-child interaction, infant-mother attachment security, and infant socioemotional functioning in a group of depressed mothers with infants aged 1-12 months. A randomized controlled trial compared an experimental group (n = 35) receiving the intervention (8-10 home visits) with a control group (n = 36) receiving parenting support by telephone. There were assessments pre, post, and follow-up after 6 months.

Correlates of depressed mothers' sensitivity toward their infants: the role of maternal, child, and contextual characteristics.

Objective: To examine various maternal, child, and contextual characteristics, as well as the number of risk factors present, to distinguish which factors explain variance in the sensitivity of depressed mothers toward their infants.

Method: Participants were depressed mothers (n = 84) with their infants ages 1 month up to 1 year. Mothers were videotaped while bathing their children.

Social and family correlates of eating problems and muscle preoccupation in young adolescents.

This study examined the unique contribution of a number of social and familial factors to body change strategies and eating problems in youths. A sample of non-clinical adolescents aged 10 to 16 years (N=405) completed a modified version of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) and questionnaires for measuring various social and familial factors that may play a role in the etiology of eating problems and muscle preoccupation. Regression analyses indicated that specific eating disorder-related factors (such as the encouragement of peers and parents to lose weight or to become more muscular) and more general factors (such as negative parental rearing behaviors and insecure attachment) made independent contributions to problem eating and muscle preoccupation in youths.

Bystanding an abused child: testing the applicability of the stages of change construct.

A minority of child abuse cases is recognized by professionals, making the role of non-professional bystanders essential. The stages of change construct, as proposed by the Transtheoretical Model, may provide a useful approach to explain non-professional helping behavior. The objective of this study was to test the applicability of the stages of change construct by (i) assessing whether cognitive determinants distinguish between the stages, (ii) testing the predictive value of the stages for future helping behavior and (iii) examining the mediating role of the stages in the relation between previous and future helping behavior.

One measure, two motives. Prediction of condom use and interaction between two prevention goals among heterosexual young adults: preventing pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases.

Although the dual function of condom use (preventing pregnancy and preventing STDs) is well known, little is known about the determinants of condom use for STD prevention when contraception is not an issue. We compared two intentions to use condoms with a new sex partner: one based on a vignette not mentioning pregnancy risk and one on a vignette explicitly stating there was no risk of pregnancy. We also investigated whether intentions to use condoms change when there is no pregnancy risk, to allow such changes to be predicted from an STD risk-perception perspective.