Assessing Children's Well-Being

Assessing Children's Well-Being PDF

Author: Sylvie Naar-King

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-10-17

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1135671532

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Behavioral medicine has now matured as a field to the point where all recognize that different populations are presented with different issues. Psychological reactions and patterns affect the health and well-being of children, as well as adults, and numerous standardized instruments for the assessment of a variety of areas of children's functioning are currently available. Yet, it can be difficult for practitioners and researchers searching through general compendia of resources for child assessment--which are frequently focused on general techniques rather than specific instruments--to identify the optimal ones to meet their particular needs and to choose among them. This practical and comprehensive reference guide is the first to sort, present, and review all the measures that can be used to evaluate the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects of children's health. It organizes the measures under eight general headings, such as quality of life, adherence, pain management, and patient satisfaction. Each chapter begins with a leading authority's overview of the underlying theoretical construct and any concerns about how to measure it. Descriptions and reviews of relevant instruments follow; these include information on administration, scoring, psychometric properties, and ordering, as well as comments by the instruments' developers. Assessing Children's Well-Being: A Handbook of Measures will be welcomed by all those professionals and scientists who seek to assess and effectively address the complex interactions between physical health and mental health in children.

Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth

Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth PDF

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-10-18

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0309166608

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Children's health has clearly improved over the past several decades. Significant and positive gains have been made in lowering rates of infant mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases and accidental causes, improved access to health care, and reduction in the effects of environmental contaminants such as lead. Yet major questions still remain about how to assess the status of children's health, what factors should be monitored, and the appropriate measurement tools that should be used. Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth: Assessing and Improving Child Health provides a detailed examination of the information about children's health that is needed to help policy makers and program providers at the federal, state, and local levels. In order to improve children's health-and, thus, the health of future generations-it is critical to have data that can be used to assess both current conditions and possible future threats to children's health. This compelling book describes what is known about the health of children and what is needed to expand the knowledge. By strategically improving the health of children, we ensure healthier future generations to come.

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research PDF

Author: Alex C. Michalos

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-02-12

Total Pages: 7347

ISBN-13: 9789400707528

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The aim of this encyclopedia is to provide a comprehensive reference work on scientific and other scholarly research on the quality of life, including health-related quality of life research or also called patient-reported outcomes research. Since the 1960s two overlapping but fairly distinct research communities and traditions have developed concerning ideas about the quality of life, individually and collectively, one with a fairly narrow focus on health-related issues and one with a quite broad focus. In many ways, the central issues of these fields have roots extending to the observations and speculations of ancient philosophers, creating a continuous exploration by diverse explorers in diverse historic and cultural circumstances over several centuries of the qualities of human existence. What we have not had so far is a single, multidimensional reference work connecting the most salient and important contributions to the relevant fields. Entries are organized alphabetically and cover basic concepts, relatively well established facts, lawlike and causal relations, theories, methods, standardized tests, biographic entries on significant figures, organizational profiles, indicators and indexes of qualities of individuals and of communities of diverse sizes, including rural areas, towns, cities, counties, provinces, states, regions, countries and groups of countries.

Child Well-Being

Child Well-Being PDF

Author: Colette McAuley

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Published: 2011-02-15

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780857003935

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Child well-being, which covers everything from family relationships to their material well-being, is now increasingly being talked about in policy and practice nationally and internationally. However, a lack of clarity remains about what the idea really means and how it can help children. This book brings together contributions from international experts in order to define child well-being and to further understand how it can improve children's lives. Issues covered include how the idea is being used in government policy and practice in the UK and USA, how children can contribute to the understanding of child well-being, recent advances in the exploration of indicators and measures of well-being, and the importance of context in making comparisons. A concluding chapter explores whether child well-being is a useful concept in understanding children's lives, whether it positively contributes to policy and practice, and the value of international comparisons. This edited collection is essential reading for all those involved in understanding children's lives and who have responsibility for improving them, including practitioners, policymakers, students and academics.

Indicators of Children's Well-Being

Indicators of Children's Well-Being PDF

Author: Robert M. Hauser

Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation

Published: 1997-12-04

Total Pages: 533

ISBN-13: 1610442768

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The search for reliable information on the well-being of America's young is vital to designing programs to improve their lives. Yet social scientists are concerned that many measurements of children's physical and emotional health are inadequate, misleading, or outdated, leaving policymakers ill-informed. Indicators of Children's Well-Being is an ambitious inquiry into current efforts to monitor children from the prenatal period through adolescence. Working with the most up-to-date statistical sources, experts from multiple disciplines assess how data on physical development, education, economic security, family and neighborhood conditions, and social behavior are collected and analyzed, what findings they reveal, and what improvements are needed to create a more comprehensive and policy-relevant system of measurement. Today's climate of welfare reform has opened new possibilities for program innovation and experimentation, but it has also intensified the need for a clearly defined and wide-ranging empirical framework to pinpoint where help is needed and what interventions will succeed. Indicators of Children's Well-Being emphasizes the importance of accurate studies that address real problems. Essays on children's material well-being show why income data must be supplemented with assessments of housing, medical care, household expenditure, food consumption, and education. Other contributors urge refinements to existing survey instruments such as the Census and the Current Population Survey. The usefulness of records from human service agencies, child welfare records, and juvenile court statistics is also evaluated.

Early Childhood Assessment

Early Childhood Assessment PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2008-12-21

Total Pages: 501

ISBN-13: 0309314429

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The assessment of young children's development and learning has recently taken on new importance. Private and government organizations are developing programs to enhance the school readiness of all young children, especially children from economically disadvantaged homes and communities and children with special needs. Well-planned and effective assessment can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better outcomes for children. This book affirms that assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately. Otherwise, assessment of children and programs can have negative consequences for both. The value of assessments therefore requires fundamental attention to their purpose and the design of the larger systems in which they are used. Early Childhood Assessment addresses these issues by identifying the important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and the quality and purposes of different techniques and instruments for developmental assessments.

A Practical Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Screening, Evidence-based Assessment, Intervention, and Health Promotion

A Practical Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Screening, Evidence-based Assessment, Intervention, and Health Promotion PDF

Author: Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

Published: 2021-10-28

Total Pages: 492

ISBN-13: 0826167276

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"This book is a thorough and relevant first step for health professionals to learn about mental health disorders among children and adolescents, from diagnosis to treatment to resources and prevention." -Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS 17th Surgeon General of the United States (From the Foreword) Updated with new research findings and best evidence-based practices, the third edition of this quick-access guide aids practitioners in preventing, screening, diagnosing, and managing children and adolescents who present with mental health symptoms and disorders. This new edition describes key changes in the field with an emphasis on trauma and stressor-related disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy/skills building, suicidal and self-harming behaviors, substance abuse disorders, prescribing antidepressants to youth, and promoting mental health in schools. New and updated screening tools, instruments, and interventions add to the therapeutic arsenal, along with diagnostic criteria, case studies, and risk factors. In addition, this guide delivers new information on care for the caregiver and new technologies to enhance life balance. The third edition continues to deliver the essential "nuts and bolts" of evidence-based content in a practical and user-friendly format. Grounded in DSM-V criteria and diagnoses, with a holistic view of the patient, this guide contains a wealth of resources, including screening tools, parent/patient handouts, and other resources to educate families about mental health disorders and ways to foster patient wellness. New to the Third Edition: Describes new evidence-based programs to enhance mental health and well-being Presents updated educational materials for families and caregivers Featured chapters: Evidence-based Assessment and Management of Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders Evidence-based Assessment and Management of Adverse Childhood Experiences Evidence-based Assessment and Management of Substance Abuse and Addiction Spectrum Evidence-based Assessment and Management of Anxiety Disorders Evidence-based Assessment and Management of Depressive Disorders Promoting Mental Health in Schools Self-Care for Clinicians Who Care for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Problems Key Features: Provides a tool kit for healthcare professionals to enhance care and improve outcomes Contains a variety of valid and reliable screening tools for mental health disorders in children and teens Addresses concise, evidence-based assessment and management guidelines Includes downloadable access to patient education handouts, resources, and a variety of other resources for children, teens, and parents

Measuring What Matters for Child Well-being and Policies

Measuring What Matters for Child Well-being and Policies PDF

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2021-07-01

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 926458353X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

To design, implement and monitor effective child well-being policies, policy-makers need data that better capture children’s lives, measure what is important to them and detect emerging problems and vulnerabilities early on. Despite improvements in recent decades, there are still important gaps in both national and cross-national child data. Countries can achieve progress if the right actions are taken.