OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between chronic illness and school readiness, by using linked administrative population data. METHODS: The sample included children born in 2003–2004 who were residing in Western Australia in 2009 and had a complete Australian Early Development Census record (N = 22 890). Health and demographic information was also analyzed for 19 227 mothers and 19 030 fathers. The impact of child chronic illness on 5 developmental domains (social, emotional, language, cognitive, and physical) at school entry was analyzed. Analyses examined the association between child developmental outcomes and chronic illness generally, single or multiple chronic illness diagnosis, and diagnosis type. Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios for each outcome, adjusted for child, parent, and community sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: In the adjusted models, children with a chronic illness had an increased risk of being classified as developmentally vulnerable on all domains, compared with children without a chronic illness (20%–35% increase in risk). There was no increased risk for children with multiple chronic illness diagnoses over those with a single diagnosis (all Ps > .05). There was no evidence of a disease-specific effect driving this risk. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the number or type of conditions, chronic illness in young children is a risk factor for reduced school readiness. These effects were seen for health conditions not traditionally considered detrimental to school readiness, such as chronic otitis media. Thus, the implications of a broader range of chronic health conditions in early childhood on school readiness need to be considered.

Aims.: Children of parents with psychiatric disorders are at risk of poor outcomes. However, there is limited evidence regarding the relationship between parental psychiatric disorders and child school readiness, which is linked to later academic achievement. This study aims to investigate these relationships and broaden the evidence underlying the rationale for family-focused interventions for parental psychiatric disorders.Method.: This study used linked administrative data. Children's school readiness in multiple developmental domains (physical, social, emotional, communicative, cognitive) was measured by the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) for 19 071 Western Australian children (mean age 5.5 years). Children scoring in the bottom 25% on any AEDC domain were considered developmentally vulnerable, or at risk of vulnerability, on that domain. Biological child–parent pairs were identified using birth records. Parents with psychiatric disorders were identified from hospital records, which included information on diagnosis and frequency/duration of psychiatric admissions. Logistic regressions, adjusted for parent age, mother's marital status, child Aboriginality, child English language status, local community remoteness and socioeconomic index, estimated the odds of children being vulnerable/at-risk on each of the AEDC domains.Results.: A total of 719 mothers and 417 fathers had a psychiatric hospitalisation during the study period (12 months prior to the child's birth, up to the end of 2009). Children whose parents had psychiatric disorders had increased odds of being classified as vulnerable/at-risk for school readiness. This increase in odds was evident for both maternal (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 1.37– 1.51) and paternal psychiatric disorders (aOR 1.38–1.50); and for a single admission of one day (aOR 1.32–1.59), a single admission of multiple days (aOR 1.30–1.47), and multiple admissions (aOR 1.35–1.63). Some variability in child outcome was found depending on the parents’ psychiatric diagnosis (mood, anxiety, substance abuse or comorbid disorder).Conclusions.: Children of parents who have been hospitalised with psychiatric disorders are at risk for poor school readiness. These findings add support to recommendations that mental health professionals consider dependent children in discharge and treatment planning for adult psychiatric inpatients. It is also important to ensure that the impact of psychiatric illness in fathers is not overlooked in assessment and intervention. Family-based approaches to adult psychiatric care could meet the dual needs of intervention for parents and preventative measures for children. These findings can inform policy regarding the importance of integrating and coordinating services to meet the needs of families.

Background Identification of features of the neighbourhood physical environment that have a causal association with positive child development is important for promoting long-term developmental health. Previous research on these associations have been conducted at the neighbourhood level, and do not account for individual variation in exposure to these features. Methods This cross-sectional study utilised de-identified linked administrative data. Neighbourhood features were measured with Geographic Information Systems and identified within a 1600 m service area around the child’s home address. The study population included a random selection of 5024 Western Australian children who participated in the 2012 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC; median age 5 years, 5 months). Multi-level logistic regressions modelled the odds of children scoring in the bottom 10% on the physical, social or emotional AEDC domains as an outcome of neighbourhood features. Results After adjustment for individual and neighbourhood sociodemographic factors, lower odds of physical vulnerability were associated with increased neighbourhood residential density, presence of railway station, and higher counts of playgroups and kindergartens. Larger areas of neighbourhood home-yard space were associated with increased odds of physical and social vulnerability. Presence of high-quality green spaces was associated with lower odds of social vulnerability. Increased road traffic exposure was associated with higher odds of social and emotional vulnerability. Conclusions The neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development. Future research should consider the interplay between the neighbourhood environment and proximal influences, including parenting attributes and socioeconomic status, and how they influence early child development.

There is evidence that children of incarcerated parents are at risk of poor developmental and educational outcomes. However, much of this evidence is limited by biased samples, as studies must rely on opt-in recruitment. Administrative data present an opportunity to overcome this challenge, as they capture information on all incarcerated individuals. This study used administrative data on convictions of the parents of 19,071 children aged 5-6 years in Western Australia. Records of parental convictions (starting from 1 year prior to the child's birth) were linked to children's scores on the Australian Early Development Census, which is a teacher-reported measure of children's physical, social, emotional, communicative, and cognitive development. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of children of convicted parents being developmentally vulnerable. Models were adjusted for child, parent, and neighborhood sociodemographic factors. Compared to children in the comparison group, children whose parent had either served a community order or been incarcerated were at risk of poor development across all developmental domains, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Furthermore, children of incarcerated parents had higher odds of developmental vulnerability on multiple domains compared to children of parents who had served community orders only. The results suggest that, although children of convicted parents experience a higher incidence of sociodemographic risk, their parents' criminal activity constitutes an independent risk factor for their development. Intervention to support the early development of children of convicted parents is therefore essential, and should consider the family context. (PsycINFO Database Record

Background Currently, there is mixed evidence regarding the effects on children when a parent is chronically ill. Research has also primarily been conducted with adolescent samples. This study investigated developmental vulnerabilities in young children of parents with chronic illness. Methods This study used linked administrative data. The study population included children born in Western Australia during 2003–2004 (n=19 071; mean age 5.5 years). The outcome measure was a score in the bottom 25% on any of the five developmental domains (physical, social, emotional, communicative and cognitive) of the Australian Early Development Census (2009 collection). Parental chronic illnesses were identified from hospital and cancer registry records, during the period from 1 year prior to the child’s birth and until the end of 2009. Results Higher odds of developmental vulnerabilities in physical, social, emotional and communication domains were observed for daughters of chronically ill mothers. Sons of chronically ill mothers had increased odds of language and cognitive difficulties. Risk level increased with each additional year of exposure to maternal chronic illness. Results also indicated increased odds of developmental vulnerabilities for children of mothers experiencing multiple compared with single chronic conditions; however, results were not statistically significant (all p>0.05). No association between fathers’ chronic illness and children’s developmental outcomes was found. Conclusions Maternal chronic illness is associated with an increased risk of poor developmental outcomes for children, particularly daughters. Healthcare services have an important role to play in linking families into appropriate family-centred services to best support the needs of chronically ill mothers.