Infant Mental Health

10 Things to Know About Infant Mental Health

1. What is Infant Mental Health? The foundations of all domains of human development are laid in the first several years of life. Basic to healthy development are the capacities to love, to feel, to develop a sense of self, and to adapt to one’s environment. Infant mental health is the social and emotional well-being of the very young child in the context of family relationships, beginning at birth and extending through the preschool years.
2. Why do we study, research and promote Infant Mental Health? Young children are often among the most helpless, neglected subgroups of society. In the past 50 years, researchers have found that attending to young children promotes more fully functioning older children, teens, and adults. As a body of professionals studying, researching and helping families with very young children, the Infant Mental Health field is a holistic, family-oriented, and multidisciplinary, involving social services, mental health and health professionals, educators, and policy-makers.
3. What are the goals of Infant Mental Health? The goals of the Infant Mental Health field are to promote emotional well-being in young children and their families, to reduce risk factors, and to prevent and/or ameliorate emotional problems. Research, advocacy, public education, and improved policy are also important goals.
4. How can babies have emotional problems? Depression can be observed in the first 2-3 months of life, as attachment disorders, problems with regulation of behavior and emotions, and other developmental difficulties. Risk factors have been identified, developmental pathways are much better understood, and methods to identify children at risk are continually being improved.
5. Is there a treatment for very young children who experience emotional problems? Yes. Treatment most often involves working with parents and babies together, emphasizing relationship, interaction, emotions, and knowledge of babies’ needs. Home visiting programs, attachment-focused approaches, infant-parent psychotherapy,and  psycho-educationa,l and family support services are among the well-researched and effective treatments.
6. Can emotional problems be prevented? Often, prevention efforts are successful and cost-effective, especially in a service context that is multi-disciplinary, flexible, coordinate,d and supported by strong, child-oriented policies.
7. Can’t parents just be treated? What is unique about Infant Mental Health as opposed to Family Therapy and other adult services? Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers certainly need their parents more than anyone else. However, every baby and very young child is unique, and specialized knowledge is frequently lacking in services that are primarily adult-centered. Dyadic treatment, with a focus on the unique, specially tailored services to a given child requires specialized training along with an understanding of parenting and adult functioning.
8. What is required of an Infant Mental Health Professional? Specific training in all lines of human development in the first five years of life, with particular knowledge about attachment, risk factors, parenting, and treatment approaches.
9. What is Maine doing in the area of Infant Mental Health? Maine has a long history of advocacy for the very young child and his/her family. Infant Mental Health training is available through the MeAIMH, and many public and community health nurses, pediatricians…social services and mental health professionals have received infant mental health education. Over the past 25 years, service professionals and policy-makers have been working to promote the Infant Mental Health field and to better serve Maine’s infants, young children, and families.
10. What can I do? First of all, make referrals to appropriate services when you are concerned about a very young child; timing makes all the difference. Second, become better educated about risk factors and preventive factors for infants and young children. Third, support parents of very young children ­ they are often isolated and may be unaware of when there might be a problem and that something can be done about it.

–Main’s Infant Mental Health

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Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences

ACEs are linked to at least 5 of the top 10 leading causes of death. ACEs are common and their impacts add up over time CDC scientists analyzed data from more than 144,000 adults and found:

• ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental health, substance misuse, and reduced educational and occupational achievement.
• Preventing ACEs has the potential to reduce the leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, diabetes, and suicide.
• ACEs prevention can have a positive impact on education and employment levels.

Key findings

• Adults reporting the highest level of ACEs exposure had increased odds of having chronic health conditions, depression, current smoking, heavy drinking, and socioeconomic challenges like current unemployment, compared to those reporting no ACEs.
• Women, American Indian/Alaskan Natives, and African Americans/Blacks were more likely to experience four or more ACEs.
• Preventing ACEs could have reduced the number of adults who had heart disease by as much as 13% – up to 1.9 million avoided cases, using 2017 national estimates.
• Preventing ACEs could have reduced the number of adults who were overweight/obese by as much as 2% – up to 2.5 million avoided cases of overweight/obesity, using 2017 national estimates.
• Preventing ACEs could have reduced the number of adults with depression by as much as 44% – up to 21 million avoided cases of depression, using 2017 national estimates.

CDC works to prevent ACEs and lessen their negative effects. These efforts include:

• Educating states and communities about effective social and economic supports that address financial hardship and other conditions that put families at risk for ACEs.
• Encouraging employers to adopt and support family-friendly policies such as paid family leave and flexible work schedules. https://go.usa.gov/xVa6mexternal icon
• Increasing access to programs that enhance parents’ and youths’ skills to handle stress, resolve conflicts, and reduce violence. https:/go.usa.gov/xVQ8sexternal icon
• Improving school environments to lessen the impact of ACEs and prevent further trauma.   https://go.usa.gov/xpYZYexternal icon
• Educating healthcare providers to recognize current risk in children and ACEs history in adults, and to refer patients to effective family services and support. https://go.usa.gov/xVa65external icon

CDC encourages communities to take advantage of the best available evidence and join CDC in efforts to prevent ACEs. Everyone can help: Parents, teachers and school counselors, religious leaders, business leaders, health care professionals, and charitable organizations.

What can everyone do to help prevent ACEs?

• Recognize the challenges families face and offer support and encouragement to reduce stress.
• Support community programs and policies that provide safe and healthy conditions for all children and families. Zero to Three Mental Health

To read the entire Vital Signs report, visit: www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/

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Additional Infant Mental Health References & Links

The resources listed below represent just a few of the many national and policy sites that are concerned with promoting children’s healthy early relationships.

Brazelton Touchpoints Center: works in the U.S. and abroad with public agencies, non-profits, hospitals, home visitors, private practices, early childhood settings, tribal services, statewide initiatives, and professional training in institutions of higher education.  Touchpoints is a neuro-developmental, evidence-based approach to supporting healthy family functioning and optimal child development ages 0-6.

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning (CSEFEL): focused on promoting the social-emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5.  CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country.

Child Care and Early Education – Research Connections: provides a continually updated, free, and searchable collection of research on child care and early education for researchers and policymakers.

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University: to generate, translate, and apply scientific knowledge that would close the gap between what we know and what we do to improve the lives of children facing adversity.  Includes National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.  The ultimate goal of the Council is to enhance the development of children through the design and implementation of effective public and private policies and programs.

Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC): Early Head Start provides early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child development and family support services to low-income infants and toddlers and their families, and pregnant women and their families.

Federation of Families – for Children’s Mental Health: provide advocacy on the national level for the rights of children and youth; provide leadership and technical assistance to a nationwide network of family-run organizations; collaborate with family-run and other child-serving organizations to transform mental health care in America.

Maternal and Child Health Bureau – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is to provide leadership, in partnership with key stakeholders, to improve the physical and mental health, safety, and well-being of the maternal and child health (MCH) population which includes all of the nation’s women, infants, children, adolescents and their families, including fathers and children with special health care needs.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting childhood practice, policy, and research.  NAEYC is at the forefront own influencing local, state, and federal early childhood legislation, advocating for policies that reflect comprehensive approaches to providing equitable access to high-quality learning, with a particular focus on children living in poverty, multilingual children, children of color, and children with disabilities.

National Head Start Association(NHSA): a nonprofit organization committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life.  NHSA’s vision is to lead and to advocate – to work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure that all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed.

National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP): is dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children.  NCCP uses research to inform policies and practices with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation.  We promote family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels.

National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations: assist states and programs in their implementation of sustainable systems for the implementation of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Pyramid Model) within early intervention and early education programs with a focus on promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children birth to five, reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, promoting family engagement, using data for decision-making, integrating early childhood and infant mental health consultation and fostering inclusion.

Talaris Research Institute: a nonprofit Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) dedicated to advancing knowledge of early brain development.  Their research is focused on children from birth to age five.  They sponsor scientific studies on early brain and behavioral development and translate the research findings into useful tools and information for parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare, and business professionals.

World Association for Infant Mental Health: promotes education, research, and the study of the effects of mental, emotional, and social development during infancy on later normal and psychopathological development through international and interdisciplinary cooperation, publications, affiliate organizations, and through regional and biennial congresses devoted to scientific, educational and clinical work with infants and their caregivers

Zero to Three: promote the healthy development of our nation’s infants and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families, communities, and all those who work on their behalf.  The organization is dedicated to advancing current knowledge; promoting beneficial policies and practices; communicating research and best practices to a wide variety of audiences; and providing training, technical assistance, and leadership development

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Policy Websites

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): a national organization of 64,000 pediatricians committed to the health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc: a national policy research institute that, for nearly 50 years, has been at the forefront of assessing the effectiveness of policies and programs to improve public well-being.

National Academy of State Health Policy ( NASHP): dedicated to helping states achieve excellence in health policy and practice.  A nonprofit and non-partisan organization, NASHP provides a forum for constructive work across branches and agencies of the state government on critical health issues.

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER): conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children.  The institute offers independent, research-based advice and technical assistance to policymakers, journalists, researchers, and educators.

Canada

Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMHP): A coalition of professional representatives from service agencies dedicated to promoting optimal outcomes for infants (prenatal to 36 months) in collaboration with families and other caregivers.   The mission of this organization is to develop and promote best practices for infant mental health through education, advocacy, and collaboration with families, professionals, and the communities which influence the lives of infants and young children in Canada.

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