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A questionnaire survey of 291 primary schools investigated teachers' contribution to the identification, management and referral of children with mental health problems. The survey aimed to clarify their familiarity with mental health issues and liaison experience with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The teachers expressed great interest in children's mental health, which they judged had significantly impacted on their teaching. They had received little in the way of training in this area but were almost unanimously keen to learn more. Experience of CAMHS was variable, but many expressed uncertainty about pathways of referral and wanted better communication regarding pupils under their care. CAMHS and education departments could usefully plan together to meet schoolteachers training needs and establish appropriate referral pathways. The role of the primary child mental health worker appears to be often underdeveloped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite research documenting the body image concerns of adolescent females, and the association with eating disorders, less is known about children's perceptions of body shape or the developmental roots of adolescent concerns. This study, involving 140 children aged 5-11, explored what children think is the ideal shape for an adult male and female and whether body shape is related to masculinity and femininity. Children saw a range of figures from very thin to very fat and were asked which they thought was 'the nicest shape for a lady (or man) to be'. Girls and boys agreed about what is the ideal male shape, but differed in their perception of the ideal female shape from as early as 5 years old. Girls selected an ideal female figure that was significantly thinner than that chosen by boys, and the girls also aspired to a thinner figure for themselves. Girls as young as 9 years, though not overweight, admitted they were dieting. Also, 61% of 11-year-old girls said their mothers dieted compared with only 12% of boys. Significantly more stereotypically feminine traits were associated with a thinner female figure than with a fatter one, whilst masculine traits were not associated with any particular male somatotype. The findings suggest that to be feminine, a female has to be thin although males can be either thin or fat and still be considered masculine. The implications in terms of the distorted beliefs underlying eating disorders are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western research suggests that life events contribute to childhood psychiatric disorder but no studies have examined this in developing countries. During a population-based study of 1403 8-12 year old children in Kerala, South India, a life events schedule was administered to parents of children with ICD10 psychiatric disorders (n = 72) and controls. Life events were associated with lower social class, greater poverty, less educated parents, worse physical health and psychiatric disorder. Multivariate analysis confirmed the association of life events with psychiatric disorder, independent of indices of social adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]