Daily family life: reflecting on child mental health and the practice of family activities.

Abstract

Understanding that the daily life of school-age children is grounded in the context of the family, the purpose of the study was to identify the daily activities of families with children and relate these to their mental health status. The participants were 321 families of children attending primary education in public schools of a city, in the State of São Paulo/ Brazil. Data were collected through the application of Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire, developed by the researcher and the mental health of the children was assessed using the Brazilian version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The data were submitted to descriptive and correlational analyses. The results indicated that children whose children belonging to families with rules and responsibilities that all members understood and complied by showed higher levels of prosocial behavior. In contrast, poor school performance and the existence of family conflicts were associated with impairment in children mental health. Thus, the existence of rules and responsibilities for organizes the routine of children, forms part of the set of actions that characterize positive parenting practices and are a relevant protective mechanism for the mental health and development of these children.