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Changes in mental health of adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparison by household structure and parental employment

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Changes in mental health of adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparison by household structure and parental employment

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.12.001
Leveraging the Priority Indicators to Promote Comprehensive Adolescent Health Approaches
  • May 16, 2024
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Valentina Baltag + 1 more

The last decade has witnessed unprecedented attention to a comprehensive agenda for adolescent health, an agenda that takes a holistic and multidimensional approach to promoting and addressing the health and well-being of adolescents [1Global strategy for Women's, children's and adolescents' health (2016–2030). Every Woman Every Child, N Y2015Google Scholar, 2Patton G.C. Sawyer S.M. Santelli J.S. et al.Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing.Lancet. 2016; 387: 2423-2478Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar, 3World Health OrganizationAccelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance for country implementation.2nd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva2017Google Scholar, 4Bundy D.A.P. Silva N. Horton S. et al.Child and adolescent health and development: Realizing neglected potential.in: Bundy D.A.P. Silva N.D. Horton S. Jamison D.T. Patton G.C. Adolescent Health and Development. 3rd ed. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The World Bank, Washington (DC)2017Crossref Google Scholar, 5Adolescents: The missing population in universal health coverage. World Health Organization, Geneva2019https://plan-uk.org/file/plan-adolescent-health-reportpdf/download?token=VVsY-cTpDate accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar, 6Political declaration of the high-level meeting on universal health coverage "universal health coverage: Moving together to build a healthier world". United Nations, New York2019https://www.un.org/pga/73/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2019/07/FINAL-draft-UHC-Political-Declaration.pdfDate accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar, 7Clark H. Coll-Seck A.M. Banerjee A. et al.A future for the world's children? A WHO–UNICEF–Lancet commission.Lancet. 2020; 395: 605-658Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar, 8Ross D.A. Hinton R. Melles-Brewer M. et al.Adolescent well-being: A definition and conceptual framework.J Adolesc Health. 2020; 67: 472Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (109) Google Scholar, 9Making every school a health-promoting school: Global standards and indicators. World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Geneva and Paris2021https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/341907Date accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar]. At the global level, building on successes in advancing sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health and well-being have been gradually reframed toward a more comprehensive approach including HIV and other infectious diseases, unintentional injuries, violence, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and key risk factors, such as alcohol and drug use, tobacco use, sedentary behaviors, and poor nutrition, as well as protective factors such as education and connectedness (Table 1) [1Global strategy for Women's, children's and adolescents' health (2016–2030). Every Woman Every Child, N Y2015Google Scholar,2Patton G.C. Sawyer S.M. Santelli J.S. et al.Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing.Lancet. 2016; 387: 2423-2478Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar]. Crucial for this reframing was generating strong data showing the breadth of public health concerns for adolescent health and well-being.Table 1Selected milestones in advancing the comprehensive agenda for adolescent health and well-beingEventThe role in promoting a comprehensive agenda for adolescent health and well-being2015 – Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health (2016–2030)Includes adolescent health as a new strategic area and provides a roadmap that is comprehensive not only across health priorities but also across SGDs and political, social, economic, and environmental determinants of health and sustainable development [1Global strategy for Women's, children's and adolescents' health (2016–2030). Every Woman Every Child, N Y2015Google Scholar].2016 – Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and well-beingShows great variations in adolescent health profiles between countries and within nation states, and calls for reframing adolescent health and well-being to include a broader vision of adolescent health inclusive of issues beyond sexual and reproductive health [2Patton G.C. Sawyer S.M. Santelli J.S. et al.Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing.Lancet. 2016; 387: 2423-2478Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar].2017 – Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents: guidance for country implementationIn support of the implementation of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health, calls for investing in comprehensive adolescent health programmes informed by national priorities. Following its publication and support by WHO and other UN partners, many countries have used the guidance to develop or update comprehensive strategies and plans for adolescent health and well-being [3World Health OrganizationAccelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance for country implementation.2nd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva2017Google Scholar].2017 – The investment case in a comprehensive package of services in adolescence in the 3rd edition of the Child and Adolescent Health and DevelopmentBrings new insights into the benefits of investing in a comprehensive package of services for adolescent health and well-being, with a strong focus on return on investment from school health interventions [4Bundy D.A.P. Silva N. Horton S. et al.Child and adolescent health and development: Realizing neglected potential.in: Bundy D.A.P. Silva N.D. Horton S. Jamison D.T. Patton G.C. Adolescent Health and Development. 3rd ed. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The World Bank, Washington (DC)2017Crossref Google Scholar].2019 – Political declaration on Universal Health CoverageAdolescents took the spotlight in the lead-up to the United Nations High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in 2019 [5Adolescents: The missing population in universal health coverage. World Health Organization, Geneva2019https://plan-uk.org/file/plan-adolescent-health-reportpdf/download?token=VVsY-cTpDate accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar]. The resulting political declaration stressed the need comprehensively address a broad range of health problems and their social, economic, and environmental and other determinants of health by working across all sectors [6Political declaration of the high-level meeting on universal health coverage "universal health coverage: Moving together to build a healthier world". United Nations, New York2019https://www.un.org/pga/73/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2019/07/FINAL-draft-UHC-Political-Declaration.pdfDate accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar].2020 – The COVID-19 pandemicBrought to the spotlight the need to have a holistic response to the pandemic that considers the totality of adolescents needs such as access to services related to physical activity, nutrition, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, and other services [12World Health OrganizationAccelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance for country implementation.2nd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva2023https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/373300/9789240081765-eng.pdf?sequence=1Date accessed: January 2, 2024Google Scholar].2020 – A future for the world's children? A WHO–UNICEF–Lancet CommissionCalls for a comprehensive narrative that places children's and adolescent's health and well-being at the center of the sustainable development goals and the notion of sustainability, and recommends reconfiguring the global, national, and subnational governance to provide strong multisectoral solutions [7Clark H. Coll-Seck A.M. Banerjee A. et al.A future for the world's children? A WHO–UNICEF–Lancet commission.Lancet. 2020; 395: 605-658Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar].2020 – UN H6+ agencies' Adolescent Well-being InitiativeProposes a consensus conceptual framework for adolescent well-being that consists of five interrelated domains 1) good health and optimal nutrition; 2) connectedness, positive values, and contribution to society; 3) safety and a supportive environment; 4) learning, competence, education, skills, and employability; and 5) agency and resilience [8Ross D.A. Hinton R. Melles-Brewer M. et al.Adolescent well-being: A definition and conceptual framework.J Adolesc Health. 2020; 67: 472Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (109) Google Scholar].2021 – WHO, UNESCO, and UNICEF initiative Making Every School a Health Promoting SchoolCalls to put learners' health and well-being at the core of the education agenda by investing in health-promoting education systems, and publishes global guidance to inform a new generation of comprehensive school health programmes [9Making every school a health-promoting school: Global standards and indicators. World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Geneva and Paris2021https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/341907Date accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar,10Making every school a health-promoting school: implementation guidance. World Health Organization, Geneva2021https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/341908Date accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar].2022 – The Lancet Series Optimising Child and Adolescent Health and DevelopmentProvides evidence of the effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention package for adolescents across a range of priorities and delivery platforms, and provides evidence that school health programmes are particularly well placed to promote, prevent, and address issues related to nutritional problems, anemia, vision and dental problems, mental health (including anxiety and depression), and learning disabilities [11Vaivada T. Lassi Z.S. Irfan O. et al.What can work and how? An overview of evidence-based interventions and delivery strategies to support health and human development from before conception to 20 years.Lancet. 2022; 399: 1810-1829Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (30) Google Scholar].2023 – The second edition of the Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents: guidance for country implementationThe case for investing in comprehensive adolescent health programmes informed by national priorities is made stronger by articulating how a more holistic understanding of adolescent well-being, based on the adolescent well-being framework, can inform a new generation of programmes [12World Health OrganizationAccelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance for country implementation.2nd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva2023https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/373300/9789240081765-eng.pdf?sequence=1Date accessed: January 2, 2024Google Scholar]. Open table in a new tab Countries' response has followed. In 2023, 96 countries reported having an adolescent health programme. By the end of 2022, most countries in the WHO African region, the Americas region, the South-East Asia region, and selected countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific regions have used the Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA)! guidance to develop or update comprehensive adolescent health strategies and plans [12World Health OrganizationAccelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance for country implementation.2nd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva2023https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/373300/9789240081765-eng.pdf?sequence=1Date accessed: January 2, 2024Google Scholar]. Informed by the AA-HA! guidance, regional initiatives and political commitments were made, such as the Adolescent Health Flagship Programme for Africa, the Plan of Action for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health 2018–2030 of the Pan American Health Organization, the Regional Framework of Joint Strategic Actions for Young People of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the European Region adaptation of AA-HA! [12World Health OrganizationAccelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance for country implementation.2nd ed. World Health Organization, Geneva2023https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/373300/9789240081765-eng.pdf?sequence=1Date accessed: January 2, 2024Google Scholar]. However, much more needs to be done to close the gap in providing effective coverage with critical interventions for adolescent health and well-being [2Patton G.C. Sawyer S.M. Santelli J.S. et al.Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing.Lancet. 2016; 387: 2423-2478Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar]. Moving forward requires the ongoing monitoring of progress and accountability to implement this comprehensive agenda. In this context, the consensus list of priority indicators for adolescent health measurement recommended by the Global Action for the Measurement of Adolescent Health Advisory Group comes at the right time. The list redefines how to measure and learn about adolescent health and makes an important contribution to the WHO' and partners' vision for adolescent-responsive health and social systems, and health-promoting education systems, through comprehensive approaches. First, the indicators recommend that adolescent health be measured in a comprehensive way—acknowledging not only all the important causes of adolescent ill health but also their social and other determinants. Although similar attempts were made earlier for global monitoring [2Patton G.C. Sawyer S.M. Santelli J.S. et al.Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing.Lancet. 2016; 387: 2423-2478Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar], a study of 16 global and regional initiatives including adolescent health indicators found that some areas such as interpersonal violence, HIV/AIDS, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health were commonly addressed, while others such as anxiety disorders were commonly neglected [14Newby H. Marsh A.D. Moller A.B. et al.A scoping review of adolescent health indicators.J Adolesc Health. 2021; 69: 365-374Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar]. Second, the list includes measures of systems' performance. It fills an important gap where measurement of policies and systems has long lagged behind health outcomes and conditions or even health behaviors and risks [13World health Organization. Maternal, Newborn, Child and adolescent health and ageing data portal.https://platform.who.int/data/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-ageing/indicator-explorer-new/MCA/national-adolescent-health-programmeDate accessed: June 30, 2023Google Scholar]. Such accountability is essential to redress the current situation when the quality of services for adolescents is substandard across both health and social systems [15Kruk M.E. Lewis T.P. Arsenault C. et al.Improving health and social systems for all children in LMICs: Structural innovations to deliver high-quality services.Lancet. 2022; 399: 1830-1844Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (31) Google Scholar]. Third, the list extends the accountability for adolescent health beyond the health sector. With the unprecedented attention that school health has recently received [9Making every school a health-promoting school: Global standards and indicators. World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Geneva and Paris2021https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/341907Date accessed: May 6, 2023Google Scholar,16Baltag V. Sidaner E. Bundy D. et al.Realising the potential of schools to improve adolescent nutrition.BMJ. 2022; 379e067678PubMed Google Scholar], underpinned by an increased understanding of the need to embed healthy development and nutrition within education systems, measuring the proportion of schools that offer comprehensive school health services and life skills-based HIV and sexuality education will provide valuable data to accelerate the WHO/UNESCO/UNICEF vision Make Every School a Health Promoting School. Finally, the recommended approach embraces measures of well-being related to education, connectedness, agency, and a safe and supportive environment, and ongoing work by WHO and partners will further this work in the next years to a more granular way of understanding and measuring adolescent well-being [17Newby H. Hagell A. Marsh A.D. Guthold R. UN H6+ Adolescent Wellbeing Measurement Writing GroupOpportunities to advance measurement of adolescent wellbeing: Building on a new conceptual framework.BMJ. 2022; 379e068955PubMed Google Scholar]. The time is right. The second edition of the AA-HA! guidance that integrates the work by the Global Action for the Measurement of Adolescent Health group is being published in 2023, the year when the largest-ever gathering for adolescent well-being, the Global Forum for Adolescents, is taking place. This is a unique opportunity to celebrate success and inspire adolescents and the global community to advocate society's support for a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. At the same time, it is important to ensure continued momentum, beyond the Global Forum for Adolescents '23, to sustain commitments to resource mobilization and joint efforts by all stakeholders to increase political and financial investments in adolescent health and well-being. The United Nations partners involved in advancing the vision for adolescent-responsive health and social systems, and health-promoting education systems through comprehensive approaches, stand ready to support sustained attention to adolescent health and well-being in national and global policies and to provide technical assistance as countries act to accelerate action for the new generation of adolescent health and well-being programmes. © World Health Organization [year]. Licensee JAH. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution N-Noncommercial IGO License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction for non-commercial purposes in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any reproduction of this article there should not be any suggestion that WHO or this article endorse any specific organization or products. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. The authors wish to thank Andrew Marsh for his suggestions in reviewing this manuscript.

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.04.015
The Journal of Adolescent Health's Editor-In-Chief's Annual Reflection: A Year of COVID, Coping, and Creativity
  • Jun 22, 2021
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Carol A Ford

The Journal of Adolescent Health's Editor-In-Chief's Annual Reflection: A Year of COVID, Coping, and Creativity

  • Research Article
  • Cite Count Icon 38
  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.03.003
Why Adolescent Depression Is a Global Health Priority and What We Should Do About It
  • May 1, 2013
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Vikram Patel

Why Adolescent Depression Is a Global Health Priority and What We Should Do About It

  • Research Article
  • Cite Count Icon 345
  • 10.1016/s1054-139x(04)00086-2
Confidential health care for adolescents: position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
  • Aug 1, 2004
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • C Ford + 2 more

Confidential health care for adolescents: position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.03.002
Confidential health care for adolescents: position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
  • Jul 14, 2004
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Carol Ford + 2 more

Confidential health care for adolescents: position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

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  • 10.1016/j.jpeds.2010.05.048
Putting Adolescent Health at the Heart of Pediatrics
  • Jul 8, 2010
  • The Journal of Pediatrics
  • Donald Payne + 1 more

Putting Adolescent Health at the Heart of Pediatrics

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.02.005
Strengthening the Understanding of South Partnerships and Rigor in Addressing Social Determinants of Child and Adolescent Mental Health
  • Apr 14, 2023
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Manasi Kumar

The Journal of Adolescent Health's current supplement presents the work of a highly active team of researchers who are focusing on developing a strong body of evidence around child and adolescent mental health in Sub-Saharan Africa. The supplement lays out scholarship generated through years of partnership between researchers based in the United States—some of whom are from Sub-Saharan context, specifically Uganda—in connecting applied social work, community mental health for children and adolescents, and family development. The work comprises a series of articles embedded within several National Institutes of Health–funded grants by authors based in the United States in partnership with various academic and nongovernmental organizations in Uganda and Ghana. A rich collection of information and ideas around HIV-associated physical health, psychosocial, and educational challenges across child and adolescent populations are presented. Mental health outcomes and aspects of community and family cohesion, as well as health, are assessed via multimodal interventions. The strength of this group's work is the focus on poverty and ameliorating adversities through structured economic and psychosocial empowerment. The article entitled "The post-intervention impact of Amaka Amasanyufu on behavioral and mental health functioning of children and adolescents in low-resource communities in Uganda: analysis of a cluster-randomized trial from the SMART Africa-Uganda study (2016–2022)", led by Ssewamala et al., presents improvements in depressive symptoms, self-concept, and externalizing behaviors in a school-based multiple family group (MFG) intervention tested in a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial delivered by parent, peers, or community health workers versus control condition [[1]Ssewamala F.M. Brathwaite R. Bahar O.S. et al.The post-intervention impact of Amaka Amasanyufu on behavioral and mental health functioning of children and adolescents in low-resource communities in Uganda: Analysis of a cluster-randomized trial from the SMART Africa-Uganda study (2016-2022).J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S3-S10Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar]. Another articles led by Nabayinda et al. explored "The relationship between family cohesion and depression among school-going children with elevated symptoms of behavioral challenges in Southern Uganda" and found that family cohesion was a protection against depression [[2]Nabayinda J. Kizito S. Ssentumbwe V. et al.The relationship between family cohesion and depression among school-going children with elevated symptoms of behavioral challenges in Southern Uganda.J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S11-S17Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar]. Both articles were built on the same SMART Africa cluster randomized controlled trial. Nabunya et al., in the article "Stigma by Association, Parenting Stress and the Mental Health of Caregivers of Adolescents Living with HIV in Uganda", find that HIV-associated stigma in caregivers of adolescents is associated with poor caregiver mental health and parenting stress [[3]Nabunya P. Namuwonge F. Bahar O.S. et al.Stigma by association, parenting stress and the mental health of caregivers of adolescents living with HIV in Uganda.J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S18-S23Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar]. Byansi et al. extend the focus on adolescents in Uganda in their article "Patterns of and factors associated with mental health service utilization among school-going adolescent girls in southwestern Uganda: A latent class analysis", reporting on latent class analysis findings testing MFG on adolescent girls [[4]Byansi W. Ssewamala F.M. Neilands T.B. et al.Patterns of and factors associated with mental health service utilization among school-going adolescent girls in southwestern Uganda: A latent class analysis.J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S24-S32Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar]. Patterns in attendance of sessions and family demographic factors were associated with improved mental health service utilization. Implications for implementation of intervention are drawn from the approach taken in the article "Effects of a combination economic empowerment and family strengthening intervention on psychosocial well-being among Ugandan adolescent girls: analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial (Suubi4Her)" [[5]Filiatreau L.M. Tutlam N.T. Brathwaite R. et al.Effects of a combination economic empowerment and family strengthening intervention on psychosocial well-being among Ugandan adolescent girls: Analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial (Suubi4Her).J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S33-S40Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar]. Filiatreau et al. present findings of another trial testing youth development account intervention with MFG in a three-arm study, with results suggesting that economic empowerment when augmented with culturally engaged psychotherapy is more efficacious [[5]Filiatreau L.M. Tutlam N.T. Brathwaite R. et al.Effects of a combination economic empowerment and family strengthening intervention on psychosocial well-being among Ugandan adolescent girls: Analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial (Suubi4Her).J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S33-S40Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar]. "A Structural Equation Model of the Impact of a family-based economic intervention on ART Adherence among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda" reports findings of an older trial that tests a variety of financial strengthening strategies and finds that these improve treatment adherence and mental health outcomes in young girls [[6]Kizito S. Nabayinda J. Neilands T.B. et al.A Structural Equation Model of the Impact of a family-based economic intervention on ART Adherence among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda.J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S41-S50Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar]. In the article "The Impact of Family Economic Empowerment Intervention on Psychological Difficulties and Prosocial Behavior among AIDS-orphaned children in southern Uganda", deeper insights are offered around mental health programming infused with family-based economic empowerment for younger orphaned children [[7]Tutlam N.T. Filiatreau L.M. Byansi W. et al.The impact of family economic empowerment intervention on psychological Difficulties and prosocial behavior among AIDS-orphaned children in southern Uganda.J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S51-S58Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar]. It appears from this article that even small steps toward strengthening routine care and provision of services goes a long way in improving child outcomes. The final article focuses on Ghana and uses the World Health Organization school health survey to identify "Correlates of Suicide Among Middle and High School Students in Ghana" [[8]Azasu E.K. Joe S. Correlates of suicide among Middle and high school Students in Ghana.J Adolesc Health. 2023; : S59-S63Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar]. The resulting younger age of onset of suicide and disaggregation of various suicide behaviors provide an impetus toward research that addresses suicide risk factors, treatment, and mental health promotion for children and adolescents. The articles make a compelling case around strengthening economic empowerment by directly providing economic incentives to support vulnerable populations and high-risk children and youth. The themes that require more attention with time include addressing more contextualized mental health constructs such as triggers and idioms of distress, understanding child and adolescent development from African cultural perspective, disentangling intersectional stigma and its impact on caregiver and child mental health, and grasping the significance of the adversities these communities and children face by reflecting on economic vulnerabilities and stressors more closely. A system-level appraisal of how these economic strengthening approaches are independently evaluated and evaluation by partners from economic and social development sectors of the Ugandan government or civil society would be important next steps. There is room to report on implementation outcomes that focus on the process of developing these integrated interventions and whether mental health and economic empowerment approaches need a different strategy, community, or youth engagement framework. As a guest editor, my commentary here is to buttress the importance of such well-funded, well-aligned scholarship in Africa and also to highlight that South-to-South partnerships are not only about US-funded research from largely northern partners. It should also become a venture where Southern countries (often "sites of intervention and need") deliberate and build joint priorities, co-create solutions that are relevant to them, and frame research articles in a manner that reflects how multistakeholder priorities were identified and addressed. The title of South-to-South partnerships could be a misnomer when most of the key authors are from limited northern institutions. Southern researchers working within the global north is not the only model for south-south partnerships. Most of these articles are led by individuals based in global North, including senior, first, and second authors. That is where a sea-change is needed. Building capacity to publish more articles within research teams and for improved representation would also serve accomplished teams that are generating enormous evidence-based research in these constrained geographies. How young people will respond to such complex interventions, and if these are designed, vetted, and improved by their feedback, has become a big theme in global health. While developing strong, outcome-informed evidence, we need process indicators. Multilevel community, economic, and family-level analyses that speak to multidimensional and interconnected social determinants would be other opportunities to consider. My hope would be to see more attention to these areas of framing and partnerships. It will be important for funders, publishers, and global health consortiums to ask for a score card on inclusivity, equity, representativeness, and a focused direction toward addressing social determinants of child and adolescent mental health.

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.06.001
Health Care Reform and Adolescents—An Agenda for the Lifespan: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
  • Jul 12, 2009
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Abigail English + 4 more

Health Care Reform and Adolescents—An Agenda for the Lifespan: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.08.006
Moving upstream: the role of schools in improving population health
  • Oct 1, 2005
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Claire D Brindis

Moving upstream: the role of schools in improving population health

  • Discussion
  • Cite Count Icon 168
  • 10.1016/j.pedn.2020.11.004
When Pandemics Collide: The Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Obesity
  • Nov 11, 2020
  • Journal of Pediatric Nursing
  • Nancy T Browne + 7 more

When Pandemics Collide: The Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Obesity

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  • 10.1016/s1054-139x(03)00290-8
Guidelines for Adolescent Health Research*1, *2A position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
  • Nov 1, 2003
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • J Santelli + 9 more

Guidelines for Adolescent Health Research*1, *2A position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

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  • 10.1016/s1054-139x(01)00294-4
HIV research in American youth.
  • Sep 1, 2001
  • The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
  • Audrey Smith Rogers

HIV research in American youth.

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  • 10.1016/j.jaacop.2022.10.001
Open Science for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Oct 10, 2022
  • JAACAP open
  • Manpreet K Singh + 1 more

Open Science for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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  • 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.10.012
Adolescence and Gender Equality in Health
  • Dec 19, 2019
  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Margaret E Greene + 1 more

Adolescence and Gender Equality in Health

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  • Cite Count Icon 1
  • 10.1093/pch/6.4.177
Youth and the National Children's Agenda
  • Apr 1, 2001
  • Paediatrics & Child Health
  • Roger S Tonkin

Youth and the National Children's Agenda

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