Early Developmental Crime Prevention and Social Impact over the Life Course

Politics on the mind: assessing the state of mental health after the election

Early developmental crime prevention is an important component of an overall strategy to reduce crime. Key features include a commitment to prevention in the first instance—intervening before a delinquent act has been committed and before a child has contact with the justice system—and a larger focus on improving the life chances of at-risk children and families, extending well beyond delinquency or criminal offending. The main aim of this article is to set out an agenda for action—a manifesto of sorts—to advance developmental crime prevention, with a special focus on the early stages of the life-course. Structured as a ten-point plan and organized around three core areas (policy directions, research priorities, and outreach), the agenda is designed to bring attention to what I view as the most important and pressing matters confronting early developmental crime prevention today. The good news is that the groundwork has been started on many fronts, with some successes and a great a deal of promise. David Farrington’s research and scholarly contributions figure prominently in this work, and this article also serves as a remembrance of David Farrington (1944–2024) and a way to celebrate his enduring life-work to help build a safer, more just society.

This paper summarizes the findings for the European Region of the WPA Task Force on Steps, Obstacles and Mistakes to Avoid in the Implementation of Community Mental Health Care. The article presents a description of the region, an overview of mental health policies and legislation, a summary of relevant research in the region, a precis of community mental health services, a discussion of the key lessons learned, and some recommendations for the future.

More than 26 000 Australians aged 12-24 years experience homelessness, yet data on the health status of homeless youth remain limited. The aim of this study was to describe the health of young people attending a youth health service in Western Sydney who were experiencing homelessness. Retrospective case note review for clients aged 12-25 years attending Youth Health Services in Western Sydney. Extracted data included: homelessness status; demographics; physical health issues; mental health issues; involvement with juvenile justice; and disengagement from education or employment. Just under half of the 180 clients attending a Youth Health Service in Western Sydney were homeless, and an additional 15 young people who were not currently homeless nominated homelessness as a presenting issue. In comparison with currently domiciled young people, homeless youth were less likely to have a regular general practitioner and more likely to nominate a physical health concern as a presenting issue, although there was no difference between groups in terms of diagnosed mental or physical health conditions. Considered as a whole, the sample showed high rates of acute physical symptoms, physical trauma, psychological distress and self-harm. Youth homelessness is associated with risk of both poor physical and mental health. As much of youth homelessness is hidden, health-care providers need to ensure that they inquire about homelessness status, and have an awareness of potentially complex multi-morbidities in the physical and mental health of young marginalised people presenting to health services.

Clinical pathways (CPWs) are structured care plans that set out essential steps in the care of patients with a specific clinical problem. Amidst calls for the prioritisation of integrated mental and physical health care for young people, multidisciplinary CPWs have been proposed as a step towards closer integration. There is very limited evidence around CPWs for young people with mental and physical health needs, necessitating a review of the literature. The aim of this review is to understand how clinical pathways have been used to deliver mental health support to children and young people with long-term physical health conditions and their effectiveness across a range of outcomes. The databases MEDLINE, CENTRAL, PsycINFOand CINAHL were searched from inception to 6September 2023. Keywords linked to children and young people, mental health, long-term physical health conditionsand CPWs were used. Studies using either quantitative or qualitative research designs were included. All studies must have evaluated a CPW to provide mental health support to children and young people (up to 25 years old) with long-term health physical conditions. Both mental and physical health outcomes were considered. Pathways were grouped by integration 'model' as described in the wider literature. The initial search returned 4082 studies after deduplication. A total of eight studies detailing six distinct care pathways (232 participants [170 children and young people; 50 caregivers; 12 healthcare professionals]) met eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. Four pathways were conducted within an 'integrated model'; two were a combination of 'integrated' and 'colocated'; and none within a 'co-ordinated model'. Only pathways within an integrated model reported quantitative health outcomes, with improvements across a range of mental health measures. One negative physical health outcome was reported from an integrated diabetes pathway, but this should be interpreted with caution. This review identified a range of CPW designs but most fell under an integrated model. The results suggest that calls for integrated mental health pathways in this population may be appropriate;however, conclusions are limited by a paucity of evidence.

Moderated Online Social Therapy for Recovery From Early Psychosis

Periods of social isolation are associated with loneliness in children and young people, and loneliness is associated with poor mental and physical health. Children and young people with pre-existing mental health difficulties may be prone to loneliness. Containment of COVID-19 has necessitated widespread social isolation, with unprecedented school closures and restrictions imposed on social interactions. This rapid review aimed to establish what is known about the relationship between loneliness and mental health problems in children and young people with pre-existing mental health problems. We sought to identify all primary research that examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between loneliness/perceived social isolation and mental health in children and young people with pre-existing mental health problems. We also aimed to identify effective interventions that reduce the adverse impact of loneliness. A rapid systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Of 4,531 papers screened, 15 included children and young people with pre-existing mental health conditions. These 15 studies included 1,536 children and young people aged between 6 and 23 years with social phobia, anxiety and/or depression, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Loneliness was associated with anxiety and depression both cross-sectionally and prospectively in children and young people with mental health problems and neurodevelopmental conditions. We found preliminary evidence that psychological treatments can help to reduce feelings of loneliness in this population. Loneliness is associated with depression and anxiety in children and young people with pre-existing mental health conditions, and this relationship may be bidirectional. Existing interventions to address loneliness and/or mental health difficulties in other contexts may be applied to this population, although they may need adaptation and testing in younger children and adolescents. Loneliness is common in children and young people, and during periods of enforced social isolation such as during COVID-19, children and young people report high levels of loneliness (or increased rates of loneliness). The review showed that loneliness is associated, both cross-sectionally and prospectively, in children and young people with mental health problems and also in children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder. Thus, loneliness is a possible risk factor of which mental health providers should be aware. Maintaining social contact both by direct and by indirect means, especially through the Internet, could be important in mitigating loneliness. Interventions to address loneliness should be further developed and tested to help children and young people with pre-existing mental health problems who are lonely by preventing exacerbation of their mental health difficulties, in particular anxiety and depression.

Around 1 in 10 young people (YP) (16-24 years) are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) in the United Kingdom (UK). Socioeconomically disadvantaged YP are more likely to become NEET. Poor physical and mental health and disability are known risk factors for NEET status, yet their potential to mediate the relationship between socioeconomic circumstances (SEC) and NEET status remains unclear. We aimed to quantify which childhood health pathways explain inequalities in adolescent NEET status. We analysed data on 5,786 YP from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a nationally representative sample of the UK population. Early life SEC was measured by highest parental occupational status at birth. NEET status was derived from four questions on education, employment, and training at 17 years. Mediators across childhood were grouped into family health (parental limiting illness, mental and general health, and young carer status) perinatal health (birth weight, smoking during pregnancy, school readiness score), physical health (weight status, asthma, general health, longstanding illness at 11 years), and mental health (mental health score, self-esteem, and ASD/ADHA statement). We used logistic regression to examine the total effect of SEC on adolescent NEET status whilst adjusting for confounders (sex, maternal age, and education), then adjusted for potential mediators. Using causal mediation analysis, we will estimate the proportion mediated by blocks of mediators and the natural indirect effect (NIE) via each block of mediators. After adjustment for confounding, YP whose parents were unemployed were more than 8 times as likely to be NEET at 17 years compared with those whose parents had managerial occupations (Odds Ratio (OR) 8.55, 95% CI 3.73 to 19.64). After adjustment for all childhood health conditions, there was a 34% reduction to aOR 5.99 (95% CI 2.42 to 14.85). Childhood health conditions partially contribute to inequalities in adolescent NEET status. Key messages • Childhood mental and physical health are important for targeting interventions to reduce inequalities in adolescent NEET status. • More than a third of the social inequality in NEET status was explained by perinatal, physical, and mental health during childhood.

Adolescence on the health agenda

Improving the levels of self-esteem amongst young people is vital if improvements in mental and physical health are to be achieved. Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner Dr Jeremy Leach and East Sussex Youth Cabinet Member James Davies look at one initiative that could help to improve the self-esteem of young people and raise their aspirations Reducing health inequalities and making sure that people have control over their own lives is a key policy objective of The Marmot Review.1 Central to achieving this objective, and outlined in the recent White Paper, is to improve people's mental health with particular focus on young people.2 The aim is to ensure that young people have the healthiest start in life and the White Paper highlights how important it is to ensure that young people have high self-esteem, confidence and resilience right from infancy. The Government's mental health strategy published in February 2011, recognises that positive mental health is central to people's quality of life and economic success.3 Failure not to support young people to have positive aspirations to improve their self esteem could lead to a real challenge for public health professionals; one that could result in poor mental and physical health in later life. It is integral therefore not to under estimate how important it is to make sure that young people feel good about themselves. Rogers defines self esteem as the degree to which a person likes, values and accepts him or herself.4 According to the newly formed 'Action for Happiness' movement, 5 which seeks positive social change through bringing people who want to play a part in creating a happier society together; self esteem is a major ingredient of good mental health and one of the key building blocks to happiness. Yet, with so many young people lacking the desire and aspiration to succeed, professionals face the hard task of getting the younger generations motivated. 'Dare to Dream'6 is a proposal that offers young people the opportunity to focus on their future and decide for themselves what they would like to achieve in their life. The aim is to put young people back in charge and offers one solution to the growing concern of teenage apathy. Working alongside schools, the project asks participants to think about what they might be able to achieve and what they would like to do as their dream job, and not what they think they will end up doing- and there is a difference: would love to be a builder and run my own building firm, but I expect I will end up being an odd-job person or a labourer. …

There is a need for African people living in Australia to consider leveraging Ubuntu values as a cultural strength to address mental health and emotional wellbeing issues. for African people living in Australia. This paper is a systematic review research which employed key terms such as mental health, emotional wellbeing, African Australian, Young people. There were no participants involved, however the research articles that were reviewed in the study only focused on the African Australian community. Mental health issues among African Australian youth need to be better understood, as studies have shown they are at a higher risk for mental health, yet there has been insufficient research on the topic. In this study, most articles we employed highlighted that the extensive research on that reported migrants to be at ten times higher risk of experiencing mental health issues compared to the general population. Many studies carried out in the African Australian community have drawn more attention to the African Australian culture. This raises the need for research to be conducted on African Australian young people aged 15-29 years which is the Australian age range of a young person, to sensitize the African Australian community on mental health issues, and factors leading to young people's mental health problems in African Australian society. The aim of the study was to raise awareness about mental health issues facing the African, Australian young people and suggesting ways forward to support young people. The finding of the study demonstrates significance and values to address mental health issues in African-Australian Community groups. Research asserted that young immigrants are at greater risk of developing mental illness due to resettlement, cultural transition, and separation from extended family members. Young people lacking a secure base for emotional support from their families are more likely to face mental health issues in their lives. Mental health issues in the African context may not be categorized as a vast problem, but instead identified as life circumstances that every individual encounter. Since mental health subject is a taboo in the African culture, the study encouraged young people to pair up with other African youths to create awareness and advocate to access mental health services should need arise. This study encourages young people and their families from African heritage to leverage Ubuntu values and principles as their cultural strengths in dealing with challenging issues such as mental health and emotional wellbeing issues. How to reference using ASWNet style: Kagola F. & Abur W. (2023). Leverage Ubuntu values and principles as cultural strength to overcome mental health and emotional well-being issues. African Journal of Social Work, 13(6), 312-324. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i6.5 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Mental and physical aspects are both integral to health but little is known about the dynamic relationship between them. We consider the dynamic relationship between mental and physical health using a sample of 11,203 individuals in six waves (2002–2013) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). We estimate conditional linear and non-linear random-effects regression models to identify the effects of past physical health, measured by Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and past mental health, measured by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, on both present physical and mental health. We find that both mental and physical health are moderately state-dependent. Better past mental health increases present physical health significantly. Better past physical health has a larger effect on present mental health. Past mental health has stronger effects on present physical health than physical activity or education. It explains 2.0% of the unobserved heterogeneity in physical health. Past physical health has stronger effects on present mental health than health investments, income or education. It explains 0.4% of the unobserved heterogeneity in mental health. These cross-effects suggest that health policies aimed at specific aspects of health should consider potential spill-over effects.

Environment (i.e., rural vs. urban) and socioeconomic status (SES) are moderating factors of physical (i.e., obesity and/or physical activity) and internalizing mental health (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) in adolescents. Relationships between physical and mental health have been shown in adolescents; however, research has not addressed these relationships in those from low-income, rural backgrounds. Thus, the present study characterized physical and mental health in rural, low-SES adolescents and investigated relationships between physical and mental health in this population. Data were collected from 253 10th and 11th-grade students from Title I schools in rural Alabama. Self-report measures of mental health, self-esteem, body image, and physical activity were obtained, in addition to functional fitness and physical health assessments completed at each school. Relationships between mental and physical health were assessed using Pearson correlations and multivariate data-driven cluster analysis. Positive correlations were observed between body composition and mental health symptoms, while negative correlations were observed between body image and mental health and body composition. However, sex differences were present in these relationships. The multivariate cluster analysis identified groups of individuals based on profiles of mental and physical health. This individual-level analysis identified students with greater mental and/or physical health burdens (n = 53 and n = 40) who may benefit from targeted interventions. Overall, these results provide evidence of elevated mental and physical health burdens among rural, low-income adolescents. Moreover, targeted programs are needed to provide education about the relationship between physical and mental health to reduce health burdens in both domains in this population.

Depending on environmental and social determinants, planetary health impacts unequally on human health. As it is likely that creativity and culture are under-tapped resources, the potential to address community and environmental issues to tackle health inequalities, especially those resulting from climate injustice, has not yet been fully realized. The study aimed to identify common features of environmentally and socially engaged UK community programs addressing the intersecting challenges of planetary and human health. A short survey was used to screen participants for in-depth semi-structured interviews. Inclusion criteria comprised adult practitioners offering environmentally and socially engaged community programs of creative and cultural activities leading to health and environmental outcomes. Thematic analysis of 19 surveys and eight interviews identified 146 responses, from which 12 themes with 98 subthemes were derived. Seventy per cent of responses were distributed across five major themes: 'Collaboration and partnerships', 'Community health and wellbeing', 'Connection to nature', 'Funding' and 'Mental health'. Within these five themes, 10 subthemes which resulted from three or more similar responses by different participants were deemed common features of community programs. Two of the 10 subthemes: 'Connection to nature in children' and 'Relationship with natural world' within the major theme: 'Connection to nature' addressed planetary and human health directly through practices recognizing environmental and human interdependency. Four of the 10 subthemes: 'Influencing wider systems' within the major theme 'Collaboration and partnerships'; and 'Looking after our staff', 'Preventative measures' and 'Research evidence' within the major theme 'Mental health'; addressed planetary and human health indirectly through practitioner partnership influence over policies relating to climate change and by addressing concern for the environment manifesting in eco-anxiety. The study indicates the need for inclusive practice, partnership work, and sustainable funding that can support practitioner wellbeing and the process, outputs and impacts of natural and sustainable environment-based health interventions and other resources instrumental in preventative healthcare.

Improving young people’s mental health has become a priority for policy-makers in Norway as elsewhere. Although the evidence is limited, physical activity has been identified as having a role in mental health promotion with school physical education (PE) typically being presented as a suitable setting. Few studies, however, have explored young people’s perceptions and experiences of PE and the possible consequences for their mental health – the departure point for this paper. We approach this issue sociologically by focusing on the processes through which PE is enacted. Qualitative data were generated by 31 focus groups involving 148 youngsters from the 10th grade (15–16-year-olds) in eight secondary schools in Norway. The overarching theme to emerge was that PE was valued by the students for what it was not as much as what it was. The appeal of PE often lay in being different and a break from ‘normal’ school lessons and, at the same time, an opportunity for informal social interaction and strengthening social bonds. Enjoyment of PE – even among those with limited sporting competence – was understood as giving rise to cathartic benefits and an antidote to their increasingly academic, routinized and performance-oriented school lives. However, processes relating to the organization, delivery and assessment of lessons meant that these benefits were sometimes compromised for some young people. We conclude that as far as the mental health of young people is concerned, the best justificatory defence for PE becomes physical recreation as a solution to (academic) schooling rather than PE as education.