Children's Psychological Functioning Research Articles

Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis in terms of psychosomatic effects

The aim of this paper is to present the review of research into the psychological functioning of children and adults suffering from chronic diseases, with particular emphasis on psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. We have reviewed the scientific articles available in research databases on the topic: psoriasis and atopic dermatitis in terms of psychosomatic effects. It was found that psoriasis and atopic dermatitis interfere with patients’ most vital processes and negatively affect their immediate vicinity. They cause changes in the somatic, mental and social functioning of the patient. Frequently, they also cause a change in behaviour and negatively affect the quality of patients’ lives. Patients with severe psoriasis have an increased risk of death due to circulatory system diseases, cancer, chronic diseases of the lower respiratory tract, diabetes, dementia, infections and kidney diseases. Atopic dermatitis is correlated and may predispose to an increased risk of other atopic disorders, including asthma, hay fever, food allergies, and eosinophilic oesophagitis. It seems that patients with atopic dermatitis are more susceptible to infections and cardiovascular diseases and numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech disorders in childhood, headaches and seizures. There is also a multifactor correlation between AD and osteoporosis, injuries, and fractures. Psoriasis is not only associated with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and suicidal ideation, but also with significant cognitive functions impairment. In the case of atopic dermatitis, many authors emphasize the association between the occurrence of this skin disease and cognitive impairment, including reduced attention, visual and verbal memory, executive functions and abstract thinking.

Perceived life threat in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: associations with posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

Defining children's "trauma exposure" in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of debate. Children were exposed to threatening messaging about COVID-19 but might interpret this information differently than adults. Perceived life threat (PLT), the belief that one's life is in danger, has been identified as a robust predictor of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and may be a better predictor of PTSS than actual life threat (ALT). This study investigated parent reports of children's self-PLT (belief that they might die from COVID-19) and family-PLT (belief that a family member might die from COVID-19). The aims were to compare PLT to ALT, evaluate their associations with children's psychological functioning, and identify risk factors associated with PLT. We hypothesized an association between PLT and children's psychological functioning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents (N = 140) reported on their child's (M age = 9.81years, 47% female) pandemic experiences, psychological functioning, and both self-PLT and family-PLT. Results revealed self-PLT for 10% of the children and family-PLT for 43% of the children, yet only 6% experienced ALT (i.e., they or their parent tested positive for COVID-19). Children with reported self- or family-PLT had higher PTSS, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment compared to children without these reported beliefs. PLT, but not ALT, was associated with psychological outcomes. Children with only PLT had greater PTSS and impairment than children with ALT. There were differences in parental functioning and pandemic-related information/media exposure between children with and without PLT. Children's perceptions, rather than objective experiences, may be more central to their psychological functioning. This has implications for screening for pandemic-related symptomatology in children as traditional trauma exposure measures may not adequately identify distressed children.

Promoting Safe and Supportive Health Care Spaces for Youth Experiencing Racism

ObjectiveThis qualitative study applies a community-based participatory research approach to elicit formative data on pediatric patient experiences of racism in the health care setting and to explore clinic-based opportunities for supporting pediatric patients experiencing racism. MethodsThe study is situated within the outpatient practice of a large tertiary academic medical center in a midsize Midwestern city. Community partners were involved in all aspects of the research, including research protocol design, recruitment, data analysis, community dissemination, and manuscript preparation. Participants were youth between 11 and 18 years, in middle or high school, self-identifying as a person of color, Latinx or Indigenous who answered yes to the question “have you ever experienced race-related prejudice and discrimination?” Parent/guardians of youth meeting inclusion criteria participated in separate focus groups. Data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. ResultsMajor findings were divided into 2 categories: 1) racism-related experiences in the health care setting; and 2) patient and parent/guardian recommendations to support pediatric patients experiencing racism. Among health care setting experiences, primary emerging themes included racism experienced in the health care setting, patient-clinician communication around racism, patient-clinician concordance, and high-quality clinical care. Recommendations were presented within the 4 domains of racism: intrapersonal, interpersonal, structural, and institutional. ConclusionsRacism experiences worsen child biological, psychological, and behavioral functioning, yet research is lacking on how health care professionals may best support pediatric patients experiencing racism. Study findings suggest opportunities for providing safer and more supportive health care spaces for youth experiencing racism.

The Impact of Childhood Parenting Styles on Feelings of Embodiment in Adolescence

This research project aims to better understand the relationship between parenting styles and feelings of embodiment. Embodiment is defined as a perceived sense of ownership and awareness that individuals have over their own bodies, and healthy embodiment is believed to positively impact psychological functioning in children. The parenting styles examined within this study were Baumrind’s original three parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. These parenting styles are based on two dimensions: control and warmth. Authoritative parenting has been found to encourage independence while maintaining a supportive environment. For this reason, there is a lot of research that supports authoritative parenting in young children. Undergraduate participants were asked to complete a modified version of the Parental Authority Questionnaire and the Body Consciousness Questionnaire. Participants were then shown three parent-child interactions related to sleep, food, and bathroom, as well as two potential parent responses to these interactions. Participants were asked to rate the level of autonomy and warmth each of these potential parent responses conveyed, as well as which response they preferred, which response they believed that their parents would have chosen, and which response they would choose if they were the parent. Due to the empirical research supporting the benefits of authoritative parenting in many aspects of psychological functioning, we predicted a correlation would exist between authoritative parenting and positive embodiment. However, there was no significant correlation found between these variables. A new significant relationship between authoritarian parenting and public body consciousness was found. Further research on this relationship is suggested, as well as the development of a better scale for measuring healthy embodiment.

Can a web application foster emotional competence in children and adolescents? The case of PandHEMOT®.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had many traumatic consequences for the physical and psychological functioning of children and adolescents. Internet-based interventions can reach a large audience and be a potentially powerful resource for promoting well-being among young people. We tested the efficacy of the web application PandHEMOT®, developed ad hoc for increasing knowledge about pandemics, emotions, and emotion regulation. We involved a sample of 147 Italian third and seventh graders. The sample was assigned to an experimental (participating in the training) and a waitlist condition (who participated following a waitlist design). All the participants completed pretest and posttest measures. The intervention was structured into three units. The training took place between November and December 2021. Generalized linear mixed models and linear mixed models revealed that knowledge about pandemics, emotions, emotion regulation, and metacognitive awareness increased for the experimental condition. Moreover, adolescents performed better than children. The findings supported the efficacy of an Internet-based training for increasing children and adolescents' resilience, according to the standards of evidence-based research.

Behavioural and Psychological Functioning of Children and Adults with Sagittal Synostosis

Research examining the behavioural and psychological functioning of children and adults with sagittal synostosis (SS) is scarce, often disparate, and lacks well-matched control groups. Clinicians are therefore often unable to provide families with guidance about their child’s anticipated functioning. Social media channels were used to recruit community-based parents of children with SS, or adults with SS (n = 56) and an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 56). Families completed an online survey encompassing a range of demographic and clinical variables and a comprehensive battery of validated questionnaires. Surveys were either parent-rated (children 2 to < 5 years), both parent-rated and self-reported (children 5 to ≤ 18 years), or self-reported only (adults ≥ 19 years). Results show that for both unadjusted and adjusted (SES) analyses, children and adults were functioning at a similar level to their peers. Whilst mean parent-rated scores generally indicated that children with SS were experiencing slightly more difficulties, group differences were not statistically significant. Most adjusted Hedges’ g effect sizes were trivial (g = .10) to small (g = .20). Nonetheless, more children with SS were assessed as having clinically significant problems on each composite of the Behavior Assessment System for Children 3rd Ed. In addition, screening rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (18%; Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (15%; Social Responsiveness Scale-2), in children with SS, were high. Findings suggest that children with SS should be monitored and referrals for appropriate support made readily available, as required.

Mental health comorbidity in youth with atopic dermatitis: A narrative review of possible mechanisms.

The presence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in youth has been linked to a variety of mental health concerns including disruptive behavior, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and diagnoses of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. However, the factors accounting for these relationships are not well understood. The current review summarizes possible mechanisms identified in previous research and highlights areas for future investigation. Among the primary mechanisms studied to date, child sleep is the only factor that has been characterized in relative detail, with findings generally supporting the mediating role of sleep problems in the relationship between AD and psychological symptoms. There is substantial evidence suggesting a negative impact of child AD on parent mental health and the impact of parent mental health on child psychological functioning, although the latter has not been assessed specifically in populations of children with AD. There is also preliminary support for other mechanisms, including pruritus and pain, atopic comorbidities, social functioning, and systemic antihistamine use, in the development of mental health concerns in pediatric AD. Furthermore, research suggests the presence of bidirectional relationships between AD and psychological functioning via inflammatory responses to stress and impaired treatment adherence. Overall, significant additional research is needed to better characterize the nature and magnitude of the relationships among these multiple mechanisms and various psychosocial outcomes. Nevertheless, the findings to date support routine screening of psychological health in patients with AD as well as screening for potential risk factors, which may also serve as targets of therapeutic intervention.

Maternal psychological functioning mediates the association between infant behavior and subsequent child psychological functioning

Symptoms of psychopathology that onset during childhood are often more severe, chronic, and difficult to treat than symptoms that first appear later in life. Maternal psychological symptoms are associated with the development of psychological symptoms in children. However, less research focuses on whether children’s behaviors may presage maternal psychological difficulties that, in turn, contribute to the child’s own psychological functioning. Identifying psychological difficulties in families and intervening in early life may lower risk for intergenerational transmission of subsequent psychological symptoms. Even at non-clinical or normative levels, exploring transactional models of parent-child behavior and psychological functioning may provide insight into the development of later psychological difficulties or symptoms within families. Thus, the current study examined whether difficult infant behavior (e.g., fussiness, unpredictability) is associated with future maternal psychological difficulties and subsequently, the child’s own psychological functioning in early childhood. The current sample includes 847 dyads from a multi-wave birth cohort in England (‘Born in Bradford’), who identified as predominantly non-White (62.2%) and socioeconomically diverse. Mothers reported on their child’s behaviors at 6 months, their own psychological functioning during pregnancy and at 18 months postpartum, and their child’s psychological functioning at age 3. Results of a mediation model revealed that the association between infant behavior at 6 months and child psychological functioning at 3 years is partially explained by maternal psychological functioning at 18 months, even after accounting for psychological difficulties during pregnancy, maternal age at birth, child sex, family income, and ethnicity. Post-hoc exploratory analyses revealed that the association between infant behavior, maternal psychological functioning, and subsequent child psychological functioning was significant for Pakistani British families but not White British families. These findings provide preliminary evidence that infant behaviors (e.g., temperament) may presage future maternal psychological difficulties and subsequent child psychological functioning, above and beyond previous maternal psychological functioning. Importantly, these results highlight infant behavior as a potential catalyst for later psychological difficulties within families.

Cross-lagged effects between parent depression and child internalizing problems.

The bidirectional associations between maternal depression and child psychological functioning are generally well-established. Paternal depression may also share some bidirectional associations with child psychological functioning, but there is limited research in this area. It is unclear how or when one family member's anxiety or depression might affect another family member's mental health. The present study tested the bidirectional associations between maternal depression, paternal depression, and children's internalizing problems of anxiety and depression from early childhood into mid-adolescence. The present study also included unmarried parents, who are often underrepresented in research. Secondary analyses were performed using a subset of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) study, beginning when children were 3-years-old and ending when children were 15-years-old. Families (N = 4,873) were from racially and economically diverse backgrounds-nearly half of the mothers were non-Hispanic Black and 65% of mothers had a high school degree or further education. We found evidence of bidirectional associations between maternal depression and child internalizing problems across early childhood and into adolescence. We found no bidirectional associations between paternal and maternal depression or between paternal depression and children's internalizing problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Children with Gender Dysphoria Symptoms: A Turkish Sample

Objective: In this study, we aim to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics and psychological functioning of children with gender dysphoria (GD) symptoms aged between 3-12 years. Material and Methods: The study group included 20 children (17 males, 3 females; mean age 6.63±2.43 years) with GD symptoms. A sociodemographic data form was used to collect data with regards to demographic and clinical characteristics, and pre- peri-and postnatal features. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is used to assess behavioral and emotional problems in the child. Results: The boy/girl ratio in the study group was 5.66. The mean age at onset of gender-nonconforming behaviors was 2.85±1.17 years and the mean age of admission to our clinic was 5.82±2.27 years. 20% of the mothers reported a preference for an opposite-sex child prior to conception; 20 % of the mothers reported prenatal stress, 20% of the mothers had prenatal and 25% had postnatal depressive symptoms. There was a risk of miscarriage in 10% of children and 25% were born prematurely. 55% of our study sample exceeded the clinical threshold for internalizing problems and 40% exceeded the clinical threshold for externalizing problems in CBCL ratings. Conclusion: There were more prepubertal boys than girls referred for GD symptoms and the age at referral was younger compared to western countries. In addition, findings of this study indicate that children with GD have poorer psychological functioning possibly due to social intolerance for cross-gender behaviors and/or interests alongside the GD per se.

Development, Validity, and Cross-Context Equivalence of the Child Food Insecurity Experiences Scale for Assessing Food Insecurity of School-Age Children and Adolescents

BackgroundChildren ages 6 to 17 years can accurately assess their own food insecurity, whereas parents are inaccurate reporters of their children’s experiences of food insecurity. No globally applicable scale to assess the food insecurity of children has been developed and validated. ObjectivesWe aimed to develop a globally applicable, experience-based measure of child and adolescent food insecurity and establish the validity and cross-contextual equivalence of the measure. MethodsThe 10-item Child Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (CFIES) was based on items previously validated from questionnaires from the United States, Venezuela, and Lebanon. Cognitive interviews were conducted to check understanding of the items. The questionnaire then was administered in 15 surveys in 13 countries. Other items in each survey that assessed the household socioeconomic status, household food security, or child psychological functioning were selected as criterion variables to compare to the scores from the CFIES. To investigate accuracy (i.e., criterion validity), linear regression estimated the associations of the CFIES scores with the criterion variables. To investigate the cross-contextual equivalence (i.e., measurement invariance), the alignment method was used based on classical measurement theory. ResultsAcross the 15 surveys, the mean scale scores for the CFIES ranged from 1.65 to 5.86 (possible range of 0 to 20) and the Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.88 to 0.94. The variance explained by a 1-factor model ranged from 0.92 to 0.99. Accuracy was demonstrated by expected associations with criterion variables. The percentages of equivalent thresholds and loadings across the 15 surveys were 28.0 and 5.33, respectively, for a total percentage of nonequivalent thresholds and loadings of 16.7, well below the guideline of <25%. That is, 83.3% of thresholds and loadings were equivalent across these surveys. ConclusionsThe CFIES provides a globally applicable, valid, and cross-contextually equivalent measure of the experiences of food insecurity of school-aged children and adolescents, as reported by them.

A Prospective Study on Resilience Among Children with Different Migrant and Left-behind Trajectories.

Parental migration has been an important predictor of children’s psychological resilience. The present study discusses the effect of parental migration on children’s resilience in rural western China from a dynamic viewpoint. Using sequence analysis, this study investigates children’s entire migration trajectory over the course of childhood (ages 1–12) and identifies the typical patterns of the dynamic family structure associated with parental migration: continuously nonmigrant (N = 4,238), continuously migrant (N = 923), continuously left behind by one parent (N = 872), continuously left behind by both parents (N = 796) and frequent transition between migrant or left-behind statuses (N = 1,624). The results show that the trajectories of left-behind status and transition have a significant negative impact on children’s resilience, which demonstrates that both the effects of parent-child separation and family instability compromise children’s psychological functioning. Family resources can buffer these negative effects, but they work asymmetrically across different groups of children. Family economic resources serve as a significant protective factor among children continuously left behind by both parents, while family social resources are more protective for children in unstable families.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12187-022-09945-1.

Cognitive, academic, executive and psychological functioning in children with spastic motor type cerebral palsy: Influence of extent, location, and laterality of brain lesions

The majority of papers on cerebral palsy (CP) in children is focusing on motor impairment. Improvement of mobility is in parental surveys one of the major topics. However, mobility, especially the ability to walk, seems not to be the only key factor for participation in society. Indeed, the non-motor functions as behavior and cognition in children with CP are strongly associated with problems of learning, communication, participation and social functioning [1].

Cognitive, academic, executive and psychological functioning in children with spastic motor type cerebral palsy: Influence of extent, location, and laterality of brain lesions.

To investigate, in spastic motor-type cerebral palsy, the association between 1) the location and extent of brain lesions and numerous psychological outcomes; 2) the laterality of brain lesions and performance of verbal-related cognitive functions. The semi-quantitative scale for MRI (sqMRI) was scored for 101 children with cerebral palsy. Non-verbal and verbal proxy intelligence quotients (IQ), word reading, spelling, numerical operations skills, executive functioning, and psychological adjustment were assessed. Relationships between global and regional sqMRI scores and clinical scores were examined. The best multivariable linear regression model for each outcome was identified using the Bayesian Information Criteria. Regional sqMRI scores, gross motor functioning, manual ability, and epilepsy status were considered for inclusion as covariables. Where sqMRI scores made statistically significant contributions to models of verbal-related functioning, data were reanalysed including these sqMRI scores' laterality index. Verbal-related outcomes were compared between participants with left-sided versus bilateral brain lesions. Medial dorsal thalamus and parietal lobe lesions significantly accounted for poorer verbal proxy-IQ. Left-hemisphere lateralization of temporal lobe lesions was associated with poorer verbal proxy-IQ. Participants with bilateral lesions performed significantly better than those with unilateral left-sided lesions in verbal cognitive functions. Controlling for epilepsy diagnosis, participants with ventral posterior lateral thalamus lesions presented with better Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function scores, although within the normal range. sqMRI scores were not significantly associated with some psychological outcomes or these only bordered on significance after accounting for relevant control variables. The laterality of early-life lesions influences the development of verbal-related cognitive functions.

Mindfulness, parenting behavior, and children's mental health: An investigation among diverse, low-income mothers of preschool aged children

Mindfulness is a multifaceted construct, encompassing the ability to observe, describe, accept without judgment, and act with awareness, which has been shown to have a meaningful impact on parenting. The present study evaluated the relationship between discrete facets of mindfulness, mothers' parenting behaviors, and their children's mental health via a mediation model linking parental mindfulness to their children's psychological functioning through adaptive parenting behaviors. Low-income, racially and ethnically diverse mothers (N = 137) of preschool aged children (3-6 years-old) were recruited from programs for diverse, low-income families around an urban northeastern USA area. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing mindfulness, parenting behaviors, and their children's psychological functioning. Results revealed that punitive parenting mediated the relationship between lower parental mindfulness and greater child externalizing problems. Parenting behaviors were not found to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and internalizing symptoms. Regarding facets of mindfulness, mothers' ability to describe was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms, their capacity to observe was associated with less inconsistent parenting behaviors, and their tendency to act with awareness was associated with less punitive parenting. Mothers' ability to accept without judgment was the most consistent predictor of child functioning and parenting behavior, as lower acceptance among mothers was found to significantly predict more inconsistent and punitive parenting behaviors, as well as more child externalizing and internalizing symptoms. These results support the importance of mindfulness in parenting behaviors and child psychosocial functioning in a diverse sample of low-income mothers, and highlight acceptance without judgment as a particularly meaningful target for future mindfulness-based parenting interventions.

Uniting the unit: Trivariate latent difference score modeling of the parent-child triad.

Previous research on child psychological functioning has emphasized the role of maternal psychopathology. In the literature on paternal psychopathology's effect on children, they are studied independently of mothers. The interaction between paternal and maternal psychopathology likely affects the child. The present study utilizes novel longitudinal techniques to assess how each parent influences one another, how parents influence the child, and how the child's internalizing and externalizing problems influence the parents. This modeling allows for exploration of the child's trajectory in the context of the family dynamics. By emphasizing the processes between each member of the family, the role one plays in the functioning is emphasized. Models focused on maternal anxiety, paternal anxiety and depression, and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Paternal psychopathology impacts maternal anxiety and child problem behavior (internalizing and externalizing) consistently, with the child and father reciprocally influencing one another. The results indicate that parental psychological distress differentially influences the child's internalizing/externalizing behavior depending on the interaction between maternal and psychological distress. Intervention that emphasizes the family system or shifts the focus to overall reduction of psychological distress in the family unit is implicated from these results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effect of Maternal Vitamin D Status on Fetal Growth and Stunting: A Systematic Review

Background and Objective: Impaired fetal growth and stunting remain immense public health problems involving maternal nutrition during pregnancy, as linear growth failure in children is the most common form of undernutrition across the world. Although both are preventable through adequate prenatal care and nutrition, impaired fetal growth and stunting continue to be implicated in multiple child health morbidities, physical, and psychological functioning. Recent knowledge and requirements for normal fetal and neonatal development are lacking. This systematic review investigates the effects of maternal vitamin D status on fetal growth and stunting. Methods: We reviewed three widely-used publications databases: the National Institutes of Health’s PubMed, Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science, and Google Scholar using pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria and keyword search strategy. Studies from 2010 to 2020 were included if they reported vitamin D levels on pregnant women, indicated growth outcomes and used quantitative measurements. We excluded non-English language studies, studies with ambiguous outcomes, studies that did not specify vitamin D intake, and studies that involved other maternal health complications. The search was implemented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Results: Out of a total of 2,481 studies reviewed, we identified 8 studies on vitamin D and fetal growth and stunting. Published literature addressing maternal vitamin D status on fetal growth and stunting remains ambiguous. Five studies demonstrated improvements in fetal and humerus z-scores, which are known proxies for fetal growth, in groups with higher vitamin D status. Three studies found no statistical significance between vitamin D levels and fetal growth. Vitamin D status and ethnicity were correlated; vitamin D interacts with calcium levels in pregnant mothers to improve bone mineralization and fetal growth. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: Further studies are needed to understand the relationship between maternal vitamin D, ethnicity, and fetal growth and the long-term effects of maternal vitamin D levels on neonatal, early childhood, and adolescent growth. Copyright © 2021 Karmali et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.

Measuring agency in children: The development and validation of the War Child Agency Assessment Scale - Palestinian version (WCAAS-Pal).

In the present article, we aimed at construing a new quantitative measure of children’s agency in Palestine. Within a socio-ecological and culturally and contextually informed perspective, the study introduces the development of a new instrument to investigate and evaluate children’s agentic practices within their living contexts and their daily lives. First, we evaluated the model of measurement of WCAAS-Pal using a sequential exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Following the principles of testing a quantitative measure in the context of the dual-frame sampling method, the process of validating the quantitative measure was conducted on a group of 1166 Palestinian children aged 9 to 14 years (m = 11.58, sd = 1.54). Second, a sample of 251 Palestinian children aged between 9 and 14 years (m = 11.82, sd = 1.53) was used to compute the reliability of the instrument along with both convergent and divergent validity using the Children Hope Scale and the Children Revised Impact of Event Scale-Arabic Version measures, respectively. The results of the EFA suggested a baseline seven-factor structure to be further assessed via CFA. a complex web of agency domains that might contribute to the child psychological functioning when forced to leave in conditions of ongoing threat and military violence emerged from the analysis.

Human (in)security and psychological well-being in Palestinian children living amidst military violence: A qualitative participatory research using interactive maps.

BackgroundResearch has widely evidenced the effects of war and political violence on the functioning of children, with a great accord in diagnosing children's psychological burdens related to their exposure to violence. Yet, within this literature, the influence of the chronic sense of insecurity on their psychological functioning during and after hostilities remains unexplored.MethodsThe present study aimed at exploring interrelated relationships between the perceived insecurity and the children's psychological well‐being and their adjustment to trauma. Based on drawings and walk‐along interviews with 75 Palestinian children, residents of both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, we offer an analysis of human security‐related risks and protective factors that contribute to either promoting or undermining the child's psychological functioning in a context characterized by chronic instability and political violence.ResultsA complex network of sources of security and insecurity emerged from the narratives depicting an ecological portrait encompassing the determinants of children's mental health and psychological functioning. The TCA led to the identification of eight main themes: school and associativism; social relations and house as a source of security/insecurity; military occupation as a source of insecurity; national and political identity as a source of safety; mosque and spirituality as a source of safety/unsafety; environment as a source of security/insecurity; and mental health.DiscussionAn approach encompassing human security as an explicative model can help in exhaustively portraying the complexity of the Palestinian children's suffering and their competence in adjusting to their traumatic reality. The study draws attention to social, political, environmental and economic determinants of children psychological well‐being.

Australian Maltreated Infants and Young Children Can Achieve Positive Relational Health With Neurodevelopmentally- and Trauma-Informed Interventions Provided Within Relationally-Positive and Stable Environments.

Background: Childhood maltreatment such as abuse, neglect and family violence has a profound impact on children's psychological and relational functioning and their lifelong trajectory, with associated adverse physical and mental health outcomes, higher mortality rates and reduced socioeconomic opportunities. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of neurodevelopmentally- and trauma-informed interventions on the relational health of children who have experienced maltreatment.Context: The study was conducted at Berry Street Take Two, an Australian therapeutic service. Take Two provides services to Victorian children aged 0-18 years, to address the impact of the trauma they have experienced from maltreatment. Take Two clinicians use relational and ecological frameworks, neurodevelopmental research and evidence-informed approaches to repair family relationships and develop networks of caring adults that focus on meeting the child's needs. Take Two uses the NMT approach as a framework for clinical intervention-planning and is site-certified in the use of the NMT Clinical Practice tools.Method: The mixed methods study had two components. A cross sectional study of baseline and repeat clinical measure data (HoNOSCA and SDQ) with a cohort of children aged 2–11 years (n = 91), who were clients of Berry Street Take Two between 2014 and 2019, was conducted utilizing SPSS. The quantitative data analysis was supplemented by three case studies of Berry Street Take Two clients, which explored the process of intervention, including intervention type, timing and dosage. The case studies drew on the full case record for each child to illustrate the impact of NMT-informed interventions on the relational health, psychological and behavioral functioning of children.Results: The study found that Take Two intervention was associated with improved relational health, measured by the NMT metric and supported by significant positive changes on the SDQ and HoNOSCA with medium effect sizes (cohen's d). The case study analysis highlighted the importance of intervention addressing individual, family and systems elements to bring about positive change.Conclusions: This study illustrates the value of neurodevelopmental trauma-informed interventions in positively impacting on the relational health and current functioning of maltreated children and the potential to reduce the lifelong impact of maltreatment.