The Accumulating Evidence-Base Regarding Child Friendly Spaces : Policy and Practice Implications

For over 25 years child friendly spaces (CFS) have been at the forefront of humanitarian response. Initially there was a weak evidence-base informing this approach, but the last 10 years have seen a substantial increase in research and evaluation in this area. This accumulating evidence has informed the evolution of guidance and training on implementing effective CFS interventions, but there remains uncertainty about the key messages emerging from studies.

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Mechanisms of Change for Child Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Settings : A Systematic Review

There is a growing evidence-base for the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programmes for children affected by conflict for a range of mental health and wellbeing outcomes, but with limited evidence for how these interventions produce change. This study aimed to review the evidence for mechanisms of change of MHPSS interventions for children affected by conflict.

 

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A longitudinal investigation of psychological distress in children during COVID-19 : the role of socio-emotional vulnerability

Background: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the incidence of distress in youth, some children show increased resilience, emphasizing the need to better understand the predictors of distress in youth.

 

Objective: This longitudinal study aimed to assess the combined impact of known socio-emotional predictors of stress-related psychopathology, namely anxiety sensitivity, anxiety trait, intolerance to uncertainty, and rumination, on COVID-related distress in healthy youth.

 

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The COVID-19 pandemic as a traumatic event and the associated psychological impact on families – A systematic review

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying containment measures can be conceptualized as traumatic events. This review systematically investigates trauma-related symptoms in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the association of the pandemic and its containment measures with trauma-related disorders or symptoms.

 

 

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Examining the influence of adversity, family contexts, and a family-based intervention on parent and child telomere length

Background: Exposure to adversity, trauma, and negative family environments can prematurely shorten telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. Conversely, some evidence indicates that positive environments and psychosocial interventions can buffer the shortening of telomere length (TL). However, most work has examined individual aspects of the family environment as predictive of TL with little work investigating multiple risk and protective factors. Further, most research has not examined parent TL relative to child TL despite its heritability.

 

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Severity of childhood maltreatment predicts reaction times and heart rate variability during an emotional working memory task in borderline personality disorder

Background: Difficulties in emotion regulation are a core symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and often interfere with cognitive functions, such as working memory (WM). Traumatic childhood experiences, including severe maltreatment, can contribute to emotion dysregulation, possibly mediated by changes in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV).

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The child and Adolescent Trauma Screen 2 (CATS-2) – validation of an instrument to measure DSM-5 and ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in children and adolescents

Background:
The study examined the psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen 2 (CATS-2) as a measure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to DSM-5 and (Complex) PTSD following the ICD-11 criteria in children and adolescents (7–17 years).

 

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Encountering children and child soldiers during military deployments : the impact and implications for moral injury

Background: During a deployment, soldiers must make seemingly impossible decisions, including having to engage with child soldiers. Such moral conflicts may continue to affect service members and veterans in the aftermath of a deployment, sometimes leading to severe moral distress, anguish, and personal crises. Service providers have increasingly argued that as a diagnosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cannot account for these deeply personal and painful moral conflicts.

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Family History of Psychiatric Disorders as a Risk Factor for Maternal Postpartum Depression : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance  Current evidence on the association between family history of psychiatric disorders and postpartum depression is inconsistent; family studies have identified familial risk of postpartum depression, whereas systematic reviews and umbrella reviews, compiling all risk factors for postpartum depression, often have not.

 

Objective  To investigate the association between family history of psychiatric disorders and risk of developing postpartum depression within 12 months post partum.

 

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There and back again: a dynamical perspective on psychological resilience

During our lives, we are inevitably confronted with adversity and stress. These negative experiences can lead to mental disorders. Psychological resilience protects against adversity's damaging effects and helps maintain mental health. A deeper understanding of how psychological resilience works will allow us to improve its functioning in the future. By protecting ourselves against stress and adversity, we can reduce the burden of mental disorders and increase the well-being of society and individuals.

 

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