Tag: Child Development

Refugee Children & Adolescents and PTSD

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Research Paper Title

Traumatic experiences of conditional refugee children and adolescents and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder: data from Turkey.

Background

The researchers aimed to determine traumatic events, mental health problems and predictors of PTSD in a sample of conditional refugee children.

Methods

The sociodemographic features, chief complaints, traumatic experiences and psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM-5 were evaluated retrospectively.

Results

20.7% (n = 70) of children experienced the armed conflict or exposed to firefights at their country of origin. Most common diagnoses were anxiety disorders (n = 82, 24.3%), major depressive disorder (n = 52, 15.4%) and PTSD (n = 43, 12.7%). Age, number of traumatic experiences, explosion and sexual violence are the most important predictors for PTSD.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the number of traumas exposed as well as their nature predicted PTSD diagnosis. Refugee children have increased risk for psychiatric problems after migration and resettlement underlining the importance of an adequate follow-up for mental health and ensuring social support networks.

Reference

Yektas, C., Erman, H. & Tufan, A.E. (2021) Traumatic experiences of conditional refugee children and adolescents and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder: data from Turkey. doi: 10.1080/08039488.2021.1880634. Online ahead of print.

Book: Play in Child Development and Psychotherapy

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Book Title:

Play in Child Development and Psychotherapy: Toward Empirically Supported Practice (Personality & Clinical Psychology).

Author(s): Sandra Walker Russ.

Year: 2003.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Routledge.

Type(s): Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Child psychotherapy is in a state of transition. On the one hand, pretend play is a major tool of therapists who work with children. On the other, a mounting chorus of critics claims that play therapy lacks demonstrated treatment efficacy. These complaints are not invalid. Clinical research has only begun.

Extensive studies by developmental researchers have, however, strongly supported the importance of play for children. Much knowledge is being accumulated about the ways in which play is involved in the development of cognitive, affective, and personality processes that are crucial for adaptive functioning. However, there has been a yawning gap between research findings and useful suggestions for practitioners.

Play in Child Development and Psychotherapy represents the first effort to bridge the gap and place play therapy on a firmer empirical foundation. Sandra Russ applies sophisticated contemporary understanding of the role of play in child development to the work of mental health professionals who are trying to design intervention and prevention programs that can be empirically evaluated. Never losing sight of the complex problems that face child therapists, she integrates clinical and developmental research and theory into a comprehensive, up-to-date review of current approaches to conceptualizing play and to doing both therapeutic play work with children and the assessment that necessarily precedes and accompanies it.

Book: Essentials of Child Psychopathology

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Book Title:

Essentials of Child Psychopathology (Part of Essentials of Behavioural Science).

Author(s): Linda Wilmhurst.

Year: 2005.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Wiley.

Type(s): Paperback.

Synopsis:

The only concise, comprehensive overview of child psychopathology covering theory, assessment, and treatment as well as issues and trends

Essentials of Child Psychopathology provides students and professionals with a comprehensive overview of critical conceptual issues in child and adolescent psychopathology. The text covers the major theories, assessment practices, issues, and trends in this important field. Author Linda Wilmshurst also includes chapters on specific disorders prevalent among this age group and covers special topics such as diversity, abuse, and divorce.

As part of the Essentials of Behavioral Science series, this book provides information mental health professionals need in order to practice knowledgeably, efficiently, and ethically in today’s behavioral healthcare environment. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as “Test Yourself” questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered.

Essentials of Child Psychopathology is the only available resource to condense the wide-ranging topics of the field into a concise, accessible format for handy and quick reference. An excellent review guide, Essentials of Child Psychopathology is an invaluable tool for learning as well as a convenient reference for established mental health professionals.

Other titles in the Essentials of Behavioral Science series:

  • Essentials of Statistics for the Social and Behavioural Sciences.
  • Essentials of Psychological Testing.
  • Essentials of Research Design and Methodology.

What is the Impact of Early Manifesting Disorders in the Frame of General Mental Morbidity & of the Effect of Intervention?

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Research Paper Title

What happens to children and adolescents with mental disorders? Findings from long-term outcome research.

Background

Research on the long-term outcome of mental disorders originating in childhood and adolescence is an important part of developmental psychopathology.

Methods

After a brief sketch of relevant terms of outcome research, the first part of this review reports findings based on heterotypic cohort studies.

The major second part of this review presents findings based on long-term outcome studies dealing with homotypic diagnostic groups. In particular, the review focuses on the course and prognosis of ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, conduct disorders, eating disorders, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and selective mutism.

Results

Findings mainly support the vulnerability hypothesis regarding mental disorders with early manifestation in childhood and adolescence as frequent precursors of mental disorders in adulthood.

Conclusions

The discussion focuses on the impact of early manifesting disorders in the frame of general mental morbidity and of the effect of interventions, which is not yet sufficiently discernible.

Reference

Steinhausen, H-C. (2020) What happens to children and adolescents with mental disorders? Findings from long-term outcome research [German]. Zeitschrift fur Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie. 41(6), pp.419-431. doi: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000258.

Book: Social Media and Mental Health in Schools

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Book Title:

Social Media and Mental Health in Schools (Positive Mental Health).

Author(s): Jonathan Glazzard and Colin Mitchell.

Year: 2018.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Critical Publishing.

Type(s): Paperback and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Social media is at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. It is intimately entwined with mental health issues and can be both a blessing and a curse. Do you fully understand the links between social media and mental health? What problems does social media present for your learners? What benefits could it bring them? What can you do to educate children and young people about the use of social media while also developing their digital resilience? Whether you are a primary or secondary teacher, this book helps you tackle these questions, with a range of practical strategies and solutions that are workable in school and classroom settings.

Book: An Introduction to Child and Adolescent Mental Health

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Book Title:

An Introduction to Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Author(s): Maddie Burton, Erica Pavord, and Briony Williams.

Year: 2014.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: SAGE Publications.

Type(s): Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Anyone who works within children and adolescent mental health services will tell you what a challenging and complex world it is. To help prepare you, the authors have produced a clear introduction to child and adolescent mental health that takes you step-by-step on a journey through the subject. Beginning with the foundations, the book explores the common mental health concepts and influences that you can expect to encounter examining topics like the difference between emotional and mental health issues and how mental health problems develop.

Book: Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness

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Book Title:

Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness.

Author(s): Suzanne Alderson.

Year: 2020.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Vermilion.

Type(s): Paperback, Audiobook, and Kindle.

Synopsis:

How to help your child with mental illness through partnering, not parenting.

Never Let Go is a supportive and practical guide for parents looking after a child with a mental illness. Suzanne Alderson understands the agonising struggle of bringing a child back from the brink of suicide, having spent three years supporting her own daughter through recovery. Her method of ‘partnering, not parenting’ has now helped thousands of other parents through her charity, Parenting Mental Health.

Combining Suzanne’s honest personal experience with expert input from psychologists, this book provides parents with the methods and knowledge they need to support, shield and strengthen their child as they progress towards recovery. Chapters include a background to the mental health epidemic, why a new method of parenting is crucial, how to change your thinking about mental health and practical advice on solutions to daily problems including accepting the new normal, dealing with others, and looking after yourself as well as your child.

Book: Lucy’s Blue Day

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Book Title:

Lucy’s Blue Day: Children’s Mental Health Book.

Author(s): Christopher Duke (Author) and Federica Bartolini (Illustrator).

Year: 2019.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Independently Published.

Type(s): Paperback.

Synopsis:

Lucy is a very special little girl with magical hair.

It changes colour with her emotions. If she is feeling happy, it is purple. If she is jealous, it will turn green.

This charming story is the tale of when Lucy wakes up and her hair is blue, and she does not understand why.

She soon learns that it is #OKNotToBeOK

On This Day … 22 November

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People (Births)

  • 1927 – Robert E. Valett, American psychologist, teacher, and author (d. 2008).

Robert Valett

Robert E. Valett (22 November 1927 to 14 November 2008) was an American psychology professor who wrote more than 20 books primarily focused on educational psychology.

He earned the distinguished psychologist award from the San Joaquin Psychological Association and was a president of the California Association of School Psychologists.

Early Life and Education

Robert Edward Valett was born in Clinton, Iowa on 22 November 1927. His father, Edward John Valett, worked for the railroad as a pipe fitter and his mother, Myrtle (née Peterson), was a saleswoman. Valett attended Clinton High School while also achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. During World War Two, he served in the US Navy Medical Corps. He then did his undergraduate work at the University of Iowa and George Williams College. Valett went on to earn an MA from the University of Chicago (1951) and an (Ed.D.) in educational psychology from the University of California in Los Angeles.

Career

Valett was a professor of psychology at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Ca., and the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and taught psychology from 1970 to 1992 at California State University, Fresno where he was named Professor Emeritus. He authored several books on learning disabilities, child development, dyslexia and attention disorders/hyperactivity. He received the distinguished psychologist award from the San Joaquin Psychological Association in 1982 and served as president of the California Association of School Psychologists from 1971 to 1972.

Personal Life

In 1950, Valett married Shirley Bellman with whom he had 5 children. He died on 14 November 2008, in Fresno, California.

Book: Mindfulness for Children

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Book Title:

Mindfulness for Children: Simple Activities for Parents and Children to Create Greater Focus, Resilience, and Joy.

Author(s): Sarah Rudell Beach.

Year: 2020.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: CICO Books.

Type(s): Paperback and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Simple and fun mindfulness activities to do with children up to age 11 to build beneficial life-long skills that promote resilience, joy, focus, and calm, and improve overall wellbeing.

Helping children to be more mindful is a powerful gift. By being mindful they will learn to recognize and manage their emotions, be more able to calm down when they are upset, become better at focusing on important tasks, and more able to interact with others with empathy and generosity. These are fundamental skills that children will need throughout their life, but that they often aren’t taught explicitly. Think of how often we demand that children “pay attention” or “calm down”, without ever having shown them how to do so. Now parents can with mindfulness expert Sarah Rudell Beach. Parents first learn how to be more mindful themselves before teaching their children basic mindfulness skills. With easy-to-follow activities, chapter by chapter children learn to Soothe, Focus, Feel, Pause, Appreciate, and Connect. Each activity includes variations for different age groups, along with “emergency” how-to’s for particularly stressful moments.