Approximately 10% of young people ‘often’ feel lonely, with loneliness being predictive of multiple physical and mental health problems. Research has found CBT to be effective for reducing loneliness in adults, but interventions for young people who report loneliness as their primary difficulty are lacking.

CBT for Chronic Loneliness in Young People was developed as a modular intervention. This was evaluated in a single-case experimental design (SCED) with seven participants aged 11–18 years. The primary outcome was self-reported loneliness on the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. Secondary outcomes were self-reported loneliness on the UCLA-LS-3, and self- and parent-reported RCADS and SDQ impact scores. Feasibility and participant satisfaction were also assessed.

At post-intervention, there was a 66.41% reduction in loneliness, with all seven participants reporting a significant reduction on the primary outcome measure (p < .001). There was also a reduction on the UCLA-LS-3 of a large effect (d = 1.53). Reductions of a large effect size were also found for parent-reported total RCADS (d = 2.19) and SDQ impact scores (d = 2.15) and self-reported total RCADS scores (d = 1.81), with a small reduction in self-reported SDQ impact scores (d = 0.41). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction, with the protocol being feasible and acceptable.

We conclude that CBT for Chronic Loneliness in Young People may be an effective intervention for reducing loneliness and co-occurring mental health difficulties in young people. The intervention should now be evaluated further through a randomised controlled trial (RCT).

The emotional, behavioral and psychosocial effects of chaotic environments following wars and armed conflicts in terms of exposure to trauma and displacement is well recognized. School-age children who are directly exposed to or witnessed negative effects of armed conflicts show an array of emotional and behavioral problems.

Our study aimed to examine the mental health conditions of children living in war and conflict zones and attending primary schools in Agdam.

The study sample comprised of 617 children (mean age 8.9, SD 1.24; 50.7% female), residing in the conflict areas in the southwestern of Azerbaijan. The children were evaluated with the previously validated Azerbaijani version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Teacher Form.

About a third of children (32.7%) had abnormal total scores, and a fifth (21.4%) were in borderline range. The SDQ subscale scores included emotional problems (19.4%); conduct problems (20.3%), hyperactivity/inattention (12.2%), peer relationship problems (31.1%), and pro-social behavior difficulties (13.1%). As a result, externalizing problem scores were higher in males (p<.001) and internalizing problems in females (p<.05). Due to correlation analysis, age is negatively and significantly related with externalising (p<.05), internalising (p<.01), and total difficulty (p<.05) scores.

The findings of the study show that more than half of the children living in the war zone in Azerbaijan suffer from mental health problems and highlight the need for child mental health services and family supports in the region.

No significant relationships.

Parent training programs have high potential to promote positive parent-child relationships as well as reach and engage parents to participate. Digitally delivered programs may overcome the barriers associated with face-to-face interventions, such as stigma, logistic challenges and limited resources.

To assess the effectiveness and feasibility of digital universal parent training program for families with 3 years-old children, focusing on parenting skills and child´s behavior.

A non-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two groups: (I) the intervention group, in which participants receive the parent training and (II) the waiting list group, in which participants are placed on a waiting list to receive the parent training intervention after the first follow-up measurement have been completed. Participants must meet the following inclusion criteria: a) guardians having a child age 3 years, b) participating to annual health checkup in child health clinic, c) at least one of the guardian is able to understand the languages that intervention is provided.

Pilot study with feasibility assessment finished at early 2021. Recruitment of the wider RCT study is currently ongoing. The results from the pilot study and more detailed description about the intervention will be presented.

This study with good national geographical coverage is a unique possibility to evaluate universal parenting program on promoting parenting behaviors associated with the promotion of optimal child emotional development. This study also provides population level information about parenting skills and child´s behavior.

No significant relationships.

Young people can receive mental health care from many sources, from formal and informal sectors. Caregiver characteristics/experiences/beliefs may influence whether young people get help and the type of care or support used by their child. We investigate facilitators/barriers to receiving formal and/or informal care, particularly those related to the caregiver’s profile.

We interviewed 1,400 Brazilian primary caregivers of young people (aged 10–19), participants of a high-risk cohort. Caregivers reported on young people’s formal/informal mental health care utilization, and associated barriers and facilitators to care. Data were also collected on youth mental health and its impact on everyday life; and caregiver characteristics—education, socioeconomics, ethnicity, mental health, and stigma. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between caregiver and young people characteristics with formal/informal care utilization.

Persistence and greater impact of youth mental health conditions were associated with a higher likelihood of care, more clearly for formal care. Caregiver characteristics, however, also played a key role in whether young people received any care: lower parental stigma was associated with greater formal service use, and lower socioeconomic class showed higher odds of informal care (mainly from religious leaders).

This study highlights the key role of the caregivers as gatekeepers to child treatment access, particularly parental stigma influencing whether young people received any mental health care, even in a low resource setting. These results help to map barriers for treatment access and delivery for young people, aiming to improve intervention efforts and mental health support.

Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the association between maternal depression, trauma and childhood mental health in conflict-affected settings.

To examine maternal depressive symptoms, trauma-related adversities and child mental health by using a longitudinal path model in conflict-affected Timor-Leste.

Women were recruited in pregnancy. At wave 1, 1672 of 1740 eligible women were interviewed (96% response rate). The final sample comprised 1118 women with complete data at all three time points. Women were followed up when the index child was aged 18 months (wave 2) and 36 months (wave 3). Measures included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, lifetime traumatic events and the Child Behaviour Checklist. A longitudinal path analysis examined associations cross-sectionally and in a cross-lagged manner across time.

Maternal depressive symptom score was associated with child mental health (cross-sectional association at wave 2, β = 0.35, P < 0.001; cross-sectional association at wave 3, β = 0.33, P < 0.001). The maternal depressive symptom score at wave 1 was associated with child mental health at wave 2 (β = 0.12, P < 0.001), and the maternal depressive symptom score at wave 2 showed an indirect association with child mental health at wave 3 (indirect standardised coefficient 0.23, P < 0.001). There was a time-lagged relationship between child mental health at wave 2 and maternal depression at wave 3 (β = 0.08, P = 0.02).

Maternal depressive symptoms are longitudinally associated with child mental health, and traumatic events play a role. Maternal depression symptoms are also affected by child mental health. Findings suggest the need for skilled assessment for depression, trauma-informed maternity care and parenting support in a post-conflict country such as Timor-Leste.

The present aimed to examine the mental health conditions of children, ages 7-11 years, living in conditions of war and conflict conditions in two districts of a Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan.

The study surveyed teachers of 617 primary school children (mean age 8.9, SD 1.24; 50.7% female) across nine schools in Agdam and Karabakh districts.

The children were evaluated with the previously validated Azerbaijani version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Teacher Form. The total difficulty and five subscale scores (emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior) were assessed.

About a third of children (32.7%) had abnormal total scores, and a fifth (21.4%) were in borderline range. The SDQ subscale scores included emotional problems (19.4%); conduct problems (20.3%), hyperactivity/inattention (12.2%), peer relationship problems (31.1%), and pro-social behavior difficulties (13.1%). Boys had higher level of difficulties than females (p<.01) with a negative correlation of children’s school performance with maternal education.

The findings of the study show that more than half of the children living in the war zone in Azerbaijan have significant mental health problems. The psychological effects of the war environments have a profund effect on child development and education and need to be revisited under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These include the provision of implicit supports in terms of their emotional, behavioral, psychosocial development and education of children and protection of children from wars, conflicts, and persecution.

No significant relationships.

Development disorders and delays are recognised as a public health priority and included in the WHO mental health gap action programme (mhGAP). Parents Skills Training (PST) is recommended as a key intervention for such conditions under the WHO mhGAP intervention guide. However, sustainable and scalable delivery of such evidence based interventions remains a challenge. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and scaled-up implementation of locally adapted WHO PST programme delivered by family volunteers in rural Pakistan.

The study is a two arm single-blind effectiveness implementation-hybrid cluster randomised controlled trial. WHO PST programme will be delivered by ‘family volunteers’ to the caregivers of children with developmental disorders and delays in community-based settings. The intervention consists of the WHO PST along with the WHO mhGAP intervention for developmental disorders adapted for delivery using the android application on a tablet device. A total of 540 parent-child dyads will be recruited from 30 clusters. The primary outcome is child's functioning, measured by WHO Disability Assessment Schedule – child version (WHODAS-Child) at 6 months post intervention. Secondary outcomes include children's social communication and joint engagement with their caregiver, social emotional well-being, parental health related quality of life, family empowerment and stigmatizing experiences. Mixed method will be used to collect data on implementation outcomes. Trial has been retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02792894).

This study addresses implementation challenges in the real world by incorporating evidence-based intervention strategies with social, technological and business innovations. If proven effective, the study will contribute to scaled-up implementation of evidence-based packages for public mental health in low resource settings.

Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as Family Networks (FaNs) for Children with Developmental Disorders and Delays. Identifier: NCT02792894 Registered on 6 July 2016.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with each traumatic experience among 5- to 8-year-old children 2 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Children ages 5-8 years who were in selected preschool classes on March 11, 2011, in 3 prefectures affected by the earthquake and 1 prefecture that was unaffected, participated in the study (N=280). PTSD symptoms were assessed through questionnaires completed by caregivers and interviews by psychiatrists or psychologists conducted between September 2012 and May 2013 (ie, 1.5-2 years after the earthquake).

Among children who experienced the earthquake, 33.8% exhibited PTSD symptoms. Of the different traumatic experiences, experiencing the earthquake and the loss of distant relatives or friends were independently associated with PTSD symptoms; prevalence ratios: 6.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.06-23.0) and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.21-5.08), respectively.

Approximately 1 in 3 young children in the affected communities exhibited PTSD symptoms, even 2 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake. These data may be useful for preventing PTSD symptoms after natural disasters and suggest the importance of providing appropriate mental health services for children. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:207–215)