Children (ISSN: 2227-9067) is an international, open access journal dedicated to the streamlined yet scientifically rigorous dissemination of peer-reviewed research related to childhood health and disease. For more information about the journal, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children. 

We are delighted to share a selection of some of the most highly cited papers published in Children in 2025 in the Section “Pediatric Mental Health”.

1. “Conversational AI in Pediatric Mental Health: A Narrative Review”
by Masab Mansoor, Ali Hamide and Tyler Tran
Children 2025, 12(3), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12030359
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/3/359

2. “Projective in Time: A Systematic Review on the Use of Construction Projective Techniques in the Digital Era—Beyond Inkblots”
by Giada Santillo, Rita Chiara Morra, Dario Esposito and Maria Romani
Children 2025, 12(4), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040406
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/4/406 

3. “Unpacking the Mood States of Children and Youth in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from the “See Us, Hear Us 2.0” Study”
by Nahin Shakurun, Tamara Hinz, Daniel A. Adeyinka and Nazeem Muhajarine
Children 2025, 12(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12010079
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/1/79 

4. “Stressful but Not Unhappy: A Review of the Positive Aspects of Parenting a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder”
by Kenneth Curley, Robert Hughes and Yasuhiro Kotera
Children 2025, 12(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12010107
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/1/107

5. “Theory of Mind, Self-Perceptions, and Peer Popularity in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence”
by Christopher Osterhaus, Giulio D’Urso, Susanne Koerber and Sandra L. Bosacki
Children 2025, 12(3), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12030281
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/3/281

6. “Empathy and Parental Sensitivity in Child Attachment and Socioemotional Development: A Systematic Review from Emotional, Genetic, and Neurobiological Perspectives”
by Miriam Santana-Ferrándiz, Jesús Ibáñez-Pérez and Carmen Moret-Tatay
Children 2025, 12(4), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040465
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/4/465

7. “Child-to-Parent Violence Among Adolescents: A Preliminary Analysis of Its Association with Sociodemographic Variables, Dating Violence, and Antisocial Traits”

by Alba Espuig, Laura Lacomba-Trejo and Francisco González-Sala
Children 2025, 12(2), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12020243
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/2/243

8. “Effectiveness of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Children and Adolescents”
by José María Fernández-Batanero, José María Fernández-Batanero, José María Fernández-Batanero and Daniel Fernández-Cerero
Children 2025, 12(3), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12030353
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/3/353

9. “Where Do Our Children Go? Understanding the Impact of Institutionalization on Emotion Regulation, Attention, and Sleep”
by Sandra Figueiredo and Patrícia Silvestre
Children 2025, 12(4), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040448
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/4/448

10. “Examining Preschoolers’ Emotion Regulation Strategies: Psychometric Properties of the Translated Dutch Early Emotion Regulation Behavior Questionnaire (EERBQ-Dutch)”
by Iris Heselmans, Marie Van Gaever, Hana Hoogers and Kurt Eggers
Children 2025, 12(4), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040494
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/4/494

To view other high-quality Editor’s Choice Articles, please visit the following website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/editors_choice.

To submit your next manuscript to Children, please visit the following website and choose a suitable Section: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/sections.

We look forward to receiving your articles.

Children Editorial Office