Children and Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Prevention

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2024) | Viewed by 3866

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Interests: STI/HIV; substance abuse; adolescent and rural health; unintended pregnancy; interpersonal violence; psych/mental health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Psych/mental health during childhood significantly impacts morbidity and mortality later in life. Families living in communities experiencing health disparities often realize proportionately higher levels of stress due to the high unemployment rates, low educational opportunities, a high incidence of poverty and importantly the inaccessibility of PsychMental health care. These families are at increased risk for substance use, violence and associated psychological distress that occurs when attempts to cope with stress fail. These stressors place children affected by barriers of culture, poverty and remote access to PsychMental health care at a higher risk for these negative health outcomes. There is a need for additional investigation concerning mental health for these children.

The goal of this Special Issue is to discuss any aspects of children’s mental health in areas experiencing health disparities to enhance global understanding of these conditions by sharing knowledge about incompletely understood and controversial areas in this field.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles, as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to improve our understanding in this challenging field. As the title implies, new developments, unconventional, or inspirational contributions are also very encouraged.

Dr. Jane D. Champion
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • rural health
  • mental health
  • violence
  • substance use
  • poverty
  • health disparities
  • health care access

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 459 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Adolescents in Child-to-Parent Violence: Invariance, Prevalence, and Reasons
by Luis Burgos-Benavides, M. Carmen Cano-Lozano, Andrés Ramírez, Samuel P. León, Venus Medina-Maldonado and Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Díaz
Children 2024, 11(7), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070845 - 12 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Child-to-parent violence is a form of family violence where the children are the aggressors. Objective: This study first aimed to analyze the psychometric validity of the Child-to-Parent Violence Questionnaire (CPV-Q) among Ecuadorian adolescents. Second, the measurement invariance across the children’s sex was examined. [...] Read more.
Child-to-parent violence is a form of family violence where the children are the aggressors. Objective: This study first aimed to analyze the psychometric validity of the Child-to-Parent Violence Questionnaire (CPV-Q) among Ecuadorian adolescents. Second, the measurement invariance across the children’s sex was examined. Finally, the prevalence of child-to-parent violence (CPV) was also determined. Methods: A total of 2084 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years participated in this study. The participants were residents of two provinces in southern Ecuador. A higher percentage of participants were women. They lived mostly with their father and mother. The married marital status of the parents was the most frequently reported. Most of the fathers and mothers of the participants completed primary education. The sampling design was probabilistic, with proportional allocation by age and quotas according to the number of inhabitants per province. The sample size was determined by using a finite population formula. All the participants were randomly selected. The CPV-Q was used to assess child-to-parent violence. The items were adapted linguistically and tailored to the Ecuadorian context. Results: The questionnaire demonstrated excellent model fit and adequate reliability. Full measurement invariance was held for all scales except for the reasons subscale pertaining to fathers. Statistically significant differences were observed with respect to the sex of the aggressor, with control/domain behaviors toward both parents and psychological violence toward the mother being more frequent among daughters than sons. Similarly, reactive reasons were more frequent among daughters than sons. Conclusion: This study provides significant psychometric evidence on the CPV-Q in Ecuadorian adolescents along with data on the prevalence of violence against parents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children and Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Prevention)
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Review

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19 pages, 1399 KiB  
Review
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risk of Abnormal Body Mass Index: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Sohrab Amiri, Nailah Mahmood, Rahemeen Yusuf, Nadirah Ghenimi, Syed Fahad Javaid and Moien AB Khan
Children 2024, 11(8), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11081015 - 20 Aug 2024
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Abstract
(1) Objectives: The impact of abnormal body mass index (BMI) on health is extensive, and various risk factors contribute to its effects. This study aimed to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and BMI categories, including underweight, overweight, obesity, severe obesity, [...] Read more.
(1) Objectives: The impact of abnormal body mass index (BMI) on health is extensive, and various risk factors contribute to its effects. This study aimed to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and BMI categories, including underweight, overweight, obesity, severe obesity, and morbid obesity; (2) Methods: Three databases were searched: Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. Manual searches were conducted using Google Scholar and ResearchGate. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the association between ACEs and BMI. A random-effects model was used to combine the ORs and CIs across studies; (3) Results: This meta-analysis included 71 studies. The pooled ORs for the relationship between ACEs and obesity was 1.42 (95% CI: 1.24–1.63, Z = 4.96, p < 0.001), indicating a significant association. ACEs showed a positive association with overweight (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06–1.27, Z = 3.24, p = 0.001). Specifically, ACEs ≥ 4 were strongly associated with obesity (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.27–3.36, Z = 2.90, p = 0.004). Sexual abuse was also found to be significantly associated with obesity (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.29–1.65, Z = 5.98, p < 0.001); (4) Conclusion: This study finds that individuals who have experienced ACEs are more likely to have a higher BMI in adulthood. Therefore, ACEs should be considered a factor associated with abnormal BMI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children and Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Prevention)
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Other

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9 pages, 229 KiB  
Project Report
Development, Pre-Testing and Feasibility Testing of Multi-Component Interventions, Critical for Mental Health Promotion in Primary Care among Mexican-American Adolescents Living in Rural America
by Jane Dimmitt Champion
Children 2023, 10(3), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030465 - 26 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1431
Abstract
Rural America is often viewed as bereft of social problems facing urban America. Rural families, however, experience stressors due to low employment rates, fewer educational opportunities, a relatively increased incidence of poverty and limited access to mental health care. These families are at [...] Read more.
Rural America is often viewed as bereft of social problems facing urban America. Rural families, however, experience stressors due to low employment rates, fewer educational opportunities, a relatively increased incidence of poverty and limited access to mental health care. These families are at increased risk for substance use, violence and associated psychological distress that occurs when failing to cope with stress. Rural children, experiencing these stressors and affected by barriers of culture, poverty and remote access to mental health care, are at higher risk for these negative health outcomes. The need for culturally appropriate intervention tailored to the target population, rural Mexican-American adolescent women, is consistently supported by evidence. A one-size-fits-all approach most likely will not effectively impact behavior and health outcomes. The fact that few studies evaluated effects of mental health interventions on multiple outcomes including substance use, violence, unintended pregnancy and STI is problematic given previously noted associations. Evidence is needed to evaluate associations between mental health interventions and these outcomes. This manuscript presents results of preliminary studies, conducted using a multi-method research approach for development, pre-testing and feasibility testing of interventions for rural primary care settings. This methodology is appropriate when dealing with the complexity of social phenomena. It provides a look at an issue from all angles and thereby the cultural context and perspective informing intervention development. These multi-component interventions are critical for mental health promotion among Mexican-American adolescent women living in rural America. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children and Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Prevention)
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