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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bruno Anthony

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
2. Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children's Hospital of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Interests: child development; autism; spectrum disorders; developmental psychopathology; developmental disabilities; psychological assessment; mental illness treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are various ways to achieve positive mental health outcomes for children and youth, but a key factor involved in long-term, lasting success is family support. This Special Issue will focus on efforts to build and evaluate the impact of family support for children and youth with mental health challenges and their families. There is a clear rationale for addressing the needs of family members, who generally provide the major share of support to children and youth with mental health problems; caregivers evidence high strain, burden and emotional distress; are often times called upon to provide support, yet often lack the information or skills needed to assist their family member. When their needs are attended to, outcomes improve.

One important focus of this Special Issue will be Family Peer Support (FPS) provided by those with lived experience raising a youth with mental health conditions. This service has the potential to improve both youth and caregiver outcomes by overcoming system- and individual-level barriers to care, as well as building parental self-efficacy to improve their identification of mental health problems, awareness of services, and support their initial and continued involvement, especially for families experiencing multiple physical and mental health issues, as well as socio-economic stressors. Progress has been made toward greater specification of FPS program models, core competencies, certification and research on the short- and long-term impacts of such models on youth and family outcomes. This Special Issue will be the first to unite cutting-edge research, evaluation and implementation of family support initiatives across the globe.

Prof. Dr. Bruno Anthony
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

family-centered care
peer-delivered services
recovery-oriented models
peer-facilitated parenting programs
integration of peer support with traditional child treatment services
juvenile probation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Behavioral Health Services Outcomes That Matter Most to Caregivers of Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Mental Health Needs

by Genevieve Graaf, Katherine Kitchens, Millie Sweeney and Kathleen C. Thomas

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(2), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020172 - 01 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1712

Abstract

This project documents the service outcomes that caregivers value most. A diverse group of caregivers, representing six regions of the United States, participated in two rounds of virtual one-hour focus groups. In round 1, participants identified what they hoped to gain from using behavioral health services for themselves, their families, and their child and discussed what made services a positive experience for them. They then reported their top-three most-hoped-for outcomes. In round 2, groups validated and refined summary findings from round 1. Caregivers prioritized service quality outcomes, primarily. They expressed a desire for an accessible, respectful, and supportive treatment environment, underpinned by well-trained and culturally responsive professionals. Caregivers also desire seamless cross-sector provider collaboration and care transitions, which integrate the insights and preferences of families and children themselves to craft a customized care plan. Priority outcomes not related to service quality included hoping to gain increased knowledge, resources, and tools and techniques to support the mental health needs of their children, to see their children improve their daily functioning and for their child develop more effective interpersonal communication skills. Caregivers also reported hoping to experience less stigma related to the mental health needs of their children and to achieve personal fulfillment for themselves and their children. Research, policies, and mental health services should prioritize and be designed to address the outcomes that matter to youth and families. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Family Support in Children's Mental Health)

Other

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18 pages, 3052 KiB

Open AccessStudy Protocol

Assessing the Efficacy of a Brief Universal Family Skills Programme on Violence and Substance-Use Indicators in Youth in Trentino and Parma, Italy: Study Protocol for a Multi-Centre, Non-Blinded, Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial (cRCT) of Family UNited

by Karin Haar, Aala El-Khani, Riccardo Lodi, Valentina Molin, Annalisa Pelosi, Ali Yassine, Giovanna Campello and Wadih Maalouf

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(16), 6548; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20166548 - 08 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1597

Abstract

Homes in which families are experiencing stressful and challenging circumstances can foster a social space that engenders violent behaviours in parents, inadequate childcare, and the exposure of children to criminal and antisocial behaviours at an early age in addition to many other negative social and health consequences throughout their development. Family Skills Training offers a combination of parenting knowledge, skill building, competency enhancement, and support to strengthen family protective factors, such as communication, trust, problem-solving skills, and conflict resolution. Through over a decade-long experience piloting evidence-based family skills packages globally, we developed a universal open-source family skills package, “Family UNited” (FU), designed for families with children aged 8 to 15 years living in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The current study aims to explore the efficacy, fidelity, and acceptability of FU in Trentino and Parma, Italy. We plan to conduct a multi-site, non-blinded, two-armed, cluster-randomised controlled trial to assess efficacy in 160 families: the intervention group receiving FU and the waitlist/control group only receiving FU after the completion of all data collection points. We will prospectively collect outcome data, assessing changes in parenting skills and family adjustment in caregivers, children’s behaviour, resilience capacities, and attitudes towards peer violence. To assess programme delivery, fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability we will include an embedded process evaluation. This study aims to evaluate the improvement in parenting skills, child well-being, and family mental health after participation in FU, compared to no intervention. Even though this trial is to be conducted in a high-income country, such results complement the existing piloting experience in LMIC. with impact-related measures encouraging the adoption of such approaches globally and beyond the EU borders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Family Support in Children's Mental Health)

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