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Targeted Diagnosis and Treatment of Maladaptive Developmental Trajectories and Psychopathological Manifestations in Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 508

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Humanities, University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy
Interests: health psychology; stress; resilience; coping strategies; burnout; trauma; self-efficacy; suggestibility; child abuse

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Guest Editor
Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, Piazza Giuseppe Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
Interests: well-being at school; psychological processes in education; teachers’ training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Humanities, University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy
Interests: COVID-19; stress; secondary trauma; resilience; hardiness; healthcare workers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, a rapid and heterogeneous shift has been observed in the conduct of children and adolescents, which serves as an expression of their underlying distress. In fact, we are witnessing the appearance of new forms of maladaptive developmental trajectories, which, in some cases, represent psychopathological manifestations. Various clinical and social factors can contribute to the distress experienced by children and adolescents, leading to the development of these conditions. For example, the literature has highlighted how temperamental factors, environmental influences, and negative life experiences can constrain the development of certain personal capacities. For instance, children and adolescents who are unable to form and maintain healthy emotional relationships, self-regulate their emotional states and responses, participate in and contribute to a group, and be emotionally aware, empathic, and respectful of others will be less resourceful in social situations, more emotionally vulnerable, and more likely to develop both internalizing and externalizing social-emotional difficulties and clinical disorders.

This phenomenon has become a growing concern worldwide as the mental health needs of young individuals continue to escalate. Join us as we try to identify risk and protective factors but also implement effective evidence-based medical and clinical interventions, adopting an interdisciplinary perspective.

Dr. Monia Vagni
Dr. Andrea Baroncelli
Dr. Valeria Giostra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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

  • maladaptive developmental trajectories
  • developmental psychopathology
  • predictors and correlates of distress in children and adolescents
  • new forms of social-emotional difficulties and distress
  • clinical and social interventions and preventions
  • cognitive, affective, expressive and social improvement of children and adolescents
  • conduct problems
  • evidence-based practices
  • early interventions

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 231 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Co-Occurring Behavioral and Emotional Problems on the Quality of Life of Caregivers of Autistic Children: A Preliminary Study
by Giulia Marafioti, Lilla Bonanno, Adriana Piccolo, Fabio Mauro Giambò, Viviana Lo Buono, Marcella Di Cara, Carmela De Domenico, Alessia Fulgenzi, Simona Leonardi, Caterina Impallomeni, Emanuela Tripodi, Angelo Quartarone and Francesca Cucinotta
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(10), 3319; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14103319 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 223
Abstract
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by symptoms that vary in how severe they are. ASD individuals often present with psychiatric comorbidities that significantly impact their well-being and quality of life (QoL), with possible impacts on their family. Aims: [...] Read more.
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by symptoms that vary in how severe they are. ASD individuals often present with psychiatric comorbidities that significantly impact their well-being and quality of life (QoL), with possible impacts on their family. Aims: This preliminary study aims to assess the impact of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, not closely related to the core symptoms of autism, on the QoL of their caregivers. Method: A pilot study was conducted with a sample of 58 children diagnosed with ASD and their caregivers, using the Quality of Life in Autism (QoLA) questionnaires for caregivers and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to evaluate the children’s behavioral and emotional problems. Results and Conclusions: The results revealed significant differences in the mean age of the children (3.32 ± 0.88 vs. 8.47 ± 2.51 years) and caregivers (35.68 ± 7.57 vs. 40.42 ± 6.43 years), with a notable impact of specific behavioral issues, such as attention, aggression, and externalizing behaviors, on the QoL of caregivers. In younger children, caregivers’ QoL was positively correlated with their age, with sleep problems being the primary source of stress. In older children, a negative correlation was found between caregivers’ age and their QoL, with conduct and social problems in children having a negative effect on caregivers’ well-being. These findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of these factors on the QoL of caregivers of ASD children. Full article
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