Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health

OBJECTIVES: This paper investigates the trajectories of depression symptoms in adolescents and young adults, and explores factors associated with their depression. METHOD: For each respondent, three waves of data were collected in 2006, 2009 and 2013 from adolescents and young adults aged 10 to 24 years. The modified Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to interview participants, while the generalised estimating equation (GEE) model was used to identify whether certain factors were associated with depression...

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OBJECTIVE: Cumulative violence exposure has been associated with both internalising and externalising difficulties in youth. Therefore, it is important to identify protective factors that may ameliorate both exposure to and the impact of cumulative violence. This study aimed to identify sources of perceived social support amongst early adolescents in a low-income, high-violence community in South Africa, and to examine the association of perceived support with exposure to violence and with the severity of depression, aggression and conduct disorder symptoms...

There is disagreement in the literature as to whether biological attribution increases or decreases stigma. This study investigated the effect of an online biological intervention on stigma and help-seeking intentions for depression among adolescents. A three-arm, pre-post test, double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) was used to compare the effects of a biological and a psychosocial intervention delivered online. Participants comprised secondary school students (N = 327) aged 16-19 years. Outcome measures included anticipated self-stigma for depression (primary), personal stigma, help-seeking intention for depression, and biological and psychosocial attribution...

The presence of emotional or behavioural disorders has an impact on academic achievement. Access to behavioural health services is a challenge, particularly in rural communities. School-based mental health services have been recognised as an effective means of addressing the needs of students with emotional or behavioural disorders. This qualitative focus group study explored the service needs, gaps, and barriers to mental health services. Themes related to time, space, family engagement, and education for teachers and caregivers emerged from the focus groups...

OBJECTIVE: Limited data exists on psychological interventions for adolescent depression in African countries such as Nigeria. This study therefore investigates the effects of a psychological intervention that includes psycho-education and basic elements of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on depressed medication-treated adolescents in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a pre-post one-group intervention study of 18 adolescents aged 13-18 years with clinically diagnosed depressive disorder, attending a specialist psychiatric hospital...

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cannabis use among undergraduate medical students of the University of the Free State (UFS), and the extent of their knowledge about the substance. METHOD: This cross-sectional study included five year groups of undergraduate medical students. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used. RESULTS: Of the 643 medical students, 541 (84.1%) completed the questionnaire. In total, 161 (30...

Children living with a congenital heart defect (CHD) carry the burden of a condition affecting their biological, psychological, and social functioning. Even though the physical heartbeats of these children might be inaudible and defective, their intra- and inter-personal 'stories in sound' need to be heard and understood. The aim of this research study was to explore these 'stories in sound' in children diagnosed with CHD. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study using thematic analysis was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six boys and three girls between the ages of eight and fourteen years, who were diagnosed with CHD...

OBJECTIVES: There are increasing reports of younger children accessing media and screen. This study aims to describe screen use in pre-school children and its association with externalising problems. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of pre-schoolers aged two to five years was conducted. Their caregivers were asked to provide data regarding screen use by their children and themselves. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was completed by caregivers to assess their child's behaviour...

Truancy among adolescents may negatively affect the achievement of academic goals. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and correlates of school truancy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. The analysis included 28 419 school children aged 13-15 years from seven ASEAN member states that participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) between 2007 and 2013. The overall prevalence of past 30 day truancy across six ASEAN countries (excluding Brunei) was 24...

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is the leading cause of death among youth in Guyana, a low- and middle-income country (LMIC), which globally ranks first in female adolescent suicides over the last decade. Worldwide, Guyana has experienced the largest increase in youth suicide, despite focused public health efforts to reduce suicide. Further, youth in Guyana, who are clients of the orphanage system and have faced early childhood trauma, may have an additive risk for suicide. Guided by an ideation-to-action theoretical framework for suicide prevention, the goal of the proposed research study is to describe and identify risk and protective factor correlates of youth suicidal behaviour among those at highest risk for suicide - orphans who reside in a LMIC institutional setting...

BACKGROUND: A family history of psychosis is associated with negative clinical characteristics of psychosis. AIM: We aimed to determine the relationship between a family history (in first-degree relatives) of psychosis (FHP) or of any mental illness (FHM), and the clinical features (including cannabis use) of first episode early onset psychosis (EOP). METHOD: Forty-five adolescents with first episode EOP presenting to psychiatric services were assessed by clinical interview with the following tools: socio-demographic questionnaire, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Symptom Onset in Schizophrenia (SOS) inventory, and the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) for cannabis misuse...

With about one quarter of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections occuring in young people, there is an on-going debate regarding the role of social capital on youth sexual behaviour. Some studies have suggested that high levels of family and community social capital may act as protective factors that lessen the likelihood of negative consequences; while others have concluded that social capital may be a risk factor for risky sexual behaviour among youth. Using data from the Third National Communications Survey (2012) conducted in South Africa, we examined the relationship between perceptions of social capital and youth sexual behaviour measured by age at first sex and condom use among 3 399 males and females (aged between 16 and 24 years)...

OBJECTIVE: To determine levels and correlates of caregiver burden among caregivers of children and adolescents with psychiatric morbidity. METHOD: Over a period of four months, a total of 252 caregivers of children and adolescents with psychiatric morbidity were recruited. Data on socio-demographic factors, psychiatric morbidity among caregivers, and level of caregiver burden was collected using a researcher-designed socio-demographic questionnaire, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and Zarit burden interview, respectively...

OBJECTIVE: Research on parental divorce suggests that the nature of the divorce process, as experienced by the child, is the most important factor in his or her post-divorce adjustment. Research regarding children's experiences of the divorce process has been limited and the adult perspective has dominated the discourse on divorce; only recently has research started to consider children's viewpoint. This article describes a narrative inquiry into the experiences and perceptions of parental divorce, of 9- to 10-year-old children...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this South African study was to explore parents' experiences of living with a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A qualitative research design was followed. Purposive sampling was used to select ten parents living with children diagnosed with ADHD receiving outpatient treatment at a psychiatric facility. Data, collected through unstructured individual interviews, were analysed using open coding. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical research practices were applied...

The literature on suicide among the Chinese indicates that younger individuals from rural areas are at higher risk of suicide than their urban counterparts. While earlier studies have investigated the relationship between psychological health and major demographic variables, the relationship of psychological health as it relates to suicide by those from urban and rural areas have been rare. Studying the psychological health of college students from rural China in comparison with students who originate from urban areas may shed light on the mental health disparities of the two populations...

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is common in paediatric populations and many patients do not respond to the currently available evidence-based treatments. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have a growing evidence-base in adults, but evidence is limited in youth with chronic pain. METHODS: We conducted an open-label pilot study to test the feasibility of an 8-week MBI for this population. RESULTS: Seven adolescents (age range 14-17; median age 15; six female) completed the intervention...

OBJECTIVE: The phenomenon of street children in Egypt constitutes a public health concern. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of institutionalised street children in Alexandria, to compare the prevalence of substance abuse and conduct disorder between street children and school children, and to identify predictors of these mental health outcomes among street children. METHODS: Institutionalised street children (n = 102) participated in a cross-sectional comparative study with a matched group of school children (n = 156)...

OBJECTIVE: Attention is a core process underlying competence in higher-order cognitive abilities. Previous research suggests that healthy children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds perform poorly, relative to those from higher SES backgrounds, on tasks assessing attentional abilities. In this pilot study, we investigated the effects of an attention-training intervention on task performance in low-SES children. METHOD: We conducted a quasi-controlled trial with stratified randomisation, using a pre-test/ post-test design...