scholarly journals Eclectic approach to anxiety disorders among rural children

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atefeh Ahmadi ◽  
Mohamed Sharif Mustaffa ◽  
Ali Akbar Haghdoost ◽  
Syed Mohamed Shafeq Mansor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Children’S Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Children's Mental Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Group Guidance

Abstract Introduction Anxiety disorders in primary school-aged children negatively affect their mental health and psychological development. Available non-medical treatments for these conditions are time-consuming and expensive. In this context, eclectic therapy is a therapeutic approach that incorporates some therapeutic techniques and philosophies to create the ideal treatment. In this study, eclectic therapy consisted of art therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy designed for children suffering from high level of anxiety in their middle childhood years. The therapy also included group guidance sessions for their mothers. The effectiveness of this intervention was examined in the study. Methods 61 students aged 9-12 years with high levels of anxiety participated in the study. Intervention A (n = 20) consisted of 9-hour eclectic therapy for children with 3-hour group guidance sessions for their mothers. Intervention B (n = 20) consisted of 9-hour eclectic therapy for children. There was also a control group (n = 21). Results Teacher ratings of children’s mental health difficulties and self-report ratings of anxiety disorders indicated a significant difference from pretest to posttest, revealing a large effect size between the two interventions. Higher levels of pretest scores significantly predicted higher posttest scores for all domains of anxiety and mental health difficulties. Furthermore, age, gender, mothers working a 15-hour day, mother’s educational level, parental divorce rates, parental death, and family monthly income predicted therapy outcomes. Conclusion Results provide support for the effectiveness of eclectic art and CBT to improve children’s mental health and reduce anxiety through changing thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that may cause fear and anxiety.

scholarly journals Converging evidence for enduring perceptions of low social status in individuals in remission from depression.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Gillard ◽  
Siobhan Gormley ◽  
Kirsty Griffiths ◽  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Jason Stretton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Depressive Episodes

BackgroundThe risk of depressive relapse and recurrence is amplified by social risk factors including the perception of low social status. MethodsWe aimed to identify enduring difficulties with the perception of social status in a community sample with a self-reported history of mental health difficulties (Study 1) and, more specifically, in individuals in clinical remission from depression, relative to a never-depressed control group, and relative to a group experiencing a current depressive episode (Study 2). ResultsIn Study 1, elevated depressive symptoms were associated with perceptions of low social status which significantly differed between individuals with and without a self-reported history of mental health difficulties. Study 2 found enduring deficits in perceptions of social status in remitted depressed individuals, in the absence of current symptoms. LimitationsWe were unable to discern between historical or current clinical diagnosis in the community sample of Study 1, as we were reliant on self-report. We were unable to explore the effects of medication or causal relationships between depressive symptoms and social status as the studies were cross-sectional in nature. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that disrupted socio-cognitive profiles across a range of affiliative processes may confer increased vulnerability to future depressive episodes in those in remission.

scholarly journals School characteristics and children’s mental health: A linked survey-administrative data study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveetha Patalay ◽  
Erin O'Neill ◽  
Jessica Deighton ◽  
Elian Fink
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
School Climate ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Children’S Mental Health ◽  
Children's Mental Health ◽  
School Factors ◽  
School Composition ◽  
Behavioural Symptoms ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

Background. Mental health difficulties are childhood-onset with lifelong consequences. Children spend a large proportion of their daily life in schools, making the school setting an important context for mental health prevention and support. Methods. Data from a large-scale mental health survey were linked to the national pupil and school census databases. Data from 23,215 children from 648 primary schools were analysed to examine the associations of school composition (school size, gender, socioeconomic and ethnicity composition) and school climate with emotional and behavioural symptoms, as well as high mental health difficulties (scores above clinical cut-off). The proportion of school-level variation explained by composition and climate and whether the association of school factors with mental health were moderated by child-level socio-demographic characteristics were also investigated. Results. After controlling for child-level characteristics, 3 to 4.5% of the variation in children’s mental health outcomes could be attributed to schools. Of this, small proportions were explained by school composition (1.4 to 3.8%) and larger proportions were explained by differences in school climate (29.5 to 48.8%). In terms of composition, lower school socio-economic status (SES) was associated with higher mean behavioural symptoms and slightly raised odds of high mental health difficulties (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01,1.09). More positive school climate was associated with lower mean emotional and behavioural symptoms and lower odds of mental health difficulties (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.81). Some of the associations between school factors and mental health were moderated by child sex and SES.Conclusion. School composition was for the most part not associated with children’s mental health and explained only a small proportion of the between school variation in mental health. School deprivation was the only compositional variable to be associated with poor mental health and its association was moderated by the child’s socio-economic status. School climate explained a large amount of the between-school variation in mental health and appears a good target for universal prevention of mental health difficulties in children.

scholarly journals School characteristics and children’s mental health: A linked survey-administrative data study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveetha Patalay ◽  
Erin O'Neill ◽  
Jessica Deighton ◽  
Elian Fink
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
School Climate ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Children’S Mental Health ◽  
Children's Mental Health ◽  
School Factors ◽  
School Composition ◽  
Behavioural Symptoms ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

Background. Mental health difficulties are childhood-onset with lifelong consequences. Children spend a large proportion of their daily life in schools, making the school setting an important context for mental health prevention and support. Methods. Data from a large-scale mental health survey were linked to the national pupil and school census databases. Data from 23,215 children from 648 primary schools were analysed to examine the associations of school composition (school size, gender, socioeconomic and ethnicity composition) and school climate with emotional and behavioural symptoms, as well as high mental health difficulties (scores above clinical cut-off). The proportion of school-level variation explained by composition and climate and whether the association of school factors with mental health were moderated by child-level socio-demographic characteristics were also investigated. Results. After controlling for child-level characteristics, 3 to 4.5% of the variation in children’s mental health outcomes could be attributed to schools. Of this, small proportions were explained by school composition (1.4 to 3.8%) and larger proportions were explained by differences in school climate (29.5 to 48.8%). In terms of composition, lower school socio-economic status (SES) was associated with higher mean behavioural symptoms and slightly raised odds of high mental health difficulties (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01,1.09). More positive school climate was associated with lower mean emotional and behavioural symptoms and lower odds of mental health difficulties (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.81). Some of the associations between school factors and mental health were moderated by child sex and SES.Conclusion. School composition was for the most part not associated with children’s mental health and explained only a small proportion of the between school variation in mental health. School deprivation was the only compositional variable to be associated with poor mental health and its association was moderated by the child’s socio-economic status. School climate explained a large amount of the between-school variation in mental health and appears a good target for universal prevention of mental health difficulties in children.

scholarly journals Impact of a Single School-Based Intervention for COVID-19 on Improving Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Kubo ◽  
Akihiro Masuyama ◽  
Hiroki Shinkawa ◽  
Daichi Sugawara
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Children’S Mental Health ◽  
Children's Mental Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
School Based Intervention ◽  
School Based

An underlying concern about the COVID-19 pandemic is that the mental health of children will decline. The present study aimed to investigate whether a single school-based intervention, including self-monitoring and psychoeducation for COVID-19, effectively achieved its aim to promote children’s mental health. The study was conducted in a junior high school. We assigned the third grade as the intervention group, second grade as the announcement group, and first grade, the control group. We hypothesized that the intervention group would experience improved mental health and reduced fear of COVID-19, when compared to the announcement and control groups. Interaction effects were observed only for depression, indicating a significant intervention effect in the intervention group. These findings suggest that a single school-based intervention that includes self-monitoring and psychoeducation for COVID-19 can help to improve children’s mental health. It is suggested that school-based interventions that intend to raise children's awareness of COVID-19 promote healthy development and adaptation within the school.

scholarly journals Enhancing Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) with Parenting Skills: RCT of TRT + Parenting with Trauma-Affected Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Utilising Remote Training with Implications for Insecure Contexts and COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8652
Author(s):  
Aala El-Khani ◽  
Kim Cartwright ◽  
Wadih Maalouf ◽  
Karin Haar ◽  
Nosheen Zehra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Children’S Mental Health ◽  
Children's Mental Health ◽  
Refugee Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Parenting Skills ◽  
Waitlist Control ◽  
Recovery Techniques ◽  
Remote Training

Child psychosocial recovery interventions in humanitarian contexts often overlook the significant effect that caregivers can have on improving children’s future trajectory. We enhanced the well-established, evidenced-based child trauma recovery programme Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) intervention with parenting sessions, i.e., TRT + Parenting (TRT + P), which aims to improve parent mental health and their ability to support their children’s mental health. We describe the findings of a three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing enhanced TRT + P vs. TRT and waitlist. The primary aim was to test if children in the enhanced arm of the programme show improved child and caregiver mental health. We recruited 119 Syrian refugee children and one of their caregivers in Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. They were randomised to the TRT, TRT + P, or waitlist control group. Data were collected at baseline and 2 weeks and 12 weeks post intervention. Training of facilitators was via remote training from the United Kingdom. Results showed a highly consistent pattern, with children in the enhanced TRT + P group showing the greatest levels of improvement in behavioural and emotional difficulties compared to children in the TRT or waitlist control groups. Caregivers in the TRT + P group also reported significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress. Findings indicate that the addition of the evidence-based parenting skills components has the potential to enhance the effects of interventions designed to improve children’s mental health in contexts of trauma, conflict, and displacement. Implications for COVID-19 remote learning are also discussed.

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