https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(11)60827-1.pdf

Child and adolescent mental health worldwide: evidence for action

This article suggests that while mental health problems affect 10—20% of children and adolescents worldwide, the mental health needs of children and adolescents are neglected, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. The authors review the evidence and the gaps in the published work in terms of prevalence, risk and protective factors, and interventions to prevent and treat childhood and adolescent mental health problems.

This review highlights progress over the past decade in research on the effects of mass trauma experiences on children and youth, focusing on natural disasters, war, and terrorism. Conceptual advances are reviewed in terms of prevailing risk and resilience frameworks that guide basic and translational research. Recent evidence on common components of these models is evaluated, including dose effects, mediators and moderators, and the individual or contextual differences that predict risk or resilience. New research horizons with profound implications for health and well-being are discussed, particularly in relation to plausible models for biological embedding of extreme stress. Strong consistencies are noted in this literature, suggesting guidelines for disaster preparedness and response. At the same time, there is a notable shortage of evidence on effective interventions for child and youth victims. Practical and theory-informative research on strategies to protect children and youth victims and promote their resilience is a global priority.

Child Development in the Context of Disaster, War, and Terrorism: Pathways of Risk and Resilience

The article reviews the current status (1993–2007) of psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents who have been exposed to traumatic events. Twenty-one treatment studies are evaluated using criteria from Nathan and Gorman (2002) along a continuum of methodological rigor ranging from Type 1 to Type 6. All studies were, at a minimum, robust or fairly rigorous. The treatments in each of these 21 studies also are classified using criteria from Chambless et al. (1996), and Chambless and Hollon (1998). Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy met the well-established criteria; School-Based Group Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment met the criteria for probably efficacious. All the other treatments were classified as either possibly efficacious or experimental. Meta-analytic results for four outcomes (i.e., posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and externalizing behavior problems) across all treatments compared to waitlist control and active control conditions combined reveal that, ...

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Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Children and Adolescents Exposed to Traumatic Events

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(11)61094-5.pdf

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: Linking practice and research

Background: There is a growing body of literature on interventions addressing psychosocial wellbeing and mental health of children affected by violence in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: This systematic review of PubMed, PsychINFO, and PILOTS identified 500 publications (1991‐2008) on interventions. Results: Sixty-six publications (12 treatment outcome studies and 54 intervention descriptions, covering a range of treatment modalities) met inclusion criteria. Most interventions are evaluated positively, while some studies lack evidence for efficacy and effectiveness. Conclusion: Scarcity of rigorous studies, diversity of interventions, and mixed results of evaluations demonstrate a need to identify evidence-based interventions. The literature presents consensus on a number of treatment-related issues, yet the application remains limited across interventions.

/pdf/systematic-review-of-evidence-and-treatment-approaches-mvnob0shtk.pdf

Systematic Review of Evidence and Treatment Approaches: Psychosocial and Mental Health Care for Children in War

Systematic Review of Evidence and Treatment Approaches

The consequences of terrorism, wars and natural disasters are a challenge to the psychiatric profession. The large numbers of people estimated to have mental health problems surpass the capacities of existing mental health services, whether modern or traditional. The bulk of the 35 million refugees and internally displaced people worldwide reside in countries that, on average, have less than one psychiatrist or psychologist per 100 000 people (WHO, 2001). Even the 500 000 people estimated to need some form of psychological support after the attack in New York on 11 September 2001 exceeded the service capacity, despite the fact that New York has the highest density of mental health professionals in the world (Herman & Susser, this issue, pp. 2-4). Elsewhere, many survivors of various types of disaster reside in peripheral areas of countries and are not covered by modern mental health services.

/pdf/terrorism-human-made-and-natural-disasters-as-a-professional-4d03uasw8u.pdf

Joop V.t.m. De Jong

Papers

Systematic Review of Evidence and Treatment Approaches: Psychosocial and Mental Health Care for Children in War

Systematic Review of Evidence and Treatment Approaches

Terrorism, human-made and natural disasters as a professional and ethical challenge to psychiatry.