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Previous research has provided evidence on the effectiveness of CBT in the symptomatic improvement of children with obsessive–compulsive disorders. There is also increasing recognition of the importance of involving parents and families in treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of such an intervention that promoted family strengths [(quality of life therapy (QoLT)] for mothers of children with obsessive–compulsive disorders (OCD). The sample consisted of 40 children with OCD and their mothers, who had been referred to clinics in Esfahan city in Iran. Mothers were randomly allocated to an experimental (QoLT) and waiting list control group. Mothers participated in eight QoLT group sessions over 4 weeks. QoLT incorporated CBT techniques in managing OCD symptoms. Measures were completed pre- and post-intervention by both groups. Children completed the Yale–Brown obsession compulsion scale for Children, the Revised children’s manifest anxiety scale, and the brief multidimensional student’s life satisfaction scale; mothers completed the quality of life inventory (QoLI). QoLT was associated with decrease in OCD and anxiety symptoms and increase in children’s satisfaction in the global, family and environment domains, as well as with increased QoLI scores in their mothers. Parenting interventions like QoLT can complement individual modalities such as CBT in the presence of family-related difficulties. This can be particularly applicable in countries and settings with limited resources and high stigma of child mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term impact of a group crisis intervention for children aged 9–15 years from five refugee camps in the Gaza Strip during ongoing war conflict. Children were selected if they reported moderate to severe posttraumatic stress reactions, and were allocated to group intervention (N=47) encouraging expression of experiences and emotions through storytelling, drawing, free play and role-play; education about symptoms (N=22); or no intervention (N=42). Children completed the CPTSD-RI and the CDI pre- and post-intervention. No significant impact of the group intervention was established on children’s posttraumatic or depressive symptoms. Possible explanations of the findings are discussed, including the continuing exposure to trauma and the non-active nature of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Children with conduct disorders and their families come into contact with a range of community and specialist agencies. Methods The aim of this study was to establish the lifetime service utilisation rates among children with conduct disorders from the Great Britain National Study (N = 10,438), and to examine the association between comorbid disorders, family and social factors, and service utilisation. The Development and Well-Being Assessment, a service checklist, and a battery of family and social functioning measures were used. Results The weighted prevalence of oppositional and conduct disorders was 5.4 %. Within this group (N =403), 241 (59.8%) had conduct disorder only 79 (19.6%) comorbid emotional, 72 (17.9%) comorbid hyperkinetic, and 11(2.7%) comorbid emotional and hyperkinetic disorders. These subgroups were compared on service utilisation with children with other psychiatric disorders (N=351). Children with conduct disorders had significantly higher lifetime rates of utilisation of social and educational services than children with other psychiatric disorders. Contact with primary health, specialist health, and educational services was significantly associated with comorbid physical and psychiatric disorders. In contrast, contact with social services was associated with family discord and social sector tenancy. Conclusions The findings are discussed in the context of organisation and coordination of health, other statutory, and non-statutory services, also taking into account previous research on interventions for children with conduct disorders and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

War-torn children are particularly vulnerable through direct trauma exposure as well through their parents’ responses. This study thus investigated the association between trauma exposure and children’s mental health, and the contribution of parent-related factors in this association. A cross-sectional study with 263 Syrian refugee children-parent dyads was conducted in Turkey. The Stressful Life Events Questionnaire (SLE), General Health Questionnaire, Parenting Stress Inventory (PSI-SF), Impact of Events Scale for Children (CRIES-8), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were used to measure trauma exposure, parental psychopathology, parenting-related stress, children’s post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and mental health problems, respectively. Trauma exposure significantly accounted for unique variance in children’s PTSS scores. Parental psychopathology significantly contributed in predicting children’s general mental health, as well as emotional and conduct problems, after controlling for trauma variables. Interventions need to be tailored to refugee families’ mental health needs. Trauma-focused interventions should be applied with children with PTSD; whilst family-based approaches targeting parents’ mental health and parenting-related stress should be used in conjunction with individual interventions to improve children’s comorbid emotional and behavioural problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health booklets may provide a low-cost means of promoting mental health self-management and help seeking in schools. The aim of the study was to assess the (a) use, (b) acceptability and (c) impact of booklets for students in primary (10-11 years) and secondary school (12-13 years) alone and in conjunction with funding for targeted mental health support. This was a 2 × 2 factorial cluster randomized controlled trial, in which 846 schools in England were randomly allocated to receive/not receive: (1) booklets for students containing information on mental health self-management and help seeking, and (2) funding for mental health support as part of a national mental health initiative. 14,690 students (8139 primary, 6551 secondary) provided self-report on mental health, quality of life (baseline and 1 year follow-up) and help seeking (follow-up). (a) Approximately, 40 % primary school students and 20 % secondary school students reported seeing the booklets. (b) Of these, 87 % of primary school students reported that the booklet was 'very helpful' or 'quite helpful', compared with 73 % in secondary school. (c) There was no detectable impact of booklets on mental health, quality of life or help seeking, either alone or in conjunction with additional funding through the national mental health initiative. Lack of discernable impact of booklets underscores the need for caution in adopting such an approach. However, it is feasible that the impact was obscured by low uptake or that booklets may be more effective when used in a targeted way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality of life is typically reduced in children with mental health problems. Understanding the relationship between quality of life and mental health problems and the factors that moderate this association is a pressing priority. This was a cross-sectional study involving 45,398 children aged 8-13 years from 880 schools in England. Self-reported quality of life was assessed using nine items from the KIDSCREEN-10 and mental health was assessed using the Me and My School Questionnaire. Demographic information (gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status) was also recorded. Quality of life was highest in children with no problems and lowest in children with both internalising and externalising problems. There was indication that quality of life may be reduced in children with internalising problems compared with externalising problems. Approximately 12 % children with mental health problems reported high quality of life. The link between mental health and quality of life was moderated by gender and age but not by socio-economic status or ethnicity. This study supports previous work showing mental health and quality of life are related but not synonymous. The findings have implications for measuring quality of life in child mental health settings and the need for approaches to support children with mental health problems that are at particular risk of poor quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with conduct disorders (CD) and their families are in contact with multiple agencies, but there is limited evidence on their patterns of service utilization. The aim of this study was to establish the patterns, barriers and correlates of service use by analysing the cohort of the 2004 Great Britain child mental health survey ( N = 7,977). Use of social services was significantly higher by children with CD than emotional disorders (ED) in the absence of co-morbidity, while use of specialist child mental health and paediatric was significantly higher by children with hyperkinetic disorders (HD) than CD. Children who had comorbid physical disorders used more primary healthcare services compared to those without physical disorders. Utilization of specialist child mental heath and social services was significantly higher among children with unsocialized CD than socialized CD and oppositional defiant disorders. Services utilization and its correlates varied with the type of service. Overall, specialist services use was associated with co-morbidity with learning disabilities, physical and psychiatric disorders. Several correlates of services use in CD appeared non-specific, i.e. associated with use of different services indicating the possibility of indiscriminate use of different types of services. The findings led to the conclusion that there is the need for effective organization and co-ordination of services, and clear care pathways. Involvement of specialist child mental health services should be requested in the presence of mental health co-morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to war trauma has been independently associated with posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and other emotional disorders in children and adults. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between ongoing war traumatic experiences, PTSD and anxiety symptoms in children, accounting for their parents’ equivalent mental health responses. The study was conducted in the Gaza Strip, in areas under ongoing shelling and other acts of military violence. The sample included 100 families, with 200 parents and 197 children aged 9–18 years. Parents and children completed measures of experience of traumatic events (Gaza Traumatic Checklist), PTSD (Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale, PTSD Checklist for parents), and anxiety (Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale for parents). Both children and parents reported a high number of experienced traumatic events, and high rates of PTSD and anxiety scores above previously established cut-offs. Among children, trauma exposure was significantly associated with total and subscales PTSD scores, and with anxiety scores. In contrast, trauma exposure was significantly associated with PTSD intrusion symptoms in parents. Both war trauma and parents’ emotional responses were significantly associated with children’s PTSD and anxiety symptoms. Exposure to war trauma impacts on both parents’ and children’s mental health, whose emotional responses are inter-related. Both universal and targeted interventions should preferably involve families. These could be provided by non-governmental organizations in the first instance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]