Search

Summary Persistent sleep disturbance is common among children and young people with an intellectual impairment, but the issue has rarely been addressed. A child and adolescent learning disability service in [...]

We examined the association of callous-unemotional (C/U) traits with the rates of seclusion and restraint among a sample of child psychiatric inpatients (N = 101). Analyses focused on the incremental value of C/U traits as a predictor over and above the influence of other risk factors for physically restrictive treatment measures found in previous research, including gender, age, verbal intelligence, ethnicity, the diagnosis of a conduct disorder or an oppositional defiant disorder, maltreatment history, and the other dimensions of psychopathy (i.e., narcissism and impulsivity). Results of hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that younger age and C/U traits predicted seclusion rates, whereas only C/U traits predicted restraint rates. The discussion of these findings focuses on the necessity of developing effective intervention programs for inpatient children with prominent C/U traits, to help forestall the physically dangerous behavior that necessitates a seclusion or restraint. Keywords Seclusion * Restraint * Callous-unemotional * Child behavior problems * Child psychiatry DOI 10.1007/s10826-009-9337-z

John and Beatrice Whiting took on the ethnocentric assumptions of the fields of child development and child psychiatry and crafted a research agenda that laid the groundwork for half a decade of scholarship. They made culture visible through their study of behavior and relationships, as illustrated in decades of systematic and ethnographic observations of individual children in context. Their research initiatives served to critique and enhance social science discourse, and they routinely engaged others in debating the processes and meanings of their research. Although a bulk of their work has since been incorporated into scholarship on the cultural nature of child development, their theoretical and methodological orientation to the social and environmental bases of children's learning and development has influenced research in other fields as well. This article examines contributions of the Whitings to theory, research, and, increasingly, policy and practices in the applied fields of early care and early childhood education, including the utilization of ethnography to improve minority and multicultural education. Examples of contemporary theory and culturally grounded research are presented as new branches of scholarship that extend far beyond what they might have foreseen, yet with deep roots tracing back to the work of John and Bea Whiting.

Our study explores the clinical and non-clinical characteristics associated with medication use among children with serious emotional disturbance who are referred into community-based family-driven system of care settings. Using data collected as part of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program initiative, our study provides results from analyses completed on 7,009 children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance. Using both bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses, the researchers found that females entering systems of care were less likely to have received medication in the 6-months prior to entry, as were children of African-American and Native-American heritage compared to children from non-Hispanic White heritage. Children referred from mental health, child welfare or who were self-referred were more likely to use medications than those referred from juvenile justice. Children with histories of prior inpatient, outpatient, day treatment, or school-based services were between 2 and 4 times more likely to use medications than children without such histories. Children with family histories of mental illness and those who were Medicaid recipients were also more likely to use medications. Family income was also positively related to medication use and younger children were more likely to use medications than older children. Implications of the findings are discussed. Keywords Psychotropic medication * Medication use * Systems of care * Child and adolescent mental health services

The use of longitudinal neuroimaging to study the developmental perspectives of brain pathology in children with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) is described. Structural neuroimaging is capable of providing evidence of neurobiological specificity of COS to distinguish it from other brain abnormalities seen in neuropsychiatric illnesses like pediatric bipolar illness, which exhibit similar clinical symptoms.

The efficacy and risk of reported suicidal ideation/suicide attempt of antidepressants for treatment of pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and non-OCD) anxiety disorders are assessed. The results have shown that the effects are strongest in non-OCD anxiety disorders, intermediate in OCD and more modest in MDD.

There is a great need to better understand the impact of traumatic events very early in life on the course of children's future development. This report focuses on the intriguing case of a girl who witnessed the murder of her mother by her father at the age of 19 months and seemed to have no recollection of this incident until the age of 11, when she began to exhibit severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to a traumatic reminder. The case presentation serves as the basis for a discussion regarding pertinent issues involved in early childhood trauma. This case and accompanying discussion were originally presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and were transcribed and revised for use in this article. Specific topics include early childhood memory and trauma, learning and the appraisal of danger, and PTSD and traumatic grief in early childhood. Clinical and public health implications are also discussed. This case illustrates the dramatic impact that 'preverbal' traumatic memories can have on children's later functioning and speaks to the importance of assisting very young children in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events.

The emergence of minimally intrusive techniques for collecting biological data creates a case for the inclusion of these data into bullying research models. This integration would produce a more comprehensive understanding of the problems and better direct intervention and prevention techniques, which are currently based primarily on self-report, peer nomination, and observational research data. The authors make the case for including biological measures in research on bullying and present sample research questions and potential counseling practice applications., The past decade has seen dramatic changes in the amount and type of attention given to youthful activities such as bullying and harassment, which were once referred to primarily as [...]

Over the past 20 years, child and adolescent community mental health has evolved conceptually, clinically, and scientifically towards the community-based systems of care model. This model asserts important values and principles, including the centrality of the child and family in the care process, the integration of the efforts of disparate agencies and interveners into a contextual approach, and the importance of serving children with serious disturbances in their homes and communities. The article reviews the evolution of the community-based systems of care model, its evidence-base, its application in practice, and the challenges it faces in today's human services environment. KEY WORDS: community-based systems; child and adolescent psychiatry.