Trauma
-
Child soldiers exposed to more violence and combat are at greater risk of mental health problems
Sadly, the involvement of children in armed conflict is increasing,1 and leads to a higher risk of developing mental health problems.
Read more -
Emotional abuse during childhood is linked with differences in brain structure
Delia Gheorghe and colleagues at the University of Oxford have harnessed data from the UK Biobank to delineate the relationship between adverse experiences and brain structure. The researchers accessed brain imaging data together with retrospective reports of childhood adversity and adulthood partner abuse from more than 6,000 adults (mean age, 62.1 years).
Read more -
Nigerian young people from parentally deprived backgrounds show enhanced working memory capacity
Early adverse rearing can impair cognitive functions in all domains.1 However, those who take an evolutionary–developmental stance propose that there could be adaptive benefits associated with early adverse rearing.2,3
Read more -
How do early adverse experiences increase the risk for mental health problems?
Early adverse experiences can predict a variety of mental health problems later in life, from anxiety to rule breaking behaviour and impulsivity. However, the underlying pathways by which different types of early adverse experiences, increase the risk for mental health problems, are less clear.
Read more -
A history of abuse increases the risk of suicide attempts in youth
Researchers in Belgium and the USA have conducted one of the first investigations into whether a history of various forms of abuse and the presence of mood disorders and psychotic symptoms can predict suicide attempts in psychiatrically hospitalized children.
Read more -
ICD-10 versus ICD-11: the effects of PTSD diagnoses
2018 saw PTSD symptoms being changed by the International Classification of Diseases. Now, data from a study recently published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry have shed light on the clinical utility of these revisions in the ICD-11.
Read more -
Is neurocognitive functioning linked to a family history of a suicide attempt?
Jones et al. matched 501 participants (aged 8-21 years) who had a family history of a suicide attempt with ~3,000 participants with no such family history.
Read more -
South Carolina leads the way in developing a school mental health system
In 2018, a shooting incident at a high school in Florida led the Governor of South Carolina and key leaders in education and mental health services to collaborate on ensuring safety in schools.
Read more -
Early deprivation is linked to long-term social communication difficulties
Maltreatment affects a staggering 1 billion children worldwide. Most of these maltreated children, but particularly those raised in institutions that are characterized by deprivation, experience some form of neglect. These children seem to be at risk of developing social, cognitive and psychiatric difficulties later in life.
Read more -
Can we predict (complex) PTSD in young people in foster care?
Adverse, early life experiences put young people at risk of developing psychological difficulties. Potential difficulties might include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or the newly proposed, complex PTSD.
Read more