Latest Research

Children with language and learning disorders are at greater risk of developing both internalizing (e.g. anxiety and depression) and externalising (e.g. behaviour disorders) problems. Donolato, E., Cardillo, R., Mammarella, I. C., & Melby‐Lervåg, M. (2021). Research Review: Language and specific learning disorders in children and their co‐occurrence with internalizing and externalizing problems: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. ...

A straightforward summary of care preferences from transgender and non-binary young people. Dixon, M., Hawke, L. D., Relihan, J., Darnay, K., & Henderson, J. L. (2021). Let's Talk Gender: Ten Things Transgender and Non-binary Youth Want all Researchers to Know. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(21)02095-5/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_aip_email

A call for improved planning of transition for young people moving between child/youth and adult mental health services. Anderson, J. K., Newlove‐Delgado, T., & Ford, T. J. (2021). Annual Research Review: A systematic review of mental health services for emerging adults–moulding a precipice into a smooth passage. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.13561?campaign=wolearlyview

Gina-Maree Sartore, Anastasia Pourliakas, Vince Lagioia  Despite the long-recognised burden experienced by carers of children with complex needs, effective peer support interventions remain to be developed for this group Sartore GM, Pourliakas A, Lagioia V. Peer support interventions for parents and carers of children with complex needs. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Dec 20;12(12):CD010618. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010618.pub2. PMID: 34923624; PMCID: PMC8684823.

This global review found that 1 in 4 young people experienced clinically elevated symptoms of depression and 1 in 5 experienced clinically elevated symptoms of anxiety during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings are likely to herald long-lasting  psychological effects of the pandemic for this vulnerable age group. Racine N, McArthur BA, Cooke JE, Eirich R, Zhu J, Madigan S. Global Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents During COVID-19: ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the development of numerous online alternatives to face-to-face therapy.  In this non-randomised study, online behavioural parent training (BPT) was found to be as effective as in-person training and user satisfaction were greater in the online group.  Although more definite evidence of efficacy is needed, BPT joins Triple P online as another viable digital means of improving child behaviour. Agazzi H, Hayford H, Thomas N, Ortiz C, Salinas-Miranda A. A no...

Presentation of young people to health services with atypical tic-like attacks has increased since the start of the COVID-190 pandemic. Pre-existing suggestibility and contagion from TikTok may possibly explain this phenomenon. Heyman I, Liang H, Hedderly T. COVID-19 related increase in childhood tics and tic-like attacks. Archives of Disease in Childhood2021;106:420-421. https://adc.bmj.com/content/106/5/420?utm_source=adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=usage&utm_cont...

Trichotillomania (hair pulling) is an infrequent, but potentially significant issue for children, young people and adults. This review of medications found that there was weak evidence for the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine, clomipramine and olanzapine in adult studies and inadequate evidence for any medication in children and young people. Hoffman J, Williams T, Rothbart R, Ipser JC, Fineberg N, Chamberlain SR, Stein DJ. Pharmacotherapy for trichotillomania. Cochrane Database of Systematic Rev...

This French study found that childhood (<15 years) suicide rates increased during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, but decreased during lockdown.  The former may be related to greater personal and family stress; and the latter may be due to greater parental availability. Cousien A, Acquaviva E, Kernéis S, Yazdanpanah Y, Delorme R. Temporal Trends in Suicide Attempts Among Children in the Decade Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Paris, France. JAMA Netw Open.2021;4...

While out-of home placement may be a suitable solution for children and young people experiencing significantly sub-optimal family environments, it can also be associated with risk, as demonstrated by the findings of this study. Adverse health and social outcomes (including crime and substance misuse) in placed individuals were 1.4 to 5-fold higher than their siblings. Sariaslan, A., Kääriälä, A., Pitkänen, J., Remes, H., Aaltonen, M., Hiilamo, H., ... & Fazel, S. (2021). Long-term h...