Latest Research

Moreno MA. JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 07, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.2351 This article from JAMA Paediatrics offers a brief and easy to read summary of strategies for talking to children about tragedies in the news.  It is a useful resource to share with parents or carers who are concerned about the influence of media on their children’s mental health. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2646851?utm_medium=alert&utm_source=JAMA%20Pediatr...

Wilkinson D, Savulescu J. Lancet 2017. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32125-6 Health professionals aim to make evidence-based recommendations for treatment, however these are not always aligned with the wishes of carers and available therapies.  Although mainly focused on ensuring ethical access to treatment of physical health problems, this editorial nicely summarises the issues and mechanisms related to children having access to innovative treatments. http://www.thelan...

Shi Z and MacBeth A. Mindfulness (2017) 8:823–847.  DOI 10.1007/s12671-016-0673-y Perinatal anxiety and depression are known risk factors for later maternal and infant health problems.  This systematic review of mindfulness-based interventions during the perinatal period identified eighteen suitable studies.  Mindfulness-based interventions were shown to be effective for reducing perinatal depression and even more so for reducing perinatal anxiety. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/c4f...

Lange S, Probst C, Gmel G, Rehm J, Burd L, Popova S. JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 21, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1919 This comprehensive review of 24 international studies and 1416 unique children and adolescents with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) found that 8/1000 children in the general population (almost 1%) had FASD and that 1 out of every 13 women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy delivered a child with FASD. The risk was greater within special popul...

Wright B, Hackney L, Hughes E, Barry M, Glaser D, Prior V, et al. PLoS ONE 2017; 12(7): e0180858. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0180858 Disorganised attachment in infants is associated with later psychological and behavioural problems.  Can early intervention change the pattern of attachment?  This systematic review of 14 studies shows that it can, especially if interventions are focused on increasing maternal sensitivity. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.13...

Pham T, Milank R, Kaplan A, et al.  Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. July 2017, ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2016.0058 Just a word of warning from the authors of this New York study.  Around 16% of parents reported diversion of stimulant medication to another household member, with most taking the medication themselves.  Parents with suspected or confirmed ADHD were most likely to engage in diversion of their child’s medication. http://online.liebert...

Narayan AJ, Ippen CG, Harris WW, Lieberman AF Infant Mental Helth Journal 4 July 2017. DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21653 This pilot study provides the first empirical evidence for Selma Fraiberg’s concept of angels in the nursery (i.e. that parents’ memories of feeling loved by their own caregivers moderate parents’ own caring behaviours toward their children and their own symptoms of PTSD) using the Angels in the Nursery interview (Van Horn et al., 2008).  ‘Ghost memories’ (i.e. traumat...

Lucassen MFG, Stasiak K, Samra R, et al. ANZJP. First Published June 1, 2017 This systematic review of 23 studies confirms that sexual minority youth (who made up between 2.3% and 12% of samples) reported higher rates of depressive symptoms and depressive disorder (OR 2.94, SMD 0.34) compared with their heterosexual counterparts.  Rates of reported depression were greater in females than males (SMD 0.34). Further work is needed to address the mental health needs of this group of young pe...

Stein MB, Craske MG. JAMA. 2017;318(3):235-236. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.6996 This editorial recommends more routine use of simple outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological and medication-related treatments for anxiety. Some suggestions regarding free and easy to use instruments are provided. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2643113?amp%3butm_source=JAMALatestIssue&utm_campaign=18-07-2017    

Secintl E, Thompson EJ, RIchrds M, Gaysina D. JCPP. 27April 2017. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12727 This review of 37 studies demonstrates that childhood chronic physical illness is associated with adult depression (OR 1.31) and anxiety (OR 1.47).  Cancer is more significantly associated with depression in later life than other chronic illnesses of childhood (OR 1.19).  These findings support the belief that mental health prevention and intervention strategies targeting children with chronic phys...