Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Do perceptions of dysfunction and normality mediate clinicians' judgements of adolescent antisocial behavior?
- Authors:
- KIRK Stuart A., HSIEH Derek H.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Service Review, 83(2), June 2009, pp.245-266.
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) requires clinicians making a judgment of mental disorder to first make complex mediating inferences about internal dysfunction and rule out the possibility that behaviours are normal reactions to a problematic environment. Responding to a case vignette in which the social context of antisocial behaviour was systematically varied, a sample of 1,500 social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists made judgments about the presence of mental disorder, internal dysfunction, and normality in the antisocial behaviour of a youth. Perceptions about the presence of internal dysfunction and normality are found to be related to judgments of mental disorder, but they do not fully mediate the relationship between the influence of social context and judgments of mental disorder.
Evaluation of wraparound services for severely emotionally disturbed youths
- Authors:
- MEARS Susan L., YAFFE Joanne, HARRIS, Norma J.
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 19(6), November 2009, pp.678-685.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Services to children and adolescents with a severe emotional disturbance (SED) have long been inadequate. The wraparound approach has emerged as a promising practice that could address the needs of children with SED and their families through a strength-based, individualised, family-focused team process that emphasises flexible service planning. This study compares the outcomes for youth receiving the wraparound approach with those for youth receiving traditional child welfare case management. Child behaviour and community integration outcomes were measured at intake and at 6 months in services. Results indicated that youth receiving the wraparound approach showed significant improvement on the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) when compared with youth receiving traditional child welfare services. Results also showed that youth receiving traditional child welfare services experienced significantly fewer placements. However, neither group showed significant differences on other clinical or functional outcomes. Results are discussed, as well as applications to social work practice, study limitations, and recommendations for additional research on wraparound.
Improving the emotional and behavioural health of looked after children and young people (LACYP): research summary 2
- Author:
- CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE AND OUTCOMES IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S SERVICES
- Publisher:
- Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This summary provides an overview of the key messages from a research review into what works in improving the emotional and behavioural health of looked after children and young people. The study focused on interventions for which the evidence based was most developed, including enhanced foster care, multi-systemic therapy and mentoring.
Enhancing placement stability via a continuum-of-care approach: reflections from the Australian context
- Authors:
- CHEERS Deirdre, MONDY Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 4(2), June 2009, pp.148-153.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The nature and context of care for looked-after children in Australia is described briefly. The experiences of a non-government agency, Centacare Broken Bay, in providing residential and foster-care services to looked-after children with high and complex needs is detailed. A continuum-of-care approach that contributes to the continuity of young people's relationships is outlined, and some factors associated with this approach in reducing placement instability are discussed.
The use of psychotropic medication for children in foster care
- Authors:
- CRISMON Lynn, ARGO Tami
- Journal article citation:
- Child Welfare Journal, 88(1), 2009, pp.71-100.
- Publisher:
- Child Welfare League of America
The use of psychotropic medication for foster children is in itself not unique; however, these children are of particular interest because of the stress associated with their life situations. A thorough assessment of the child and family should occur before beginning these medications, and in general, they should only be used in the presence of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, diagnosis of a mental disorder. Parents and caregivers need to be aware of principles of use, potential side effects, and monitoring parameters.
Extended day treatment: a comprehensive model of after school behavioral health services for youth
- Authors:
- VANDERPLOEG Jeffrey J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Youth Care Forum, 38(1), February 2009, pp.5-18.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Extended day treatment (EDT) is an innovative intermediate-level service for children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioural disorders delivered during the after school hours. This paper describes the core components of the EDT model of care within the context of state-wide systems of care, including its core service components, levels of care, focus on evidence-based practices, workforce composition and staff training, and data collection and reporting mechanisms. Recommendations are provided for state-wide implementation, followed by discussion of model development as an approach to systems reform for treating children and youth with emotional and behavioural disorders.
Mental health of current and former recipients of foster care: a review of recent studies in the USA
- Authors:
- PECORA Peter J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Social Work, 14(2), May 2009, pp.132-146.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This paper presents data about the emotional, behavioural and substance abuse disorders of youth in foster care and former recipients of foster care ('alumni') in the USA. The prevalence rates of these groups are compared to those of the youth and young adults in the US general population. The implications of these data for policy and program design are discussed.
Risks and opportunities in adolescence: understanding adolescent mental health difficulties
- Author:
- BRIGGS Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice, 23(1), March 2009, pp.49-64.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In order to explore the current state of knowledge regarding adolescent mental health, and relate this knowledge to practice, this paper explores three key questions: are adolescent mental health problems increasing, are adolescents dislocated by new and different contexts, and what are the levels of mental health difficulties in adolescence? The paper suggests that evidence that adolescents are 'getting worse' is not convincing, but it is clear that the contexts for adolescence have changed radically and this affects adolescent developmental processes. Adolescent mental health difficulties require a current, developmentally relevant and oriented approach to enhance effective understanding and intervention. Adults in general and professionals in particular need to be able to engage with and not take flight from the impact of adolescent emotionality.
The relationship between child abuse, parental divorce, and lifetime mental disorders and suicidality in a nationally representative adult sample
- Authors:
- AFIFI Tracie O., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 33(3), March 2009, pp.139-147.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The objectives of this study were to determine how the experiences of child abuse and parental divorce are related to long-term mental health outcomes using a nationally representative adult sample after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and parental psychopathology. Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS, n = 5,877; age 15–54 years; response rate 82.4%). Logistic regression models were used to determine the odds of experiencing lifetime psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideation and attempts. Parental divorce alone was associated with some psychiatric disorders after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, while child abuse alone was associated with psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideation and attempts after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. However, having experienced both parental divorce and child abuse together resulted in significantly increased odds for lifetime PTSD, conduct disorder and suicide attempts compared to having experienced either parental divorce or child abuse alone. These results were attenuated when further adjusting for parental psychopathology. When the experience of parental divorce is accompanied with child abuse, the associations with some poor mental health outcomes are significantly greater compared to the impact of either parental divorce or child abuse on its own. Therefore, parental divorce is an additional childhood adversity that significantly contributes to poor mental health outcomes especially when in combination with child abuse. Parental psychopathology attenuated these relationships suggesting that it may be one possible mechanism to explain the relationships between child abuse, parental divorce, and psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts.
A structured account of a short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy with a man with learning disabilities
- Author:
- SALVADORI Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, 3(4), December 2009, pp.31-35.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article, focusing on a particular adult male with learning disabilities, discusses a short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy treatment. The male in question was referred to a community psychology service showing symptoms of social withdrawal and refusal behaviours. Explaining the nature of the intervention, the author explains the progression through the therapeutic process, development of hypotheses, and the emergent formulation and therapeutic outcome for the client. By structuring this paper into 3 clear sections - the early, middle and end phases – the author details each section in detail. Identifying the suitability of short-term individual psychodynamic psychotherapy for cases such as this, the article demonstrates how such interventions can be documented through structured accounts of treatment, linking theory to practice.