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Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition

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A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2024 | Viewed by 5183

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Oana A. David

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca 400015, Romania
Interests: cognitive behavioral therapy; digital mental health promotion; clinical psychology; psychopathology; parenting; cognitive science; psychometrics; psychotherapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is currently global concern regarding the mental and emotional health of youths. Emotional disorders that have an early onset come with high lifetime persistence as well as immense personal and societal consequences.

The aim of this Special Issue is to stimulate urgently needed research on the mechanisms and innovative interventions for addressing "Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents". We welcome original research studies (e.g., experimental, randomized controlled trials, mixed methods) and meta-analyses on the topic. It is encouraged that the focus of the research be to either validate innovative assessment systems for youth stress, anxiety and depression; investigate understudied mechanisms and risk factors connected to current world changes and stressors for such conditions; or to evaluate accessible (e.g., digital) interventions aiming to prevent or reduce depression, anxiety and stress in children and adolescents.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Oana A. David
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

depression
anxiety
stress
children and adolescents
digital interventions
emotion regulation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cognitive Regulation Strategies Used by Children with Reading Difficulties

by Carmen David, Cristina Costescu, Alina Frandeș and Adrian Roșan

Children 2024, 11(3), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11030288 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1078

Abstract

(1) Background: Children with reading difficulties may experience negative emotions and social isolation. The cognitive emotion regulation strategies that they use in different reading tasks can make them more vulnerable in the stressful situations. Using adaptative emotion regulation strategies may help them overcome stressful reading situations. (2) Methods: Children identified with poor reading comprehension skills were compared to children without reading comprehension difficulties on measures of self-evaluation and thought in relation to task, and on cognitive coping strategies relevant to performance. The effect of some relevant demographic factors was also investigated, such as gender and urban/rural setting. (3) Results: Our results indicate that children that have poor reading comprehension skills present higher scores on negative self- evaluation and off-task thoughts that are in relation to performance anxiety. Also, in what concerns cognitive coping strategies, students with difficulties in reading comprehension display a greater use of blaming others strategy, which is in relation to the negative self-evaluations. Also, they displayed less use of putting into perspective. No effect of gender and setting emerged for off and on task thoughts and cognitive coping strategies, except for lower scores of students from rural setting in positive self-evaluation. (4) Conclusions: students presenting difficulties in reading comprehension tend to use more negative self-statements and disengagement through off-task thoughts and employ coping strategies directed to protect self-worth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)

11 pages, 375 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrating “Super Skills for Exams” Programme in the School Curriculum to Support Adolescents Preparing for Their National Examinations in Turkey

by Bilge Uzun, Asli Orman and Cecilia A. Essau

Children 2024, 11(2), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11020180 - 1 Feb 2024

Viewed by 728

Abstract

Examination stress is the most common stressor reported by adolescents across the globe. Exam stress involves mental distress related to anticipated academic challenges or fear of failure in the examinations, test anxiety, or fear of being unable to meet certain expectations of themselves or others. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic resilience program (Super Skills for Exams; SSE), when integrated in the school curriculum and delivered by the school counsellors, in reducing exam stress among adolescents who are preparing for their national examinations. SSE is based on the principles of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), behavioural activation, and social skills training, and includes sessions in promoting healthy lifestyles. Participants were 7129 (3661 female and 3468 male) adolescents in grades 7 and 8, from all the 245 secondary schools from Ugur College in seven regions and 31 cities across Turkey. All the participants completed a set of questionnaires to measure self-efficacy for learning and test anxiety, academic stress, emotion regulation, and lifestyles. Results revealed significant reduction in academic stress (i.e., test anxiety, work pressure, self-expectation, and despondency) and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, and significant increase in self-efficacy and adaptive regulation strategies following the intervention. Adolescents who participated in SSE reported an increase in the consumption of healthy food. This study provides preliminary empirical support for the integration of SSE within the school curriculum for helping adolescents cope with exam stress as they prepare for their national exams. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)

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13 pages, 663 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Supportive Relationships Mitigate the Effect of Cumulative Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences on Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Suicide Considerations—The Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey

by Bin C. Suh, M. Shayne Gallaway and Martin F. Celaya

Children 2024, 11(2), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11020161 - 26 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1376

Abstract

Declining adolescent mental health is a significant public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders have led to missed social connections with peers and adults outside households, and this has increased the risk of mental health problems in children and adolescents, particularly those with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Studies have shown that strong interpersonal support improves adolescent mental health. We examined the association between ACEs and poor mental health (including stress, anxiety, and depression) and how the presence of interpersonal support from caring adults and friends and school connectedness can mitigate this relationship among adolescents in Arizona. This study analyzed data from the 2021 Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS; n = 1181), a population-based survey conducted biennially across the United States. The Arizona sample included high school students in grades 9–12 who were enrolled in public and charter schools. This study revealed that nearly three of four adolescents experienced an ACE, and one of five experienced ≥4 ACEs. Compared with adolescents who experienced zero ACEs, those with ≥4 ACEs experienced less interpersonal support from caring adults, friends, and school and more frequently reported poor mental health and suicidal thoughts. However, adolescents with interpersonal support consistently reported lower rates of mental health issues, even with exposure to multiple ACEs. Post-pandemic programs to improve social relationships with adults, peers, and schools are critical, especially for adolescents with multiple adversities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)

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12 pages, 1059 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The REThink Online Therapeutic Game: A Usability Study

by Ioana Alexandra Iuga, Cristina Teodora Tomoiaga and Oana Alexandra David

Children 2023, 10(8), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081276 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1064

Abstract

Background: Children and adolescents’ help-seeking behaviors are often limited by fear, uncertainty, and stigma, as well as challenges with finding the right intervention, help, and a lack of familiarity with the process. A promising direction for the development of therapeutic interventions targeted at children is embedding them into gamified interventions, known as therapeutic or serious games. The aim of this paper is to describe the protocol of the beta REThink therapeutic game and to evaluate the usability of the game in a sample of children and adolescents. Methods: The study was delivered in schools, where 137 children and adolescents aged between 9 and 16 years old played the levels of the REThink game, followed by filling in the usability questionnaire. Findings: The results show above average evaluations for all levels of the game, for every dimension evaluated, namely presence/immersion, enjoyment, learning effectiveness, narratives, goal clarity, adequacy of learning material, and motivation. This study contributes to the literature on the usability of cognitive behavioral therapy-based therapeutic games for improvements in the emotion regulation abilities of children and adolescents, which can guide researchers interested in testing the REThink game in different protocols, as well to encourage its use by mental health specialists and parents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)

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Other

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33 pages, 863 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Clinical Efficacy of Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Analysis

by Evgenia Gkintoni, Elias Kourkoutas, Vasiliki Yotsidi, Pilios Dimitris Stavrou and Dimitra Prinianaki

Children 2024, 11(5), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11050579 - 11 May 2024

Viewed by 508

Abstract

Background: This systematic review aggregates research on psychotherapeutic interventions for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents. PTSD in this demographic presents differently from adults, necessitating tailored therapeutic approaches. In children and adolescents, PTSD arises from exposure to severe danger, interpersonal violence, or abuse, leading to significant behavioral and emotional disturbances that jeopardize long-term development. The review focuses on describing PTSD within two age groups, children (6 to 12 years) and adolescents (12 to 18 years), while evaluating the effectiveness of various clinical interventions aimed at this condition. Methods: Utilizing the PRISMA guidelines, this review systematically examines studies that assess clinical interventions for PTSD in the younger population. Results: Key symptoms of PTSD in children and adolescents include avoidance, overstimulation, flashbacks, depression, and anxiety. The review identifies several effective treatments, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Systemic Therapy, Play Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Relaxation Techniques, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Particularly, TF-CBT is highlighted as the most effective and commonly used method in treating childhood and adolescent PTSD, as supported by most of the studies reviewed. Conclusions: A significant outcome of this study is the short-term effectiveness of CBT in reducing PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents. The findings underline the importance of psychotherapeutic interventions and mark a substantial advancement in understanding PTSD in young populations. It is crucial for practitioners to integrate various psychotherapeutic strategies into their practice to improve patient outcomes and treatment efficacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Children and Adolescents: 2nd Edition)

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