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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2020) | Viewed by 18083

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Prof. Dr. Cheng-Fang Yen

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Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
Interests: addiction; child and adolescent mental health; psychiatry; sex research; sexual minority
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mental health of children and adolescents has long been a crucial health and social topic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 10–20% of children and adolescents worldwide experience mental disorders. If untreated, these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments, and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Children and adolescents with mental disorders face major challenges with stigma, isolation, and discrimination, as well as a lack of access to healthcare and education facilities, in violation of their fundamental human rights. This Special Issue is open to researchers to submit empirical studies associated with child and adolescent mental health, particularly essays on children and adolescents living in relatively poor and remote areas, those who are minorities concerning their religion, political background, or gender and sexual orientation, or those with a disadvantaged socioeconomic status. This issue is also open to the submission of studies investigating child and adolescent mental health problems caused by social and environmental changes. The studies on the etiologies and risk factors of mental health problems in children and adolescents can provide knowledge to diminish the scientific gaps in research on child and adolescent mental health in the 21st century.

Prof. Dr. Cheng-Fang Yen
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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

Children
Adolescents
Mental health
Psychology
Psychiatry

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Socioecological Predictors on Psychological Flourishing in the US Adolescence

by TaeEung Kim, Chang-Yong Jang and Minju Kim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(21), 7917; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217917 - 28 Oct 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2005

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between children’s flourishing and socioecological factors, including individual and family characteristics. A total of 45,309 children were drawn from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health in the US (mean age = 13.6 years; male: 51.28%). An ordinary least square (OLS) regression was performed to examine the association between socioecological variables and flourishing. This study assessed children’s individual needs (such as health, education, and emotional and behavioral development), their parents’ parenting capacity (the ability to provide basic care and safety), and family factors (presence of community resources and family income). Children’s individual characteristics, parent’s capacities, and family functions were found to be significantly associated with children’s flourishing. In conclusion, multilevel socioecological factors appeared to be associated with children’s flourishing. Hence, parents’ involvement in their children’s physical activities, as well as family and social support, is crucial for children’s flourishing. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature as research is lacking a correlation between socioecological factors and children’s flourishing; in particular, very few studies have explored or investigated the manner by which children’s socioecological health indicators and factors are associated with their flourishing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Mental Health)

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12 pages, 330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiple Dimensions of Self-Esteem and Their Relationship with Health in Adolescence

by Francesca Pazzaglia, Angelica Moè, Sabrina Cipolletta, Monica Chia, Paola Galozzi, Stefano Masiero and Leonardo Punzi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(8), 2616; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082616 - 11 Apr 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5042

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine how different domains of self-esteem (social, competence, affect, academic, family, and physical) relate to self-reported physical and mental health, lower back pain (LBP), smoking, and physical exercise in a sample of adolescents. A sample of 326 adolescents 14–19 years old completed several self-report questionnaires collecting epidemiological data, and information on their LBP, smoking, and physical exercise, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale. Pearson’s correlations were calculated between their self-esteem scores and their physical and mental health scores. Three multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were performed to estimate associations between self-esteem and LBP, smoking, and physical exercise. Self-esteem (total and subcomponent scores) correlated positively with physical and mental health, and with physical exercise, and negatively with smoking. The results also confirm gender-related differences in self-esteem, in favor of boys. This study offers the first findings on the relationship between different domains of self-esteem and a variety of health outcomes in an adolescent population. The results suggest that multidimensional interventions could be devised to improve adolescents’ physical health by promoting their physical exercise, and to prevent their smoking by nurturing their self-esteem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Mental Health)

13 pages, 643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application and Perceived Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Intervention Strategies for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Relationships with Affiliate Stigma

by Wen-Jiun Chou, Tai-Ling Liu, Ray C. Hsiao, Yu-Min Chen, Chih-Cheng Chang and Cheng-Fang Yen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1505; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051505 - 26 Feb 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2859

Abstract

This cross-sectional questionnaire survey study was designed to examine the complementary and alternative intervention strategies (CAIS) employed by caregivers for their children’s attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the associations of affiliate stigma with the employment and rated effectiveness of these strategies in Taiwan. A total of 400 caregivers of children with ADHD participated. CAIS that the caregivers employed and their effectiveness rated by the caregivers were surveyed. Associations of affiliate stigma with the application and rated effectiveness of the strategies were determined using logistic regression analysis. The results indicated that sensory integration (30.3%), exercise training (29.3%), sugar restriction (20.5%), and omega fatty acid supplementation (11.3%) were the most common CAIS that the caregivers employed. Caregivers with stronger affiliate stigma were more likely to employ sensory integration, exercise training, and omega fatty acid supplementation but also rated them as ineffective in treating their children’s ADHD. Various CAIS were employed by the caregivers to manage their children’s ADHD. Affiliate stigma was significantly associated with the application and rated ineffectiveness of several CAIS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Mental Health)

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14 pages, 321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association between Facial Emotion Recognition and Bullying Involvement among Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Tai-Ling Liu, Peng-Wei Wang, Yi-Hsin Connie Yang, Gary Chon-Wen Shyi and Cheng-Fang Yen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(24), 5125; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245125 - 15 Dec 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3105

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impaired social interaction, communication and restricted and repetitive behavior. Few studies have focused on the effect of facial emotion recognition on bullying involvement among individuals with ASD. The aim of this study was to examine the association between facial emotion recognition and different types of bullying involvement in adolescents with high-functioning ASD. We recruited 138 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years with high-functioning ASD. The adolescents’ experiences of bullying involvement were measured using the Chinese version of the School Bullying Experience Questionnaire. Their facial emotion recognition was measured using the Facial Emotion Recognition Task (which measures six emotional expressions and four degrees of emotional intensity). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between facial emotion recognition and different types of bullying involvement. After controlling for the effects of age, gender, depression, anxiety, inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and opposition, we observed that bullying perpetrators performed significantly better on rating the intensity of emotion in the Facial Emotion Recognition Task; bullying victims performed significantly worse on ranking the intensity of facial emotion. The results of this study support the different deficits of facial emotion recognition in various types of bullying involvement among adolescents with high-functioning ASD. The different directions of association between bully involvement and facial emotion recognition must be considered when developing prevention and intervention programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Mental Health)

Review

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18 pages, 691 KiB

Open AccessReview

Is Digital Treatment the Holy Grail? Literature Review on Computerized and Blended Treatment for Depressive Disorders in Youth

by Sanne P. A. Rasing, Yvonne A. J. Stikkelbroek and Denise H. M. Bodden

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010153 - 24 Dec 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4343

Abstract

Computerized and blended treatments seem to be an attractive treatment for adolescents as an alternative to face-to-face treatment, but mental health professionals seem hesitant to use these treatment modalities. This review provides an overview of factors contributing to and withholding from using computerized or blended treatment in routine care. Three databases were searched with terms related to (1) adolescents, (2) depression, (3) computerized or blended, and (4) treatment. Of the 33 articles identified, 10 focused on unguided computerized treatments, six on guided, two on blended, two compared unguided, blended- and face-to-face treatment to no treatment, and eight studies on games. Further, two articles that were focused on an online monitoring tool and three on intervention characteristics or preferred modes of help-seeking. Evidence for effectiveness, adherence, drop-out, and forming therapeutic relations were suspected to be barriers, but are no reason to reject computerized or blended treatment. Improvement in mental health literacy and the possibility to tailor the intervention are facilitators. However, adolescents’ intention to seek help, acceptability of computerized treatment, symptom severity, time spent by therapist, and other facilities are identified as barriers and they need to be taken into account when using computerized or blended interventions. Nevertheless, computerized and blended are promising treatments for depressed youth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Mental Health)

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