Association For Child And Adolescent Mental Health (acamh)

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18958 In this podcast, we talk to Professor Catherine Ward of the Department of Psychology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and winner of ACAMH’s Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP) Journal Best Paper Award 2021. Catherine, and colleagues, won ACAMH’s 2021 award for JCPP Journal Best Paper for their paper, published in 2020, on ‘Parenting for lifelong health for young children: A randomized controlled trial of a parenting program in South Africa to prevent harsh parenting and child conduct problems’. Catherine sets the scene by explaining what winning the award meant to her, and what, in her view, made the trial itself, and the paper, so successful. Catherine details her work involving evidence-based approaches designed to reduce the likelihood of children becoming aggressive, and provides insight into another key strand of her work, which focuses on preventing child maltreatment and understanding the epidemiology of risk factors faced by South African childre

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18898 In this podcast, we are joined by Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Aisha Sanober Chachar, who is co-founder and Director of Synapse, Pakistan Neuroscience Institute. Aisha has a special interest in transcultural child and adolescent psychiatry. Having worked as a clinician in Pakistan, and having had her clinical rotations as a trainee in Nigeria and the UK, Aisha sets the scene by talking us through her journey from academia, to not-for-profit, to mental health entrepreneurship. Aisha provides insight into the global dearth in CAMH specialists, deficits in health training around the world, the impact that COVID has had in terms of global child mental health inequality; and how do these health disparities affect children and families. Aisha talks us through, in her view, the difference between adult and child mental health in an unequal world, and how we can foster a more global approach to address disparities and inequalities within child and adolescent mental he

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18841 For this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Catharina Hartman, Associate Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (ICPE) at the University Medical Centre, Groningen, and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of our Open Access journal, JCPP Advances. Catharina’s research team aims to advance the understanding of the onset, and course, of childhood onset psychiatric disorders and uses data from longitudinal studies to explore the interplay between genetics, behavioural and environmental factors. Catharina has (co-) authored over 200 peer reviewed papers, and in this podcast, highlights some of the studies and findings that have had the greatest influence or are especially important to her, as well as provides insight into what barriers exist when translating research into practice. Catharina talks us through some of her recent work with the CoCA (Comorbid Conditions of ADHD)  project, and discusses what CoCA is, its overall goal,

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18654 In this podcast, we talk to Professor Mark Tomlinson of the Department of Global Health Institute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The focus of this podcast is on the JCPP paper, ‘First 1,000 days: enough for mothers but not for children? Long-term outcomes of an early intervention on maternal depressed mood and child cognitive development: follow-up of a randomised controlled trial’ (doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13482). Mark is the lead author of this paper and sets the scene by providing insight into what prompted his interest in both young people’s mental health and, in particular, the impact of maternal depression on infant and child development. Mark talks us through what his paper looks at, why he decided to research this area, highlights the methodology used in the paper, and shares his findings. Mark then provides further insight into the finding that, although the paper describes how caregivers who received a home visiting

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18469 In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Alex Neumann, of the VIB Centre for Molecular Neurology at the University of Antwerp, and Professor Henning Tiemeier, Professor of Social and Behavioural Science at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health in Boston and professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam. The focus is on their co-authored JCPP paper ‘Combined polygenic risk scores of different psychiatric traits predict general and specific psychopathology in childhood’ (doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13501). Alex and Henning begin by providing us with a quick insight into how they became interested in the field of child and adolescent mental health, before providing us with an insight into what their JCPP paper looks at and why they choose to explore this area. Alex and Henning then provide insight into the methodology used in the research and share some of the findings, including how polygenic risk scores associated with school age psychopatholog

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18457 In this podcast, we talk to Dr. Thorhildur Halldórsdóttir, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at Reykjavik University in Iceland and Director of the Icelandic Behavioural Genetics Centre. The focus of this podcast is on the JCPP Advances paper, ‘Adolescent well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Are girls struggling more than boys?’ (https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12027). Thorhildur sets the scene by providing a summary of the paper and highlighting the methodology used for her research, before sharing some of the key findings. Thorhildur then defines the difference between active and passive social media use, before providing further insight into her finding that active social media use amongst boys and passive social media use amongst girls was associated with increased depressive symptoms. Furthermore, Thorhildur also discusses the implications of her findings for professionals working with young people and their families, what policy makers should take from her

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18400 In this podcast, we hear from Dr. Johnna Swartz, Assistant Professor of Human Ecology at the University of California Davis. The focus is on the JCPP paper ‘Reward- and threat-related neural function associated with risk and presence of depression in adolescents: a study using a composite risk score in Brazil’ (doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13496), co-authored by Dr. Johnna Swartz. Johnna sets the scene by explaining why she opted for Brazil to conduct her research, and provides us with a summary of the paper. Johnna then details why it is important to study low risk, high risk, and depressed adolescents, rather than just low risk versus high-risk adolescents or non-depressed versus depressed adolescents, before highlighting and explaining the key findings of her research. Furthermore, Johnna also discusses the implications of the findings for professionals working with young people and their families, and whether the risk scores used in the study are being adapted for use in clinical se

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18322 In this podcast, we talk to Jessica Armitage, a PhD researcher currently based in the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol. We hear about Jessica’s interest in understanding the factors that enable individuals to overcome experiences and adversity, plus what prompted her interest in this field. Jessica also discusses her co-authored JCPP Advances paper, ‘Positive wellbeing and resilience following adolescent victimisation: An exploration into protective factors across development’ (doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12024), including a summary of the paper, insight into the methodology used, and her key findings. Jessica also explores how she defines ‘good wellbeing’, and elaborates on her paper’s findings that factors that support wellbeing do not necessarily reduce the risk of depression. Furthermore, Jessica talks about the concept of school competence, providing further insight into her findings from the paper showing that victims of bullying who hold higher percep

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18254 In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Ann Ozsivadjian, independent clinical psychologist and visiting senior lecturer at King’s College London, and Dr. Penny Williams, consultant speech and language therapist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Ann and Penny set the scene by explaining the difference between self-harm and self-injurious behaviours in the context of autistic children, and provide insight into how common self-harm is in autistic people, as well as what is currently understood about why autistic children and young people self-harm. In addition, Ann and Penny discuss whether there are certain situations that can act as triggers, how parents can help to reduce these stressors, where parents can get help for an autistic child who is harming themselves, and what support can they expect to receive. We also hear about nonverbal strategies that can help when it comes to self-injurious behaviour. Furthermore, Ann and Penny also talk to us about whether there is a lin

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18071 In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Karen Mansfield, a postdoctoral research scientist from the School Mental Health Project,  and Associate Professor Mina Fazel, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. The focus is on the JCPP Advances paper ‘‘Covid-19 partial school closures and mental health problems: a cross sectional survey of 11,000 adolescents to determine those most at risk’’. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12021 In this podcast, we hear Mina explain what the School Mental Health project is and what are its’ aims. Karen then provides us with a summary of their co-authored paper, its’ methodology and its’ key findings. Furthermore, we hear Mina and Karen discuss that the risk groups identified would benefit from a broad curriculum of support for education and wellbeing, plus their suggestions as to how this support might be delivered and in what form. Mina and Karen also talk to us about how the findings from the paper tie in with other findings from the OxWe

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17994 As the world focuses on the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), we caught up with Dr. Laelia Benoit, a French and Brazilian Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, invited as a Fulbright Research Scholar at the Yale School of Medicine. Laelia’s research focuses on ecoanxiety among children and adolescents, and she is a co-author of the recent paper ‘Ecological awareness, anxiety, and actions among youth and their parents – a qualitative study of newspaper narratives’, published in the Special Issue of CAMH. doi.org/10.1111/camh.12514 You can access this paper free until 3 December 2021 Laelia sets the scene by defining ‘ecoanxiety’ and ‘ecological grief’ in children and adolescents, and provides insights into how these can manifest in children and young people. Laelia then provides a summary of her recently co-authored CAMH paper, explaining the methodology used for the research and outlining the key findings and conclusions. Furthermore, Laelia also talks us through th

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17546 For this podcast, we are honoured to spend time talking with Dr. Steph Lewis about the relaunch of ACAMH’s magazine, The Bridge. Steph is the Editor of The Bridge and a Clinical Research Training Fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London. Steph sets the scene by explaining what made her specialise in child and adolescent mental health, before explaining what The Bridge is, its aims, and why its existence is necessary and valuable. Steph also discusses what has changed about The Bridge and why, plus possible challenges The Bridge may face initially. Steph also provides details as to what type of content to expect and why evidence-based research is so important. Furthermore, we hear Steph talk about what more can be done to disseminate and promote evidence-based research and what more can be done to translate evidence-based research into practice.

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17700 In this podcast, we hear from neuroscientist Dr. Peter Manza and Dr. Rui Zhang of the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland in the USA. The focus is on their co-authored Open Access JCPP paper ‘Prenatal Caffeine Exposure: Association with Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in 9- to 11- year old children’. doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13495 Rui and Peter summarise the paper, provide an insight into the methodology used, as well as share some of the key findings, including the association of prenatal caffeine exposure with externalising problems in children. Furthermore, we hear Rui and Peter discuss what, in their view, is a safe dose of caffeine for expectant mothers, whether expectant mothers should cut out caffeine altogether, and what are the implications of this study for policymakers and professionals working with young people and their families.

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17482 In this podcast, we talk to Lauren Cross, a Research Assistant with CHARM, which stands for Child and Adolescent Resilience and Mental Health at the University of Cambridge. We hear about Lauren’s work as a research assistant with CHARM, plus her research on mental health and wellbeing in schools and inequalities during childhood and adolescence. Lauren also discusses her co-authored CAMH debate paper, ‘Is there a true global children and young people’s mental health crisis, fact or fiction?’ (doi.org/10.1111/camh.12483), including her concerns regarding particular groups being missed from research, and elaborates more about the lack of data on the impact of COVID and young people’s wellbeing. Furthermore, Lauren talks about the fact that COVID-19 has magnified health, educational and social inequalities and what policymakers, and mental health professionals who work with young people, can take from the paper.

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17392 The focus of this podcast is on a themed review for the NIHR on the experience of children and young people caring for in mental health, learning disability and autism inpatient settings and explores the focus of the themed review, as well as its aims. We hear from Candace Imison, Associate Director of Evidence and Dissemination at the National Institute for Health Research Centre for Engagement and Dissemination, and Dr. Shaun Liverpool, Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing at Edge Hill University. Shaun further explains how they were able to capture the experiences of young people in specialist and inpatient care settings, the importance of understanding experience to improve in-patient care and how to translate their findings into practice to make a difference. Candace also discusses the three key action points, identified from the themed review, to support The Quality Improvement Task Force for in-patient services for children and young people with a m

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17233 In this podcast, we talk to Dr. Melissa Mulraney, Senior Lecturer and co-leader of the Child Mental Health Research Centre at the Institute for Social Neuroscience in Melbourne, Australia, Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne, and Associate Editor of CAMH. Melissa discusses what influenced her to specialise in child and adolescent mental health, as well as highlights some of her most recent papers that focus on her research interests (ADHD, emotional dysregulation and sleep). Melissa also discusses her work at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, including her work on several clinical trials of behavioural interventions for child mental health problems. Melissa has won the World Federation of ADHD Young Scientist Award in both 2019 and 2021 and, in this podcast, talks about her work on suicidality and self-harm in adolescents with ADHD. Furthermore, we hear Melissa talk about t

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.17201 In this podcast we hear from clinical psychologist Professor Tim Dalgleish, director of the Cambridge Centre for Affective Disorders and Programme Leader at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge. The focus is on the JCPP paper ‘The early course and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in very young children: diagnostic prevalence and predictors in hospital-attending children and a randomized controlled proof-of-concept trial of trauma-focused cognitive therapy, for 3- to 8-year-olds’ doi/10.1111/jcpp.13460 The study is in two parts, and Tim explains the methodology, findings, and implications of your findings, so from both studies, for professionals working with young children and their families.

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.16988 In this podcast we talk to Dr. Ayten Bilgin about her JCPP Advances paper ‘Changes in emotional problems, hyperactivity and conduct problems in moderate to late preterm children and adolescents born between 1958 and 2002 in the United Kingdom’, (https://doi.org/10.1111/jcv2.12018). Dr. Ayten Bilgin is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Kent, and developmental psychologist Ayten set the scene by explaining about the PremLife Project, together with the key findings of this collaborative project, before moving on to discuss her paper. Given improvements in neonatal care we could assume that the difference in emotional problems, hyperactivity and conduct problems would have declined in recent years, but Atyen’s study shows some fascinating results.

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.16924 In this podcast we talk to Dr. Lynnea Myers about her JCPP Advances paper on Behavioural and Biological Divergence in Monozygotic Twin Pairs Discordant for Autism Phenotypes (https://doi.org/10.1111/jcv2.12017). Dr. Myers is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. She has a double PhD in Nursing Science and Developmental Neuroscience. There is a dearth of studies examining monozygotic ASD discordant twins, and Lynnea explains why this group is so important for inclusion in research to advance the science into non-shared environmental effects, and explains the implications of the findings for professionals working in child and adolescent mental health.

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.16841 In this podcast we talk to Dr. Hannah Hobson, Lecturer in Psychology and Researcher at York University, and head of the Emerald Lab (Emotional and Mental Health Research in Autism and Language Disorders). Hannah discusses language and communication problems especially their relation to non-language difficulties including social and emotional problems. She talks about why many children with language needs go undetected, and some camouflage, plus what can be done. Hannah discusses her work as head of the Emerald Lab, plus her aims for her newly created Special Interest Group to gather ideas on the topic of language, communication and mental health. Hannah is passionate about multi-disciplinary working and stakeholder engagement, explaining why this is crucial and ways to take this forward. Plus how this evidence based research can be used to impact on policy, and ultimately help children.