Mental Health Conditions Archives - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Study Examines Rates of Mental Health Issues Among Children in Child Welfare Custody
April 8, 2024 | NWI
A recent study of general hospital admissions among youth aged 12–17 years compared rates of mental health disorders among children who were in child welfare custody and a control group of children not in child welfare custody. The children and adolescents in the child welfare system had higher rates of problems across a wide variety of diagnoses.
Family Money Problems Impact Teen Mental Health
April 8, 2024 | NWI
New research shows that teens are acutely affected by economic conditions in their daily lives and understand their families’ circumstances. Family finances can vary over time, and the research found that when teenagers said their family was experiencing hardship, they were more likely to be depressed and to get in trouble at school.
Recognizing and Responding to Child Anxiety
February 3, 2024 | NWI
Anxiety and depression among young people has increased since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling according to some estimates. But it’s not always easy to distinguish potentially problematic anxiety from normal, everyday worries. This brief discusses how to know when anxiety becomes a serious concern, and how to respond.
Engagement in Enjoyable Activities Promotes Mental Health
March 10, 2023 | NWI
A new systematic research review finds that interventions that promote youth and young adult participation in pleasurable activities has positive impacts on symptoms of depression and anxiety; and that such interventions may be developmentally well-suited to address young people’s mental health problems.
Tablet-Based Screening Doubles Detection of Youth Psychosis
March 10, 2023 | NWI
Asking young people to take a short survey on a tablet before their appointments may help mental health providers identify those at risk of psychosis. A new study found that when patients took a 21-question pre-visit survey, more than twice as many were identified at risk of psychosis compared to those who did not complete the survey.
Exercise Effective Against Depression
January 27, 2023 | NWI
Intervening with physical activity appears to mitigate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents, a systematic review and meta-analysis of almost 2,500 participants found.
Surfing, Dancing, Rollerskating Prescribed for Young People
December 11, 2022 | NWI
For a new research study in Britain, young people will take part in surfing, rollerskating and gardening to see whether sport, the arts and outdoor activities can make them less anxious and depressed. An earlier, smaller study found involvement improved young people’s personal and mental wellbeing, especially among those who were feeling the worst at the outset, and reduced loneliness.
The Active Ingredients in Effective Interventions
December 11, 2022 | NWI
This two-part report summarizes what we’ve learned about the evidence for ‘active ingredients’ of effective interventions for youth anxiety and depression – these are the aspects of interventions that make a difference in preventing or managing anxiety and depression.
Youth Depression Screening Does Not Prevent Hospitalizations or Suicide Attempts
August 7, 2022 | NWI
Guidelines in the US advocate for depression screening in adolescents in the hopes that mental health struggles can be identified early and that this will prevent them from becoming more problematic over time. But a new study found that there was no difference in outcomes between those who were screened and those who were not.
Challenges for Families of Special-Needs Children Adopted from Overseas
August 7, 2022 | NWI
For years, evangelical Christians were enthusiastic supporters of adoption by sponsoring conferences, targeting adoption-friendly Sundays and staging adoption fairs in parish halls. Thousands of overseas children got new homes. Leading the way were evangelical luminaries such as recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman (three daughters from China) and then-Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore (two sons from Russia). Enthusiastic parents took up the challenge, traveling overseas for one or more children, even adopting special needs kids whose home countries were not interested in their care. More than a decade after this movement peaked, many families who went overseas are in crisis mode.