Executive function variation in children with conduct problems: influences of coexisting reading difficulties

It is unknown whether children with conduct problems (CP) and poor reading (PR) skills exhibit more profound executive function impairments than children with CP only and whether such impairments are explained by coexisting PR. Executive functions were compared in four groups of 7- to 8-year-old children: 26 CP only, 35 PR only, 27 CP-PR, and 31 comparison (COM) children with neither CP nor PR. The Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale–28 and a sentence completion reading test were used to assess CP and PR skills. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition Backward Digit Span, the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test, and the Tower of London were used to assess three aspects of executive function: verbal working memory, response inhibition, and planning, respectively. The CP-PR group had lower verbal working memory than the CP-only and COM groups, but the difference was not significant after intellectual ability, inattention, and hyperactivity were controlled. The CP-PR group made more errors in the planning task (rule violations) than the COM and CP-only groups, but the difference was not significant after intellectual ability was controlled. No significant group differences were found in response inhibition. A specific PR group effect was found for verbal working memory. Children with CP-PR have more prominent executive function impairments that cannot be attributed to coexisting PR. </jats:p

The impact of the initial COVID-19 lockdown on the mental health and lifestyle of children in Turkey

The COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent school closures increased children’s mental health difficulties and associated risk of school exclusion. The present study examined the changes in children’s daily habits, and emotional and behavioral symptoms during the first national lockdown in 2020 as compared to before. A total of 854 caregivers living in Turkey with children aged 5 to 12 years completed a survey. The results showed that children spent significantly more time using screens, and less time engaging in physical activity during the lockdown compared to before. Additionally, one in three children were reported as feeling bored. Approximately half of the children were reported to show signs of nervousness, anger, anxiety, worry, restlessness, irritability, argumentativeness, and fear of infection. The children whose caregivers reported more family coexistence difficulty, higher risk of COVID-19 infection, poorer mental health, and high parenting role stress experienced higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties during the lockdown as compared to before. Children’s pandemic-related emotional symptoms increased with age. Our findings suggested that the COVID-19 lockdown in Turkey had a negative impact on children’s socioemotional and behavioral wellbeing with pre-adolescents being at higher risk of emotional change during the lockdown. These findings can guide early prevention and intervention programs to address child mental health symptoms in Turkey.Impacto del confinamiento por COVID-19 en los cambios de salud mental de los niños en Turquía. La pandemia de la COVID-19 y el posterior cierre de las escuelas aumentaron las dificultades de salud mental de los niños y el riesgo asociado de exclusión escolar. El presente estudio examinó los cambios en los hábitos diarios de los niños y los síntomas emocionales y conductuales durante el primer cierre nacional de 2020 en comparación con el anterior. Un total de 854 cuidadores que viven en Turquía con niños de 5 a 12 años completaron una encuesta. Los resultados mostraron que los niños pasaron significativamente más tiempo usando pantallas y menos tiempo realizando actividades físicas durante ese tiempo en comparación con el anterior. Además, el 78,5% de los niños fueron reportados por sus cuidadores como aburridos. Aproximadamente la mitad de los niños mostraron signos de nerviosismo, enfado, ansiedad, preocupación, inquietud, irritabilidad, discusiones y miedo a las infecciones. Los hijos de los cuidadores que declararon tener más dificultades de convivencia familiar, peor salud mental y un elevado estrés en el rol de padres experimentaron mayores niveles de dificultades emocionales y de comportamiento durante el encierro en comparación con los anteriores. El alto riesgo de infección por COVID-19 por parte de los cuidadores se asoció con mayores niveles de dificultades emocionales y conductuales en los niños durante el encierro que antes. Nuestros resultados sugieren que el bloqueo por COVID-19 en Turquía tuvo un impacto negativo en el bienestar socioemocional y conductual de los niño

Caregiver-reported changes in the socioemotional wellbeing and daily habits of children with special educational needs during the first COVID-19 national lockdown in the UK

The implementation of social distancing measures (e.g., school closures) by governments worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has affected millions of children and their families. However, the consequences of such measures on the wellbeing of children with special educational needs (SEN) and their caregivers are not fully understood. The present study examined the socioemotional wellbeing and daily habits of children between 5 and 12 years old with SEN during the first national COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Participants were 995 caregivers between 18 and 61 years old living in the United Kingdom who completed a 20 -min electronic survey on child and family wellbeing distributed via social networks between July and August 2020. The findings showed that children with SEN were more likely to experience more emotional and behavioral difficulties during the lockdown than children without SEN. Children with SEN but without mental health difficulties did not have more behavior difficulties during the lockdown than children without SEN. There was a significant increase in screen time and decrease in sleep time for children with and without SEN during the lockdown, but children with SEN were using screens more often than children without SEN both before and during the lockdown. Finally, caregivers with children with SEN reported more difficulty with the confinement than caregivers with children without SEN, but caregiver and child poor mental health were likely to explain the difference. The findings show that the wellbeing of children with SEN was more likely to be negatively affected by the lockdown than the wellbeing of children without SEN. Caregiver and child mental health were likely to explain the differences

The effectiveness of the Inspiring Futures parenting programme in improving behavioural and emotional outcomes in primary school children with behavioural or emotional difficulties: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

textabstractBackground: There is a need to build the evidence base of early interventions promoting children's health and development in the UK. Malachi Specialist Family Support Services ('Malachi') is a voluntary sector organisation based in the UK that delivers a therapeutic parenting group programme called Inspiring Futures to parents of children identified as having behavioural and emotional difficulties. The programme comprises two parts, delivered sequentially: (1) a group-based programme for all parents for 10-12 weeks, and (2) one-to-one sessions with selected parents from the group-based element for up to 12 weeks. Methods/design: A randomised controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate Malachi's Inspiring Futures parenting programme. Participants will be allocated to one of two possible arms, with follow-up measures at 16 weeks (post-parent group programme) and at 32 weeks (post-one-to-one sessions with selected parents). The sample size is 248 participants with a randomisation allocation ratio of 1:1. The intervention arm will be offered the Inspiring Futures programme. The control group will receive services as usual. The aim is to determine the effectiveness of the Inspiring Futures programme on the primary outcome of behavioural and emotional difficulties of primary school children identified as having behavioural or emotional difficulties. Discussion: This study will further enhance the evidence for early intervention parenting programmes for child behavioural and emotional problems in the UK