Antipsychotic medication for childhood-onset schizophrenia

We review the development of several new approaches for extending the performance of Brillouin based slow light systems. In particular we describe the use of cavity effects to enhance the achievable delays, gain saturation to decouple the delay and associated signal gain, and the use of tailored pump beams to effect reshaping and retiming of periodic signals

To CAG or not to CAG? Difficulties in determining submission to the Confidentiality Advisory Group: A commentary

The Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) is a specialised body that advises the Health Research Authority (HRA) and the Secretary of State for Health on requests for access to confidential information, in the absence of informed consent from its owners. Its primary role is to oversee the safe use of such information and to counsel the governing bodies mentioned above as to whether such use is appropriate or inappropriate. Researchers who seek access to England or Wales-based confidential data, for medical purposes that are in the interest of the public, are typically required to submit an application to this body. However, it is not always clear to researchers whether requests for access to patient data fit within the remit of the CAG or a Trust’s local information governance team. This commentary will, therefore, explore the role of the CAG and reflect on how best to support researchers with this question

Informing the personalisation of interventions for parents of children with conduct problems: a qualitative study

Background: Parenting programmes aim to alleviate behavioural problems in children, including conduct disorder. This study was part of a multi-phase mixed-methods project seeking to extend the reach of parenting programmes for the treatment of conduct problems through developing an evidence base to inform a personalised approach. It explored the narratives of parents of children with behavioural and conduct problems about parenting programmes to identify how such programmes could be personalised in order to extend their reach to parents and children who do not currently benefit. Methods: Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 42 parents, who had different experiences of parenting programmes. Interviews were conversational and informed by a topic guide. Analysis of transcripts of audio-recorded interviews drew on inductive thematic approaches and was framed largely within a phenomenological perspective. Results: Parents’ accounts demonstrated three themes: 1) a personalised approach needs to include the child; 2) a supportive school matters; and, 3) the programme needs to feel personal. Parents were more likely to have a positive experience at a parenting programme, and for their child to demonstrate positive behavioural changes, when they felt their concerns were validated within the group and they also felt supported by the child’s teachers. Parents whose children had been assessed prior to undertaking the programme were also more likely to perceive the programme to be beneficial, compared to parents who felt their child’s individual issues were never considered. Conclusions: Our findings point to the potential for personalised approaches to extend the reach of parenting programmes to parents and children who do not currently benefit from such programmes. Important in personalising parenting programmes is assessing children before parents are referred, to directly work with children as well as parents, and to work collaboratively with parents and children to identify which families are most suited to group support or one-to-one support and how this may change depending on circumstances

Personalised interventions for subgroups of children with conduct problems. Protocol Intervention

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of personalised, psychosocial interventions for subgroups of children with conduct problems

“Sometimes I think my frustration is the real issue”: A qualitative study of parents’ experiences of transformation after a parenting programme

Parenting programmes help to alleviate conduct problems in children, but ensuring that all parents feel supported to attend, complete and learn from these programmes has proven difficult. Parents can feel overwhelmed and struggle to change their parenting. This article aims to inform the future refinement of parenting programmes by examining parents’ narratives of how programmes motivated them to change and enabled them to put changes into practice

Navigating multisite research set-up and approvals: Helping researchers on the ground — a commentary

Confirming multisite studies presents an ongoing challenge for researchers based in England. Those wishing to set up a multisite study must undergo local Research & Development review, in addition to ethical review by a Research Ethics Committee. However, both the documentation required for multisite review and the length of time it takes to complete such a review can cause significant difficulty to researchers and add to research delays. This short article will examine the process of confirming multisite studies and the implications of current practice

Editorial : Is preterm birth overlooked in child and adolescent psychiatry?

Obstetric factors have long been recognised as risk factors for the later development of poor mental health. One of the most consistently reported of these associations is for preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks’ gestation), a form of early adversity that impacts health and development across the life course. Preterm birth is not uncommon: in 2014, 10.6% of live births globally (nearly 15 million babies) were preterm. 1 Advances in neonatal care since the early 1990s have dramatically increased the numbers of babies who survive extremely preterm birth (birth at < 28 weeks’ gestation) in high-income countries. This has led to growing interest in how extremely preterm birth impacts longer term outcomes including psychosocial development across the life-span

Thinking Time, Shifting Goalposts and Ticking Time Bombs: Experiences of Waiting on the Gender Identity Development Service Waiting List.

LOGiC-Q is a prospective longitudinal qualitative study that explores the experiences of children and young people, and their families, who have been referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in the UK. This paper describes the experiences of children and young people and their parents while they are on the waiting list to be seen. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 39 families who had been referred to GIDS and were waiting for their first appointment with the service. Both parent and child/young person were interviewed. Analysis of the anonymised interview transcripts was informed by both narrative and thematic approaches, and three predominant narratives around waiting were identified: 1. Positive experiences attached to waiting; 2. Feelings of distress and stuckness; 3. Suggestions for support while waiting. Findings from this study indicate variations in how waiting is experienced depending on the age of the child, and how distressed their body makes them feel. Young people and their parents offered suggestions for how the service could support families on the waiting list. These suggestions related primarily to ways of checking in and providing reassurance that they were at least still on the list as well as ideas about how to make the wait less distressing, rather than necessarily making the wait shorter, which was more spoken about in terms of an ideal rather than a realistic option