Ebola Lessons for a Global Village: I am my brothers’ (and sisters’) keeper

The ongoing Ebola outbreak is estimated to have resulted in over 8,300 deaths, and is the largest such outbreak in recorded history. Although largely confined, this time, to West Africa the ramifications of the disease have been global. Widespread transmission of the disease was evident in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, with additional cases also noted in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the UK and the USA

“Blacklists” and “whitelists”: a salutary warning concerning the prevalence of racist language in discussions of predatory publishing

This commentary addresses the widespread use of racist language in discussions concerning predatory publishing. Examples include terminology such as blacklists, whitelists, and black sheep. The use of such terms does not merely reflect a racist culture, but also serves to legitimize and perpetuate it

Commentary on: predatory publishing;pressures, promotions and perils

no abstract availabl

Responding to health inequities in New Zealand: the potential of dissuasive cigarettes

Dissuasive cigarettes attempt to de-normalise smoking by portraying cigarettes as a repellent product in counter advertising. Emerging research is developing an evidence base that suggests that dissuasive cigarettes may offer significant potential in combating smoking. Much of this research has been led by researchers in New Zealand, but further research has also been conducted in Norway and the United Kingdom

Young people's experience of the therapeutic alliance: A systematic review

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise qualitative evidence on young people's conceptualisation, utilisation and experiences of the therapeutic alliance in individual psychotherapy or counselling and its role in bringing about change. Method: The thematic synthesis method was used to synthesise data. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the CASP checklist for qualitative research.  Results: Four superordinate analytical themes were generated: (1) valuable therapist qualities, (2) conditions for the development and maintenance of the therapeutic alli?ance, (3) therapeutic processes and (4) barriers to the development of the therapeutic alliance. Findings indicate that young people appreciated the uniqueness of the therapeutic relationship that provided a sense of safety, choice and autonomy. Flexibility and accessibility were noted as important elements of therapeutic alliance building as they elicited a sense of agency. Young people emphasised the non-linear nature of therapy and prioritised process variables such as improvement in self-understanding, self-efficacy and self-worth. Conclusion: The current systematic review is a comprehensive overview of qualitative studies of experiences of therapy from young people's perspectives. Important practical implications derived from this review as the role of autonomy in the change process and the formation and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship were outlined as important elements in youth therapy.</p

‘It’s life threatening, it’s not life limiting but it’s life threatening’ – Dyadic framework analysis of adolescent and parent adjustment to a type 1 diabetes diagnosis

Type 1 diabetes-management can be considered an adolescent-parent collaboration. Given particular adolescent adherence challenges, it is integral that adolescent-parent dyadic relationships are investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore dyads’ adjustment to type 1 diabetes, while examining the congruence/dissimilarity within these dyads. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 dyads (20 individuals) separately. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with thematic analysis using a dyadic framework method. Findings suggested complex experiences of adjustment among parents and adolescents which reflect two main themes – Never-Ending Abyss of Management and Diabetes Integration, with three subthemes – A Life of Food Restrictions, Evolving Familial Bonds and Technology as easing the burden of Diabetes. Dyadic analyses revealed dyadic congruence across most themes. This study adds to the adjustment literature by providing a systemic perspective rarely presented in prior paediatric research</p

Positive parenting: a randomised controlled trial evaluation of the parents plus adolescent programme in schools

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Parents Plus Adolescents Programme (PPAP)—a parent training course specifically targeting parents of young adolescents (aged 11–16 years)—when delivered as a preventative programme in community school settings. Methods: A sample of 126 parents (mean age of children = 12.34 years; range = 10–16 years) were randomly assigned to either a treatment (PPAP; n = 82) or a waiting-list control condition (WC; n = 44). Analyses are based on a study-completer sample post-treatment (n = 109 parents: PPAP n = 70; WC n = 39) and sample at 6 month follow up (n = 42 parents). Results: Both post-treatment (between groups) and 6-month follow-up comparisons of study completers (within PPAP group) revealed significant positive effects of the parenting intervention with respect to adolescent behaviour problems and parenting stress. The post treatment comparisons demonstrated large effect sizes on global measures of child difficulties (partial eta squared = 0.15) and self-reported parent stress (partial eta squared = 0.22); there was a moderate effect size on the self-reported parent satisfaction (partial eta squared = 0.13). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that PPAP may be an effective model of parent-training implemented in a community-based setting. The strengths and limitations of the study are discussed

A multifamily group for adolescents with emotion regulation difficulties: adolescent, parent and clinician experiences

Background: Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) has been successfully adapted for use with adolescents experiencing difficulties associated with the maladaptive un-dercontrol of emotion. However, clinical observation and research findings suggest that adolescents may exhibit traits of both undercontrol and overcontrol—where over-regulation of emotion predominates. In the adult population, distinct groups of individuals with under- and overcontrolled regulation styles can be identified, and treatments such as Group Radical Openness (GRO) have shown promise in treating difficulties associated with the latter. However, there are difficulties identifying distinct groups of under- and overcontrolled adolescents. Aims: The present study therefore sought to qualitatively explore the experiences of participants (adolescents and parents) and facilitators of an intervention integrating DBT for adolescents’ skills training with GRO. Method: Six adolescents, seven parents and six clinicians completed semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Nine themes and six sub-themes were generated. Findings: Findings suggested that an intervention of this type may have particular utility for adolescents with emotion regulation difficulties in the context of both over-control and undercontrol. Participants described improvements in symptoms and relational functioning, which they attributed to the evelopment of a shared language for communicating about emotion and the multifamily group context within which the intervention was delivered. Findings also emphasised the utility of rolling groups. Discussion: Further research investigating the efficacy of this intervention is war-ranted. Strengths, limitations, future directions and implications for practice are discussed.</p

A Qualitative exploration of prominent factors contributing to the aetiology of child and adolescent eating disorder presentations during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspectives of patients, parents and clinicians

Abstract: Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the prominent factors that contributed to the development of child and adolescent eating disorder presentations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was achieved through a qualitative analysis of interviews gathered from (1) adolescent patients diagnosed with an eating disorder (ED) during the COVID-19 pandemic (aged 13–18) (n = 4), (2) parents of patients attending an ED service (n = 7) and (3) clinicians working within a specialist child and adolescent ED support service (n = 7). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and establish the most prominent aetiological factors reported. Results: The most prominent aetiological factors reported were (1) the accumulation of risk factors; (2) seeking control amid increased anxiety, stress and uncertainty; (3) social isolation; (4) an increased focus on exercise and “healthy eating”; (5) increased social media use promoting unhelpful attention towards ED triggers; and (6) a lack of both awareness and support services. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the quantity and severity of ED presentations increased. The current study uncovered six themes perceived by patients, parents and clinical staff that contributed to the aetiology of ED presentations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hoped that the insight gained through this research study into ED aetiology may act as a basis for further research and support ED awareness, prevention and intervention in the future</p

Predictive relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 was a novel stressor that gave rise to pandemic related anxiety and increased the risk of mental health issues, particularly in youth. It is important to understand how such events contribute to psychological distress in young people to adequately intervene in the aftermath and to plan for future similar events. Using cross-sectional data from the CoSPACE Ireland study dataset this paper reports on the predictive relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and psychological distress for Irish adolescents (N = 314, M = 14.05, SD = 2.7, 11– 18 years), while controlling for other influencing factors across multiple levels of a bioecological systems approach. Covariates were age, gender, ethnicity, social economic status, Peer Support, School Support and Parent–Child Closeness. Findings indicate that COVID-19 anxiety was a significant predictor of adolescents’ psychological distress. Specifically, Consequence Anxiety (worries about the indirect consequences of COVID-19) was found to be a predictor of adolescents’ psychological distress rather than Disease Anxiety (worries about the COVID-19 virus itself). Individual factors (e.g., age, ethnicity, special educational needs) and microsystem factors (e.g., parent child closeness, peer support) were also found to impact on adolescents’ levels of psychological distress. A significant moderation analysis revealed that greater parent–child closeness reduced the strength of the positive association between Consequence Anxiety and psychological distress. These findings suggest that strategies to alleviate adolescents’ psychological distress during pandemics should focus on reducing pandemic-related anxiety, specifically Consequence Anxiety. A multisystemic approach is also recommended to reduce the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic on adolescents.</p