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Parents play a vital role in supporting children with learning disabilities, but little is known about their understanding of this diagnosis. The experiences of parents with the diagnostic process and the services their children receive post-diagnosis vary widely. Parents who participated in this study reported that they understand learning disabilities broadly but not their underlying neurobiology. Those who noted understanding the neurobiology indicated that it helped them better support their child, and those who did not understand it wanted to learn more. Parents generally noted that their children received less support during COVID-19 and that they had to seek more private services in order to support their child's academic progress, which caused additional strain on families. Finally, parents reported that having a child with a learning disability negatively affected their mental health, especially when parents feel like they have had to advocate strongly for their child to receive services.

Rates of mental health challenges among children and youth are on the rise. Physical activity has been identified as a promising intervention to improve mental health outcomes for youth. This study aimed to investigate how mental health clinicians perceive and utilize physical activity as a mental health intervention for children and adolescents. Seventy-four Ontario mental health clinicians (psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers) were surveyed about their perspectives and practices related to physical activity as part of mental health care for children and adolescents using a mixed-methods approach. Survey respondents were also asked about barriers to including physical activity in care. Although 100% of clinicians agreed that physical activity was beneficial to their own and to their clients' mental health, only 61% reported prescribing physical activity to their clients. Barriers to prescribing physical activity as a treatment option included lack of training, time, and resources. Clinicians who were more physically active themselves were more likely to view physical activity as beneficial for mental health and were less likely to view time as a barrier to discussing and prescribing physical activity in their practice. Many clinicians expressed a need for more training, knowledge, and resources. The results of this study suggest that with improved access to training and resources, clinicians will be well-positioned to leverage the benefits of physical activity for mental health in their practice.

Emerging research shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may improve mental health for caregivers. Parents of autistic children, adolescents, and adults (N = 54) were randomly assigned to either complete a brief group-based ACT intervention or remain on the waitlist. Participants completed surveys immediately prior to randomization, and 3-, 7-, and 17-weeks post-randomization. The primary outcome was depression symptoms and secondary outcomes included stress, goal attainment, positive affect, ACT psychological processes, child mental health, and family functioning. Mixed effects linear models testing Group × Time interaction indicated the Treatment group (n = 27) demonstrated greater post-intervention improvements than the Waitlist group (n = 27) in parent depression (p = 0.03, d = -0.64) and family distress (p = 0.04, d = -0.57). Treatment group parents also reported greater short-term gains in positive affect (p =< 0.001, d = 0.77) and personal goal attainment (p = 0.007, d = 0.80), compared to the Waitlist group. Although there was no significant Group × Time interaction for other outcomes, stress (b = -2.58, p = 0.01), defusion (b = -3.78, p = 0.001), and experiential avoidance (b = -4.22, p = 0.01) showed improvement for the Treatment group, but not the Waitlist group, at post-intervention. All Treatment group improvements were maintained at follow-up. Results suggest that a brief ACT group intervention is efficacious for improving some aspects of mental health for parents of autistic children.

This study investigated the relationship between traumatic life stress, trust, and prosocial behavior as a positive mental health outcome in Syrian refugee children in Canada. Trust is a resilience factor shown to promote adjustment after resettlement. The specific goals of the study were to test the influence of refugee children's traumatic life stress on their prosocial behavior and the mediating role of trust in this link. Five- to 12-year-old Syrian refugee children (N = 124) and their caregivers (N = 51) who recently resettled in Canada participated in this study. Children retrospectively reported their experiences of traumatic life stressors, and caregivers reported their children's current level of trust and prosocial behavior using questionnaires. Traumatic life stress (e.g., witnessing violence and conflict, separation from family, death of family members) was negatively related to refugee children's trust in others, while trust was related to more prosocial behaviors, confirming its mediating role. These results suggest that experiencing more traumatic life stressors is associated with less prosocial behaviors as a positive mental health outcome through lower levels of trust. The current findings suggest that fostering trust may be a promising avenue for intervention to promote prosocial behavior and resilience in refugee children who are resettling in a new society.

Background: Youth mental health is a growing concern in research, practice, and policy. Practice standards, guidelines, or strategies provide an invisible infrastructure that fosters equity, quality, and safety, potentially addressing inconsistencies and more effectively attending to the mental wellness of Black youth as a particular population of concern. This scoping review aimed to address the following question: What standards exist for the delivery of mental health services to Black youth in community, primary care, and educational settings? Due to a limited initial search yield on publications about standards for the delivery of mental health services for Black youth population, our goal was then to identify and map mental health standards, recommendations, or guidelines for the delivery of mental health services using the same settings to all youth. Methods: Searches were conducted in various databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, SocINDEX, CINAHL, Gender Studies Database, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Screening was independently conducted by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third. Information extraction was performed by two independent reviewers. Results: Out of the 2,701 screened publications, 54 were included in this scoping review. Among them, 38.9% were published between 2020 and 2023, with 40.7% originating from the United States of America, 20.4% from the United Kingdom, and 13% from Canada. Concerning the settings, 25.9% of the publications focused on primary care, 24.1% on health care services, 20.4% on educational settings, and 3.7% on the community. Additionally, 25.9% were classified as general because recommendations were applicable to various settings. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (11.1%) was the most frequently considered specific condition, followed by autism spectrum disorder (9.3%) and depression (9.3%). However, 31.5% of the included references addressed mental health in general. Only three references provided specific recommendations for the Black population. Conclusions: Recommendations, guidelines, or standards for Black youth mental health services in community, primary care, or educational settings are scarce and limited to North American countries. This scoping review emphasizes the need to consider ethnicity when developing guidelines or standards to improve racial equity and reduce disparities in access to mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free play is essential for children's development and for their physical, mental, and social health. Opportunities to engage in outdoor free play—and risky play in particular—have declined significantly in recent years, in part because safety measures have sought to prevent all play-related injuries rather than focusing on serious and fatal injuries. Risky play is defined by thrilling and exciting forms of free play that involve uncertainty of outcome and a possibility of physical injury. Proponents of risky play differentiate "risk" from "hazard" and seek to reframe perceived risk as an opportunity for situational evaluation and personal development. This statement weighs the burden of play-related injuries alongside the evidence in favour of risky play, including its benefits, risks, and nuances, which can vary depending on a child's developmental stage, ability, and social and medical context. Approaches are offered to promote open, constructive discussions with families and organizations. Paediatricians are encouraged to think of outdoor risky play as one way to help prevent and manage common health problems such as obesity, anxiety, and behavioural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newcomer women and children are less likely to access and utilize mental health support services as compared to the general Canadian population, despite reporting experiences of mental health issues. This review aimed to map out the social support interventions that are available for promoting the mental well-being of newcomer women and children living in Canada. A search using Medline, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library was conducted to identify published studies. Studies were screened, extracted, and synthesized by two independent reviewers in line with the methodological approach for scoping reviews. Fourteen articles published in English between 2012–2023 were reviewed. Results identified five types of interventions: art and sand play interventions, support groups and workshops, assessment of existing support services, social media interventions, and short-term cognitive behavioral therapy. Our results suggest that culturally appropriate social support interventions increase mental well-being outcomes, such as self-esteem and social support, and reduce peri-migratory traumas for newcomer women and children in Canada. However, findings from this review underscore the need for more quantitative and participatory research approaches so that newcomer women's and children's needs are adequately explored and addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Many mental health disorders first emerge during early childhood or adolescence. • Wait times for children's mental health services have been an international and widespread problem. • Long wait times prolong the emotional distress of children and/or adolescents and their caregivers which can exacerbate mental health difficulties. • The majority of research in this area has been conducted in the United Kingdom and Canada and focus on one waitlist strategy. • Common strategies include alternative service delivery models, increasing system capacity, and improving intake and assessment processes. Background: Although many mental health disorders first emerge during early childhood or adolescence, there is a significant gap between demand and availability of mental health resources, leading to long waitlists for services. Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to identify and characterize the research literature related to the range of waitlist management strategies that have been implemented in outpatient child and adolescent mental health care. Methods: Electronic databases reviewed included: Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PubMed, PsychINFO, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and ISI Web of Science. Grey literature databases included: OpenGrey, Conference Papers Index, and Proquest Digital Dissertations. Articles were screened by two reviewers in two steps: first by title and abstract, then full text level. Data were extracted using an a-priori developed data extraction framework, which was piloted and modified iteratively. Results: A total of 119 papers related to waitlist interventions in child and adolescent mental health were reviewed. Of these 119 papers, 11% were reviews, summary, or theoretical papers; 8% used a randomized control trial design and 2.5% were trial protocols. Most studies used less rigorous designs, such as uncontrolled before-and- after designs. The large majority focused on just one waitlist strategy each. The most commonly used approaches included: prioritization/triage and initial assessment; brief consultation and advice or brief therapy approaches; group-based models; interim services; increasing capacity; and strategies to decrease non-attendance. Most studies were conducted in the United Kingdom or Canada. Discussion: While mental health systems are complex, most studies examining waitlist initiatives explored the implementation of single initiatives. It is unlikely that a single waitlist strategy can be effective in managing wait times for children's mental health. Rather, consistent and systemic approaches to address wait times that consider the impact of the reduction approach on the patient, the program, and the community are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]