Search

Background: Although several manuals and guidelines have been developed to enhance the quality of task-sharing interventions, it remains challenging to train non-professional personnel in mental health and psychosocial support. Practitioners must translate general recommendations into practical applications to make them relevant in demanding contexts. However, limited research exists on practical experiences with standardised programmes in the field., Aim: To explore how experiences gained from the training of first-line health providers in a low-threshold intervention for children with trauma symptoms may guide implementation of such interventions in local communities in low-income countries., Method: We summarise 20 years of experience in the training of first-line health providers, teachers, and school counsellors in providing a low-threshold intervention. The intervention is called teaching recovery techniques (TRT), developed by the Children and War Foundation (CAW). Field notes containing notes from trainings and oral, informal feedback from participants are analysed using thematic analysis, a method well-suited for identifying, analysing, and reporting patterns, or themes, within data in qualitative research., Findings: The analysis showed three main themes/ challenges: (1) Who can conduct the TRT intervention? (2) What form and content should the training take? (3) How can the intervention be used in a responsible way to follow the 'do no harm' principle? We discuss the implications of the findings for trainings in scalable interventions and further research., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: To explore Swedish adolescents' conceptual views of mental health and mental health problems., Design: A qualitative descriptive study design., Methods: Semi-structured focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with, in total, 32 Swedish adolescents (15-18 years old) in October-November 2020. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation., Results: Three themes were identified through the analysis: Mental health is about how we feel; One's mental health depends on one's situation, thoughts and ways of coping; and Mental health problems should be taken seriously and can get severe., Conclusion: The results indicate that adolescents understand the complexity and holistic nature of mental health and mental health problems. According to the participating adolescents, positive mental health and mental health problems should be considered simultaneously to understand a young person's mental health state. Good health was described as having both absence of mental health problems and high levels of well-being: feeling well. Mental health problems were defined as something other than normal difficulties in life, but ranging from minor difficulties to more severe conditions. However, all kinds of mental health problems were termed as feeling unwell. The results suggest that adolescents are in need of support to cope with normal difficulties in life rather than lectures about life sometimes being challenging. In addition, the results highlight the need to prevent school-related stress and offer adolescents support for minor mental health problems., Impact: The findings have implications for nurses and other professionals who encounter adolescents in their profession, for example specialist nurses, school nurses and public health professionals. The findings add knowledge that could be useful for communication with adolescents about their mental health and methods to assess their mental health status., Patient or Public Contribution: The preliminary results were presented to three classes, in year nine in lower secondary school, for validation., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: A number of instruments for identifying mental health problems in children are available, but there is limited knowledge about how to successfully implement their use in routine practice. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is an instrument with sound psychometric properties. Because using multi-informant SDQs when assessing young children has been emphasized, parent- and preschool teacher reports on the SDQ were introduced at Child Health Clinics in a Swedish municipality. This paper aimed to describe a facilitation programme developed to support the introduction of SDQ in clinical practice and evaluate how nurses perceived the facilitation strategies used. Moreover, the dose (delivery) and reach (response rate and population coverage) of the questionnaires were assessed., Methods: The mixed-methods process evaluation was guided by Moore et al.'s framework. Process data were excerpted from monitoring data, the trial database, research group documents, study materials, group interviews with nurses, and a survey on nurses' opinions and experiences of the screening method and the implementation process. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis., Results: Facilitation strategies used included: educational meetings, educational outreach visits, newsletters, facilitative administrative support, and adaptations made in procedures and materials when required. Although nurses described a variety of barriers at the organisational and individual level, they were in favour of using the SDQ in clinical practice and emphasised the importance of the facilitation strategies used for its implementation. While dose levels (77-91%) indicated that nurses essentially delivered the intervention as intended, parental response rates remained between 54 and 63% and population coverage at around 50%, throughout the intervention period., Conclusion: The facilitation program was perceived to support the implementation of the SDQ at the yearly check-ups in the child healthcare setting, but further efforts are required to reach all families., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Parenting programmes are effective in improving child behaviour and parental well-being, but long follow-up studies of universally offered programmes are scarce., Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the costs and effects of Triple P levels 2-3 on child externalizing behaviours and parental mental health. The programme was offered universally to parents of preschoolers (self-selection allowed). Preschools were randomized to Triple P or a waitlist control. Health outcomes were reduction in externalizing behaviours measured on the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory-22 and improvement in parental mental health measured on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales collected at baseline, 6-, 12- and 18-month follow-up. Child outcomes were based on 355 children aged 3-5 years (child sample) and parental outcomes on 759 parents (parental sample) with baseline data. Costs were collected from a municipality perspective, including 312 children and 488 parents with baseline data in the intervention preschools., Results: Sixty-seven (29%) parents attended the intervention. Triple P showed no significant improvement in child externalizing behaviours or parental mental health at either of the follow-up points. Triple P had an average yearly total cost of 3007 Swedish Krona (SEK) (€323) per child or 1922 SEK (€207) per parent. Running Triple P cost 227 SEK (€24) per child or 145 SEK (€16) per parent yearly., Conclusion: Offering low intensity levels of Triple P with 29% attendance may not be a reasonable use of public resources, as no evidence of improvement in child externalizing behaviours or parental mental health was found., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.)

Background: Experiencing gender‐based violence (GBV) is common among refugees. Intersecting systems of oppression can increase the risk of GBV and of suffering detrimental consequences, while concurrently creating barriers to meaningful support. Despite this, refugees with lived experience of GBV are rarely involved in the development, planning and adaptation of services and policies. Methods: This article reports on a formative research process that aimed to involve public contributors (refugee victim‐survivors of GBV) and relevant stakeholders in co‐designing a service model aimed at improving psychosocial support in Sweden. Led by a partnership of public contributors and academic researchers, the research process consisted of iterative cycles of co‐design workshops, complemented by scoping of existing literature. Results: The co‐design process resulted in a characterisation of the psychosocial service system needs, as perceived by the survivor co‐researchers and stakeholders, and a two‐level empowerment and support service model. The model included (i) a community‐based intervention to promote help‐seeking and (ii) psychosocial group support delivered in specialist clinics. Outcomes of the project included perceived benefits for those involved, service‐led direct changes and acquisition of funding for continued research on the co‐designed model. Conclusion: Improving psychosocial support for refugees in Sweden affected by GBV requires safe spaces to connect with peers and familiarise with available services, laws and rights in the society. Further, strengthened collaborations across sectors are necessary to meet the variety of needs. Co‐design workshops were an effective way to initiate changes in the service delivery model for psychosocial support for refugees in Sweden affected by GBV. Patient or Public Contributions: This is a participatory reflection on a participatory process. The survivor co‐researchers contributed to designing and carrying out the PPI process and have co‐authored this manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe parental concerns about child health and behaviour and their sociodemographic predictors in 3‐year‐olds, in relation to the national guidelines of well‐baby clinics. Methods: The study included parents of 33 526 children in Stockholm who had completed a questionnaire prior to a routine visit to a well‐baby clinic at age 3 years. Multivariate regression was used to analyse predictors for concerns. Results: Child behaviour problems, defined as defiance and problem with adherence to daily routines, were the most common parental concerns (36.4%), with poor social skills and relations being second (21.8%). Regarding development, 9.6% had concerns about speech and 4.7% about motor development. Screen use (9.5%) and being underweight (6.3%) were other common parental concerns, while lifestyle concerns regarding physical activity and overweight were rare. Parents raised about twice as many concerns for first‐born children compared with younger siblings. Child behaviour and developmental concerns were more frequent in families where the mother had primary education only and attended a well‐baby clinic with a high Care Need Index. Conclusion: Parents' concerns reflected the national guidelines about child development and behaviour, but not its emphasis on a healthy lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to I) investigate the dual-factor model of mental health by forming and describing four participant groups and II) examine associations between mental health status and background factors, school-related factors, stress, and resilience among adolescents in a community population in Sweden. Data were collected through a survey completed by 2,208 students in lower and upper secondary school on the Swedish island of Gotland. After missing data were removed, a total of 1,833 participants were included in the study. The survey included the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) for the assessment of mental well-being and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the assessment of mental health problems. These two measures were combined into a dual-factor model, forming four mental health status subgroups: Vulnerable (47.5%), Complete mental health (36.2%), Troubled (13.9%), and Symptomatic but content (2.5%). Associations between these groups were explored regarding background factors, school-related factors, stress, and resilience through chi-squared tests and logistic regressions. Girls (OR: 1.88) and participants with high stress levels (OR: 2.23) had elevated odds for Vulnerable mental health status, whereas higher resilience (OR: 0.87) and subjective social status in school (OR: 0.76) were factors associated with reduced odds for this mental health status classification. Female gender (OR: 5.02) was also associated with Troubled mental health status. Similarly, a high level of stress (ORs: 4.08 and 11.36) was associated with Symptomatic but content and Troubled mental health status, and participants with higher levels of resilience had decreased odds for being classified into these groups (ORs: 0.88 and 0.81). The findings highlight the importance of interventions to increase resilience, reduce stress, and address stereotypic gender norms as well as social status hierarchies to support adolescents' mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient and public involvement (PPI) is becoming more common in research, but has been problematized for lack of diversity. While PPI literature increasingly focuses on assessment of PPI on research, a focus on the contributors is less common. This study tracked the experiences of involvement among four refugee parents involved as public contributors in a child mental health trial, over three years. The study used a longitudinal qualitative design with focus group discussions. Data were analysed using thematic analysis combined with a longitudinal analysis approach. The refugee parents' motivations for being involved changed from focusing on individual benefits to societal change. They initially viewed themselves as guests, which transformed into utilizing the group for social support. Time impacted trust-building positively, with continued collaboration strengthening trust. Practical aspects were dominant in the beginning, which shifted over time to allow more focus on research. They identified several learnings they gained from involvement. A discrepancy in how parents and researchers viewed involvement was identified, where parents saw researchers as owners of the research. To sustain successful PPI collaboration over time, researchers need to prioritize investment in time and resources, in communication, including working with interpreters, and in continued adjustments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sweden is home to a large and growing population of refugee youths who may be at risk of mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thus, there is a need for interventions that address mental health problems in these populations. Schools have been identified as an ideal setting for delivering such interventions as they offer a non-stigmatizing space and are often central to young refugees' social networks. The RefugeesWellSchool trial in Sweden will investigate an intervention comprising two programmes: Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) and In-service Teacher Training (INSETT), delivered in a school setting, among refugee youth. TRT is a group-based programme for children and adolescents, informed by Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). INSETT is a multi-module course for teachers providing information on trauma and the refugee experience to build teachers' cultural competence and capacity for supporting refugee youths in schools. Methods: This trial employs a cluster randomized-control design with two arms: (1) the intervention arm in which the TRT and INSETT programmes are offered (n = 350), (2) the wait-list control arm (n = 350) in which services are provided as usual until the TRT and INSETT programmes are offered approximately six months later. Data will be collected prior to the intervention, immediately following the intervention, and at three months post-intervention. Outcomes for the trial arms will be compared using linear mixed models or ANCOVA repeated measures as well as the Reliable Change Index (RCI). Discussion: This study will provide knowledge about the effectiveness of an intervention comprising two programmes: a group-based programme for youth reporting symptoms of PTSD and a training course for teachers, in order to build their competence and ability to support refugee youths in schools. Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN48178969, Retrospectively registered 20/12/2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is primarily a crisis that affects people's physical health. However, it is well-known from previous epidemics and pandemics that there are other indirect negative impacts on mental health, among others. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore and summarise primary empirical research evidence on how the COVID-19 pandemic and societal infection control measures have impacted children and adolescents' mental health. Methods: A literature search was conducted in five scientific databases: PubMed, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINHAL, and Social Science Premium Collection. The search string was designed using the Population (0–18 years), Exposure (COVID-19), Outcomes (mental health) framework. Mental health was defined broadly, covering mental well-being to mental disorders and psychiatric conditions. Results: Fifty-nine studies were included in the scoping review. Of these, 44 were cross-sectional and 15 were longitudinal studies. Most studies reported negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health outcomes, yet the evidence was mixed. This was also the case for studies investigating societal control measures. Strong resilience, positive emotion regulation, physical activity, parental self-efficacy, family functioning and emotional regulation, and social support were reported as protective factors. On the contrary, emotional reactivity and experiential avoidance, exposure to excessive information, COVID-19 school concerns, presence of COVID-19 cases in the community, parental mental health problems, and high internet, social media and video game use were all identified as potentially harmful factors. Conclusions: Due to the methodological heterogeneity of the studies and geographical variation, it is challenging to draw definitive conclusions about the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents. However, the existing body of research gives some insight to how parents, clinicians and policy makers can take action to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and control measures. Interventions to promote physical activity and reduce screen time among children and adolescents are recommended, as well as parenting support programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Great advancements have been made in patient and public involvement (PPI), including the development of guidance on how to conduct, report and evaluate PPI. Despite these efforts, the evidence base remains relatively weak. A substantive methodological development is required. This is particularly important for vulnerable groups within society, for whom PPI can be challenging but has the potential to play a transformative role in shaping research. Objectives: To describe the group dynamic characteristics and immediate impact of PPI from the user representatives' perspective in a case study of refugee involvement in the development of mental health intervention research. To pilot and methodologically appraise the Active Involvement of Users in Research Observation Schedule and Questionnaire. Design: The Active Involvement of Users in Research Observation Schedule and Questionnaire were administered together with a focus group discussion. Setting: 'Refugee Advisors' were involved in the development of a randomized controlled trial protocol evaluating a brief group intervention for refugee children experiencing symptoms of post‐traumatic stress in Sweden. Results: The multi‐method approach demonstrated good feasibility. There were clear examples of how the advisors influenced research development. The advisors described a perceived impact on the research, equality and acceptance, and knowledge gain. A sense of appreciation and empowerment was also interpreted. However, potential issues relating to the relevance of contributions and use of an interpreter were identified. Discussion and conclusion: The methodological approach piloted in this study offers a promising, rigorous way to evaluate PPI. The research tools require further refinement and validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the relations between asthma, allergies and mental health problems in preschool children, aged 3-5 years.Methods: In this cross-sectional Swedish study, we used data on 4649 children in Uppsala municipality whose parents and preschool teachers had responded to questions measuring asthma and allergies, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for assessment of mental health problems. Logistic regression models were used to explore the relations between asthma and allergies and mental health problems.Results: Children with asthma (8.5%) had elevated odds of having emotional symptoms as rated by parents (OR: 1.34; 1.02-1.76) and teachers (OR: 1.44; 1.09-1.91). According to parents' ratings, these children also had elevated odds of showing mental health problems in general according to the SDQ total score (OR: 1.42; 1.05-1.94). Children with food allergies or intolerance (4.4%) only had elevated odds of having emotional symptoms (OR: 1.64; 1.16-2.33), as reported by parents. These results remained significant after adjustment for parental background factors.Conclusion: Preschool children with asthma and food allergies or intolerance are at risk of having concurrent mental health problems. Mental health problems should be assessed in children with these disorders. Adequate support and/or referral to specialised services should be offered when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a widespread tool for assessing behavior problems in children and adolescents. Despite being investigated thoroughly concerning both validity and reliability, peer reviewed studies that provide norms, especially for preschool children, are lacking. This paper provides Swedish norms using data from a large community sample of children aged 3–5, based on mothers', fathers', and preschool teacher's ratings. Preschool teachers' ratings were generally lower than parents' ratings, which contradicts some previous studies. Differences between girls and boys were found, suggesting that boys display higher levels of behavior problems. Lower parental education and country of origin outside of Sweden were also associated with more difficulties. Cut‐offs are presented for each age group, gender and rater category. Population‐specific norms and percentile cut‐offs provided in this study facilitate identifying children in need of interventions in paediatric care and enable cross‐country comparisons of children's mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high number of asylum seekers in Sweden has highlighted the need to develop and evaluate structured assessment tools for children. In this study, we aimed to explore the utility of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with a trauma supplement of six items for preschool children in routine care. Parents of two- to six-year-olds (N = 61) were asked to complete the questionnaire during the routine health check-up offered to all refugees upon their arrival to Sweden. Focus-group interviews were conducted with the nurses who used the SDQ. The nurses found the SDQ valuable once they established a routine and felt that the SDQ contributed to a more structured and informative conversation about the child's mental health. The SDQ total difficulties showed good internal consistency (alpha = 0.82). A significant proportion of children scored above the clinical cut-off and SDQ scores correlated significantly with the number of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms measured using the supplement (rho = 0.29). The findings suggest that the SDQ with the trauma supplement is a useful tool in this clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of mental health problems is high among refugee children. Childhood mental health problems have long-term negative consequences and costs both for the individual child and society. The present study aimed to explore refugee parents' experiences of their children's mental health. Methodology: A qualitative explorative study was conducted. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nine refugee mothers who have been in Sweden less than 5 years and with at least one child in the ages 8–14 years. Data were analyzed inductively using thematic network analysis. Results: The global theme that emerged from the analysis was Navigating the moving landscape of forced migration , which described the refugee mothers' experiences of the previous adversity the family went through, the ongoing transition in the new context, and, lastly, the pathways to promote their children's mental health. Two organizing themes described mothers' and children's navigation of the forced migration: Previous adverse events and new suffering and Promoting children's well-being. Mothers described aggression and frequent conflicts, or refusal to play or eat, in their children related to living conditions at asylum centres and social isolation. This improved when children started school and possibilities of social relations increased. Mothers' own mental health and lack of language skills could also have a negative impact on the children. To focus on the present and have hope of the future was helpful to the children. Encouragement and social support from parents, teachers, and friends promoted children's well-being. Conclusion: The role of the host country in the promotion of the mental health of refugee children is emphasized. Interventions aimed to improve peer relations and reduce discrimination are needed, and these point to the school as a potential arena for positive change. Parental support groups were also mentioned as helpful in understanding the children's need for support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Accessing hepatitis C direct acting antivirals among people living with hepatitis C: a qualitative study" which appeared in the 2023 issue.

Background: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a valid and reliable instrument for measuring children’s mental health, is available in parent- and teacher versions, making it an ideal tool for assessing behavioural and emotional problems in young children. However, few studies have evaluated inter-parent agreement on the SDQ, and in most studies on SDQ agreement, parent scores are either provided by only one parent or have been combined into one parent score. Furthermore, studies on SDQ inter-rater agreement usually only reflect degree of correlation, leaving the agreement between measurements unknown. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine both degree of correlation and agreement between parent and teacher SDQ reports, in a community sample of preschool-aged children in Sweden. Methods: Data were obtained from the Children and Parents in Focus trial. The sample comprised 4,469 children 3–5-years-old. Mothers, fathers and preschool teachers completed the SDQ as part of the routine health check-ups at Child Health Centres. Inter-rater agreement was measured using Pearson correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation (ICC). Results: Results revealed poor/fair agreement between parent and teacher ratings (ICC 0.25–0.54) and good/excellent agreement between mother and father ratings (ICC 0.66–0.76). The highest level of agreement between parents and teachers was found for the hyperactivity and peer problem subscales, whereas the strongest agreement between parents was found for the hyperactivity and conduct subscales. Conclusions: Low inter-rater agreement between parent and teacher ratings suggests that information from both teachers and parents is important when using the SDQ as a method to identify mental health problems in preschool children. Although mothers and fathers each provide unique information about their child’s behaviour, good inter-parent agreement indicates that a single parent informant may be sufficient and simplify data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Child behaviour problems are common and can lead to later mental health problems. Poor maternal mental health and adverse parenting practices are known risk factors for child behaviour problems. Less is known about the association between paternal mental health and parenting, and child behaviour. We aimed to explore the association between paternal psychological distress and parenting (harsh discipline, low warmth, unreasonable expectations, and overinvolved/protectiveness) with children's internalising and externalising behaviour at 3 years of age. Methods: Cross‐sectional surveys of 669 (80% response) fathers of 3‐year‐old children, nested within a randomised controlled trial. Main outcomes of behaviour (Child Behavior Checklist), parenting (Parent Behavior Checklist and overinvolved/protective parenting scale), and psychological distress (Kessler‐6) were measured. Regression modelling examined the associations between paternal factors and child behaviour, adjusting for maternal mental health and parenting, as well as child and family variables. Results: In adjusted analyses, paternal psychological distress (b = 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.26–0.60], p < 0.001), harsh discipline (b = 0.20, 95% CI [0.13–0.27], p < 0.001), and maternal mental health (b = 0.08, 95% CI [0.03–0.12], p = 0.001) were associated with externalising symptoms. However, only paternal psychological distress, harsh discipline, and being a boy were associated with borderline/clinical levels of externalising problems (all p < 0.05). Paternal psychological distress, harsh discipline, overinvolved parenting, maternal mental health, and difficult child temperament were associated with internalising symptoms (all p < 0.05). However, only paternal harsh discipline and overinvolved parenting were associated with borderline/clinical internalising problems. Conclusions: Paternal mental health and parenting are independently associated with child behaviour. Treatments for children with behavioural problems should also address paternal mental health and parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. The dramatic increase in the number of refugees in Europe presents a major public health challenge. The limited existing evidence indicates that the mental health needs of refugees are significant; unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) constitute a particularly vulnerable group. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether a short questionnaire (Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale; CRIES-8) could be used as a screening tool for PTSD symptoms in URMs, 8–18 years old, during their routine health check-up. Methods. Data were collected at the healthcare centre for asylum-seekers in Uppsala, Sweden. In total, 208 URMs completed the CRIES-8 during their health assessment. Results. The CRIES-8 was feasible to use, showed good internal consistency and its factor structure was confirmed. Children with less than four years of education often had difficulties completing the questionnaire by themselves and needed help reading the questions. Almost all the respondents were male (98%), aged 9–18 years. The majority (81%) came from Afghanistan. About 76% scored above the cut-off and therefore were considered to be at risk of PTSD. The proportion of children who screened positive did not differ based on age, country of origin or current living arrangements. Conclusions. The CRIES-8 is a useful tool in clinical settings, however, children should be provided with reading support and instructions about how to complete the questionnaire. The high number of children who screened positive for PTSD symptoms indicates the need for a more thorough mental health assessment, and early prevention/intervention programmes to address URMs’ mental health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the authors reflect on the programme of research on refugee minors' mental health in Sweden to map trauma support onto the shifting landscape of seeking refuge in the country. Topics include the number of unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) among the asylum seekers in Sweden, the possible effects of seeking refuge during war and conflict on the mental health of the refugees, and the community intervention called teaching recovery techniques (TRT).

Should read: An intervention targeting teachers working with refugee youth is the In-service Teacher Training (INSETT) programme [32, 33], aiming to strengthen teachers' competence on how refugee experiences may affect school functioning and psychosocial wellbeing in youth upon resettlement in the new host country. It allows teachers to better understand and support young refugees at school through encouraging positive interethnic relationships and strengthening school belonging, as well as fostering supportive interrelationships with parents, caregivers or guardians to promote school involvement. [Extracted from the article]

Background There is large body of knowledge to support the importance of early interventions to improve child health and development. Nonetheless, it is important to identify cost-effective blends of preventive interventions with adequate coverage and feasible delivery modes. The aim of the Children and Parents in Focus trial is to compare two levels of parenting programme intensity and rate of exposure, with a control condition to address impact and cost-effectiveness of a universally offered evidence-based parenting programme in the Swedish context. Methods/Design The trial has a cluster randomised controlled design comprising three arms: Universal arm (with access to participation in Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, level 2); Universal Plus arm (with access to participation in Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, level 2 as well as level 3, and level 4 group); and Services as Usual arm. The sampling frame is Uppsala municipality in Sweden. Child health centres consecutively recruit parents of children aged 3 to 5 years before their yearly check-ups (during the years 2013-2017). Outcomes will be measured annually. The primary outcome will be children's behavioural and emotional problems as rated by three informants: fathers, mothers and preschool teachers. The other outcomes will be parents' behaviour and parents' general health. Health economic evaluations will analyse cost-effectiveness of the interventions versus care as usual by comparing the costs and consequences in terms of impact on children's mental health, parent's mental health and health-related quality of life. Discussion This study addresses the need for comprehensive evaluation of the long-term effects, costs and benefits of early parenting interventions embedded within existing systems. In addition, the study will generate population-based data on the mental health and well-being of preschool aged children in Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]