Mental Health and Psychiatric Disorders of Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Pediatric Reports (ISSN 2036-7503).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 4023

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Adolescent Health Unit, 2nd Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “P. & A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Interests: adolescent health; adolescent development; child development; developmental health; learning difficulties; ADHD; autism spectrum disorder; internet addiction; sexual health; gender dysphoria and sexual orientation; eating disorders; overweight and obesity; family counseling and support; social emotional empowerment; psychoeducation; psychosocial health; adolescent health services; transition services; youth friendly services; pediatric and adolescent gynecology; contraception; school refusal; COVID-19 pandemic
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is a Special Issue on Mental Health and Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents; within, we aim to cover a variety of topics on preserving well-being, resilience and balance for the young in regard to environmental changes, behavioral expressions and health quality.  

Highlighting mental health challenges for children and adolescents comes as a priority in the post COVID-19 era; therefore, we encourage researchers to contribute to the international scientific dialogue. Numbers all over the globe show an increasing burden of mental health and psychiatric conditions concerning children, adolescent and their families. This also raises concerns about public health indicators, mental health in schools and general quality of life. 

This Special Issue will demonstrate a variety of topics on this specific scientific area, exploring the research results and best practices that may be used for future strategies in the control of any negative outcomes.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Artemis K. Tsitsika
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pediatric Reports is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • youth mental health
  • pediatric psychiatric disorders
  • developmental health
  • social emotional empowerment
  • psychoeducation
  • learning difficulties

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3379 KiB  
Article
Comparative Clinical Study on Periodontal Health Status and Early Diagnosis of Periodontal Diseases Quantified through Clinical Periodontal Indices on a Group of Children and Adolescents with and without Cardiovascular Diseases
by Oana Chipirliu, Marian Viorel Crăciun and Madalina Nicoleta Matei
Pediatr. Rep. 2024, 16(1), 1-20; https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric16010001 - 26 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 694
Abstract
It is well known that bacterial plaque is the main etiological factor that causes the appearance of periodontal diseases and carious disease. Periodontal diseases can affect children and adolescents and are manifested in the form of gingivitis, but also the early form of [...] Read more.
It is well known that bacterial plaque is the main etiological factor that causes the appearance of periodontal diseases and carious disease. Periodontal diseases can affect children and adolescents and are manifested in the form of gingivitis, but also the early form of chronic periodontitis as well as aggressive marginal periodontitis associated with local or general factors. Early periodontitis is frequently undiagnosed by clinicians due to a lack of knowledge of the specific symptoms. Certain systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, can create favorable conditions for the appearance and progression of severe manifestations of periodontal disease; also, recent research highlights that individuals with periodontal disease present an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Children with congenital or acquired cardiovascular diseases are at increased risk for complications resulting from the growth of microorganisms in the oral cavity, presenting a risk of infective endocarditis. The specific aim was to highlight the existing differences between the periodontal health of children with cardiovascular diseases and that of children without these diseases. The analyzed group included 124 patients, represented by children and adolescents, aged between 7 and 17 years, who were divided into four subgroups depending on the presence or absence of cardiovascular diseases and periodontal disease. A specialized clinical examination was performed for each patient, and periodontal clinical parameters were quantified (plaque index, gingival bleeding index, gingival index, community periodontal index of treatment needs) and associated with the diagnosis of general condition. Patients diagnosed with periodontal disease underwent specialized treatment and were called to a control visit 3 months after treatment. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between subgroups with much higher values of clinical parameters for patients with cardiovascular disease. Also, the response to the treatment was better in the case of patients in the control subgroup without cardiovascular diseases. The present study highlighted the interaction of three factors in the progression of periodontal diseases: subgingival microbiota, immune system response and environmental factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Psychiatric Disorders of Children and Adolescents)
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11 pages, 1182 KiB  
Article
Association between Children’s Difficulties, Parent-Child Sleep, Parental Control, and Children’s Screen Time: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan
by Yusuke Arai, Daimei Sasayama, Kazuhiro Suzuki, Toshinori Nakamura, Yuta Kuraishi and Shinsuke Washizuka
Pediatr. Rep. 2023, 15(4), 668-678; https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric15040060 - 08 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1353
Abstract
Children’s screen time may affect their growth and development. However, differences in the impact of various psychiatric and psychological factors on children’s screen time is a research gap. This study aimed to explore the differences in the influence of related factors affecting children’s [...] Read more.
Children’s screen time may affect their growth and development. However, differences in the impact of various psychiatric and psychological factors on children’s screen time is a research gap. This study aimed to explore the differences in the influence of related factors affecting children’s screen time based on their sleep, difficulties, and parental control among Japanese elementary and junior high school students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents in Japan. Data on screen time duration, parent–child background, strengths and difficulties, sleep variables, and parental control types were collected from 225 households. A regression analysis revealed that high Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores (β = 0.166, p = 0.008), sleep duration (β = −0.281, p < 0.001), and parental control (β = −0.204, p = 0.001) were significantly related to children’s screen time. Additionally, it was found that parents’ late bedtimes affect children’s screen time by mediating children’s sleep duration. This study, together with previous research, provides comprehensive insights into design interventions to decrease the screen time of children in the Japanese context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Psychiatric Disorders of Children and Adolescents)
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19 pages, 1165 KiB  
Article
Integrated Behavior Therapy for Exclusively Anxious Selective Mutism: A Nonconcurrent Multiple-Baseline Design across Five Participants
by Allison K. Siroky, John S. Carlson and Aimee Kotrba
Pediatr. Rep. 2023, 15(4), 617-635; https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric15040057 - 16 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1177
Abstract
Selective mutism (SM) is a rare childhood anxiety disorder which may be markedly detrimental to a child’s academic and social functioning if left untreated. Cognitive–behavioral treatments for social anxiety disorders have been found to be effective for SM, yet a paucity of published [...] Read more.
Selective mutism (SM) is a rare childhood anxiety disorder which may be markedly detrimental to a child’s academic and social functioning if left untreated. Cognitive–behavioral treatments for social anxiety disorders have been found to be effective for SM, yet a paucity of published studies have explored manualized treatment approaches carried out by novice clinicians. The purpose of the present study was to examine the adherence, effectiveness, and acceptability of a condensed, 16-session version of Integrated Behavior Therapy for Selective Mutism (IBTSM; Bergman, 2013), the first manualized treatment for SM. A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline single-case design was used across five children diagnosed with SM, exclusively anxious subtype. IBTSM was implemented with excellent adherence (M = 98%) over an average of 19 weeks (range = 16–22 weeks). Visual analyses of weekly caregiver ratings of social anxiety and speaking behaviors did not demonstrate a replicated intervention effect; however, Tau-U effect sizes and Reliable Change Index (RCI) calculations demonstrated significant individual improvements in social anxiety and speaking behaviors over time on several measures. Three children (60%) no longer met diagnostic criteria for SM following treatment. All caregivers rated IBTSM as acceptable, with specific endorsements of acceptability in the areas of time required and treatment quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health and Psychiatric Disorders of Children and Adolescents)
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