Factors associated with psychological resilience in left-behind children in southwest China

Psychological resilience of Chinese left-behind children (LBC) remains under-studied. In this cross-sectional survey, we intended to analyze factors associated with resilience in a large group of LBC. One-stage random cluster sampling was used to select 2898 LBC aged between 10 and 17 years in Yunnan province of southwestern China. Face-to-face interview was used to collect relevant information from the participants. Resilience was measured by the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA). Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that having a better educated mother, feeling closer to people living in the same residence, and having more close friends were associated with higher psychological resilience in LBC. LBC who felt less close to people living in the same residence were consistently lower in all five dimensions of resilience. Compared with LBC with 2 or less close friends, LBC with more close friends had significantly greater resilience in goal concentration, family support, and interpersonal assistance. Higher mother's education level was related to higher resilience in emotion regulation, family support, and interpersonal assistance. Our findings suggest that dimension-specific intervention measures should be developed and implemented to improve psychological resilience of LBC.

An Integrative Review of School-Based Mental Health Interventions and Implications for Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures

Millions of students with mental health concerns attend school each day. It is unknown how many of those students experience psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES); however, quality of life, academic, and mental health outcomes for students experiencing PNES can be bleak. Currently, no authors have addressed potential school nurse interventions for students with PNES. Because PNES is a mental health condition and is often influenced by underlying anxiety and/or depression, an integrative review of school nurse interventions and outcomes for students with general mental health concerns was conducted. An integrative review resulted in the identification of 13 quantitative and 2 qualitative studies that met inclusion criteria. The findings from this review suggest school nurses, following principles from the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice, play an active role in mental health interventions and should be involved in replicating and testing known mental health interventions to investigate their effectiveness for students with PNES.

Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Excessive Anxiety in Children: Development of the CALM Intervention

PROBLEM

Excessive anxiety is among the most common psychiatric problems facing youth. Because anxious youth tend to have somatic complaints, many seek help from the school nurse. Thus, school nurses are in an ideal position to provide early intervention. This study addresses this problem and describes the plans to develop and test a new intervention (Child Anxiety Learning Modules; CALM), delivered by school nurses, to reduce child anxiety and improve academic functioning.

METHODS

An iterative development process including consultation with an expert panel, two open trials, and a pilot randomized controlled study comparing CALM to usual care is proposed. Feedback will be solicited from all participants during each phase and data on outcome measures will be provided by children, parents, teachers, and independent evaluators.

FINDINGS

Data will be collected on intervention satisfaction and feasibility. Primary outcomes that include child anxiety symptoms, classroom behavior, and school performance (e.g., attendance, grades, standardized test scores) will be collected at pre- and post-interventions and at a 3-month follow-up evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric anxiety is a common problem that school nurses frequently encounter. Consequently, they are well positioned to play a key role in enhancing access to behavioral health interventions to reduce anxiety and may therefore make a significant positive public health impact.

Efficient interventions on suicide prevention: a literature review

AIM

This review focuses on interventions to prevent suicide. It excludes psychotherapy evaluations and pharmaceutical clinical trials. The aim of this article is to provide useful input to the reflection on and the development of actions for professionals who may be concerned by suicide prevention.

METHOD

This research is based on 41 published evaluation studies presenting results on at least one of the three following outcomes: completed suicides, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideations. These studies have been classified into seven categories of preventive action.

RESULTS

According to data from the literature selected for our analysis, the three most efficient categories of intervention seem to be the limitation of access to lethal means, the preservation of contact with the patients hospitalized for a suicide attempt after hospitalization, and the implementation of emergency call centers. The four other categories of intervention examined in this study - the training of general practitioners, the reorganization of care, programs in schools, and information campaigns - have not yet shown sufficient proof of their efficacy. Nevertheless, these interventions, under certain conditions, can also contribute significantly to the prevention of suicide.

CONCLUSION

The majority of effective interventions minister to people already suffering from psychological disorders, but health promotion initiatives prior to situations of psychological disorders also deserve to be considered, in particular the implementation of services for the isolated elderly.

Children's mental health and school success

An integrative review of literature was undertaken to examine the impact of children's mental health on their school success. The literature confirmed a confluence of problems associated with school performance and child and adolescent mental health. Poor academic functioning and inconsistent school attendance were identified as early signs of emerging or existing mental health problems during childhood and adolescence. Among the goals of school nursing is to provide a process for identification and resolution of students' health needs as they affect educational achievement. Thus, it is within the scope of practice and goals of school nursing to also address children's mental health needs, as they affect school performance. This review of literature supports the conclusion that school nursing is well positioned to respond to the need for mental health promotion, illness prevention, and early intervention related to children's mental health.