Self-harm is a growing phenomenon among young people. This study examined self-harm rates in youths over five years, before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we explored risk factors influencing self-harm repetition. We …

Anxiety disorders are among the most common and impairing mental health conditions in children and adolescents. Although exposure-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established treatment for this population based on decades of …

Children in war-torn areas are highly susceptible to post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), influenced by direct exposure to war and maternal PTSS. This risk is further heightened by continuous traumatic stress (CTS). However, the relationship …

In 2020, youth experienced transformative change, as schools shut down and adolescents’ social and school lives moved fully online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid this upheaval, adolescents also experienced the normative changes of the pubertal …

Irritability is a common mental health issue in children and adolescents which strongly predicts later psychopathology and impairment. It can manifest in tonic (persistent angry mood) and phasic (short temper outbursts) forms, but research on this …

Street Temptations is a virtual reality-enhanced training program developed as an add-on intervention for adolescents with disruptive behavior problems. Using mentalization as a primary treatment mechanism, the program aims to address cognitive …

Family, peers, and teachers are the three pillars that significantly shape adolescents’ lives. Traumatic events originating from these domains (i.e., family, peers, and teachers) can have profound implications on adolescents’ mental health. Using …

Despite the impact of maltreatment on child psychopathology, research has shown that the effects of maltreatment can vary depending on individual characteristics. Guided by differential susceptibility theory, this multi-method longitudinal study …

Studies have shown a reciprocal relationship between basic psychological need frustration and depressive symptoms in adolescents. However, the underlying pattern of this relationship remains unclear. This longitudinal study employed network …

Regulatory problems, defined as excessive crying, sleeping and feeding problems, as well as pronounced sensory sensitivity, pose a significant source of worry and exhaustion for parents. In this study, we investigate the evolvement of multiple …

Qualitative research highlights the importance of perceived social support for well-being in juvenile justice-involved youth, but to date, little quantitative research has tested the generalizability of these findings. We sought to address this …

Racial discrimination in educational settings remains a significant barrier to equitable learning environments and is toxic for the mental health of Black youth in Canada. This study employed a mixed-methods multi-study approach to document the …

The current study used a person-centered analytic approach to identify distinct classes of depressive symptoms among Black adolescents in under-resourced, urban communities and examined demographic and contextual factors related to class …

This longitudinal study examined the transactional relations between study habits and behavioral problems within and between children and the potential gender differences in the above relations during middle childhood in China. The participants …

Disruptions in positive affect (PA) have been found to characterize several internalizing disorders, including depression, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety. One factor that may contribute to disruptions in PA are individual differences in …

In this study, we examined associations between census-derived indices of neighborhood disadvantage and children’s reward outcome processing and whether these relations would be stronger among children already at risk for alterations in reward …

Therapist “missteps” (i.e., inadvertent, less optimal, or noncollaborative therapist behaviors) have the potential to negatively impact youth and family engagement in community mental health services. The present study explores potential misstep …

Youth problem sexual behaviors (PSBs), and particularly youth illegal sexual behaviors, have deleterious consequences for youth who engage in them, including removal from the home, perpetration of non-sexual offenses, and chronic involvement with …

Language skills, along with emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) problems, are known to independently influence long-term outcomes. However, the bidirectional relationship between these factors over time, particularly during …

This study aimed to develop and validate a measurement tool for General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and explore the underlying mechanisms of anxiety. Study 1 developed the Generalized Anxiety Symptom Scale (GASS) based on the diagnostic criteria of GAD …