Psychosocial Support

The best form of psychosocial support is a healthy family and supportive environment, preferably in the child's community of origin, or one that is culturally similar. Psychosocial well-being is a product of multiple support, which is rooted in the ability to form healthy relationships and participate in community networks.

However, certain considerations may be required in order to help children and caretakers come to terms with life-changing events, such as the loss of a parent. Separation can be highly stressful for children, particularly if it is unexpected, or repeated. Some children may experience anxiety, attachment problems, sleep disturbances, dependency issues, regression, and a range of other behavioural issues which threaten their mental health and development.

Specific types of support may be required for children suffering from loss, severe or chronic ill health, abuse or exploitation. The child’s experience, age, resilience, and the level of support received from the family and community will determine if a child needs external services. A child is far less likely to experience psychosocial stress if they have good natural support mechanisms and therefore protection efforts should focus on supporting families and communities to help each other.

When psychosocial support is needed, an assessment is important in determining the scope and type of issues, the existing family and community resources, and analysis of how these can be strengthened. Clinical mental health interventions such as therapy, psychiatry or psychological counseling, should only be provided by trained professionals after a clinical assessment and, in all cases, should be culturally relevant.

Psychosocial activities must promote the children’s development and their relationships with others, re-establish routines, increase self confidence and sense of control over their lives. Children’s activities, such as the provision of safe places, group work or referrals to specialists, should be designed around the child’s individual needs, age, gender, and cultural identity. Interventions should be empowering, inclusive, and fully integrated with wider community efforts. Children’s participation is essential in psychosocial work; children should be encouraged to express their opinions, and to have these taken into account.

The literature found here describes the psychosocial effects of separation, and other threats to children such as HIV/AIDS, conflict, abuse and exploitation, and provides guidance and examples of psychosocial interventions.

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Foster parents' emotional investment and their young foster children's socio-emotional functioning

Heidi Jacobsen, Hilde Brabrand, Solveig M. M. Liland, Tore Wentzel-Larsen, Vibeke Moe - Children and Youth Services Review, 31 Jan 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate 60 foster parents' acceptance, commitment and awareness of influence to their early placed foster children at 2 years, as well as to investigate the association between these three concepts and the foster children's social-emotional functioning (externalizing, internalizing, dysregulation and competence) at 2 and 3 years of age.

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Depressive symptoms and self-harm among youngsters referred to child welfare: The role of trust in caregiver support and communication

Tara Santens, Laurence Claes, Guy S. Diamond, Guy Bosmans - Child Abuse & Neglect, 30 Jan 2018

This study explored whether trust in caregiver support and communication about experiences with primary caregivers, are associated with Child Welfare System (CWS) youngsters’ depressive symptoms and/or self-harm.

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Do frequency of visits with birth parents impact children’s mental health and parental stress in stable foster care settings?

Sturla Fossum, Svein Arild Vis, and Amy Holtan - Cogent Psychology , 25 Jan 2018

This article explores whether the number of visits by birth parents influence perceptions of attachment, children’s competence and mental health, and stress levels in foster parents.

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of adoptive parents attending ‘Nurturing Attachments’, a dyadic developmental psychotherapy informed group

Olivia Hewitt, Ben Gurney-Smith, Kim Golding - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22 Jan 2018

This study evaluates the ‘Nurturing Attachment’ program in the UK, a Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy intervention for adoptive families.

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Pre-adoption adversities and adoptees' outcomes: The protective role of post-adoption variables in an Italian experience of domestic open adoption

Caterina Balenzano, Gabrielle Coppola, Rosalinda Cassibba, Giuseppe Moro - Children and Youth Services Review, 10 Jan 2018

The present study concerning domestic adoption explored the adjustment of 37 adolescents and 22 emerging adults (with age ranging between 11 and 18 and 18 and 24 years, respectively), adopted through an Italian form of open adoption, and analyzed the quality of adoptive family relationships and adoptees' attachment as possible moderating variables in the relation between multiple pre-adoptive risk factors and adoptees' outcomes.

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Barriers and facilitators for access to mental health services by traumatized youth

April Joy Damian, Joseph J. Gallo, Tamar Mendelson - Children and Youth Services Review, 07 Jan 2018

The purpose of this study was to assess the perspective of social service providers who participated in a nine-month, trauma-informed care (TIC) training intervention on 1) their capacity to make referrals to trauma-specific services following the training, and 2) factors external to the training intervention that supported or hindered their ability to link traumatized youth with services.

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Effects of Early Neglect Experience on Recognition and Processing of Facial Expressions: A Systematic Review

Victoria Doretto and Sandra Scivoletto - Brain Sciences, 06 Jan 2018

This article reviews and analyzes data from recent literature about recognition and processing of facial expressions in individuals with history of childhood neglect.

Trauma Responsive Child Welfare Systems

Virginia Strand and Ginny Sprang, 2018

This comprehensive reference offers a robust framework for introducing and sustaining trauma-responsive services and culture in child welfare systems.

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The long-term effects of out-of-home placement in late adolescence: A propensity score matching analysis among Swiss youths

Margit Averdijk, Denis Ribeaud, Manuel Eisner - Longitudinal and Life Course Studies: International Journal, 2018

The aim of this study was to examine the outcomes of out-of-home placement in adolescence.

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HIV and Caregiver Common Mental Disorder: Synergistic Impacts on Child Development and Entry Points for Interventions

Mark Tomlinson and Xanthe Hunt - 4Children, Catholic Relief Services, 2018

In this paper, the authors review published literature on the mental health status of mothers living with HIV (MLH) and how this affects their children; outline the pathways between maternal HIV, maternal mental health problems, and negative child outcomes; and then describe a number of intervention entry points that they argue have the potential to enhance impact across PEPFAR platforms.