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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Stress and coping mechanisms among adolescents living in orphanages: An experience from Klang Valley, Malaysia

Marjan Mohammadzadeh PhD, Hamidin Awang MD, Suriani Ismail PhD, Hayati Kadir Shahar PhD - Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 07 Feb 2018

This study aimed to assess both the prevalence of stress and the coping mechanisms as well as identify the predictors of stress levels among adolescents in Malaysian orphanages.

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Experiences of child protection workers in collaborating with adult mental health providers: An exploratory study from Ontario, Canada

Robin Mason, Janice Du Mont, Maeve Paterson, Ilene Hyman - Children and Youth Services Review, 05 Feb 2018

The aim of this paper is to describe findings from a survey which identified barriers and facilitators to collaboration between child welfare and adult mental health service providers.

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The relationship between child protection contact and mental health outcomes among Canadian adults with a child abuse history

Tracie O. Afifi, Jill McTavish, Sarah Turner, Harriet L. MacMillanc, C. Nadine Wathen - Child Abuse & Neglect, 02 Feb 2018

The aim of the current study was to examine whether contact with CPS is associated with improved mental health outcomes among adult respondents who reported experiencing child abuse, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and abuse severity.

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Disability Inclusion in Psychosocial Support Programs in Lebanon: Guidance for psychosocial support facilitators

Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) and UNICEF Lebanon , 01 Feb 2018

This resource is designed to support PSS Facilitators to strengthen inclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities in a range of PSS activities, including community based and focused activities.

Social support networks of care leavers: Mediating between childhood adversity and adult functioning

Eran P. Melkman, Rami Benbenishty - Children and Youth Services Review, 31 Jan 2018

The goals of the present study are to examine the association between childhood adversity and adult functioning among youth aging out-of-care, and to explore how attributes of their social support networks mediate this association.

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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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