Experiences of a digital health intervention for young people exposed to technology assisted sexual abuse: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that Technology Assisted Sexual Abuse (TASA) represents a serious problem for large numbers of children. To date, there are very few evidence-based interventions available to young people (YP) after they have been exposed to this form of abuse, and access to support services remains a challenge. Digital tools such as smartphones have the potential to increase access to mental health support and may provide an opportunity for YP to both manage their distress and reduce the possibility of further victimization. The current study explores the acceptability of a digital health intervention (DHI; the i-Minds app) which is a theory-driven, co-produced, mentalization-based DHI designed for YP aged 12-18 who have experienced TASA. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 YP recruited through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre and an e-therapy provider who had access to the i-Minds app as part of a feasibility clinical trial. Interviews focused on the acceptability and usability of i-Minds and were coded to themes based on the Acceptability of Healthcare Interventions framework. RESULTS: All participants found the i-Minds app acceptable. Many aspects of the app were seen as enjoyable and useful in helping YP understand their abuse, manage feelings, and change behavior. The app was seen as usable and easy to navigate, but for some participants the level of text was problematic and aspects of the content was, at times, emotionally distressing at times. CONCLUSIONS: The i-Minds app is useful in the management of TASA and helping change some risk-related vulnerabilities. The app was designed, developed and evaluated with YP who had experienced TASA and this may account for the high levels of acceptability seen. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered on the ISRCTN registry on the 12/04/2022 as i-Minds: a digital intervention for young people exposed to online sexual abuse (ISRCTN43130832).

Caregiving for children through conflict and displacement: a pilot study testing the feasibility of delivering and evaluating a light touch parenting intervention for caregivers in the West Bank.

A child's adjustment to wartime stress is reliant not only on individual responses and qualities, but very significantly on the availability of support that they may receive from their parent or caregivers and quality of relationships. Strengthening parental support has the potential to be valuable. A pilot two-arm randomised controlled trial investigated the feasibility of delivering and evaluating the "Caring for Children Through Conflict and Displacement" intervention with caregivers in the West Bank. Feasibility to recruit and train non-specialist staff on-the-ground to screen families for eligibility, collect outcome data, deliver the intervention and to recruit and retain families in the study were examined. Research staff and intervention facilitators were successfully appointed in the field, screened participants and delivered the intervention to 120 caregivers, collecting outcome measures pre-and post-delivery. All families completed the outcome measures, with very little missing data. This indicated that the intervention can be delivered feasibly and evaluated with families in this humanitarian context. Preliminary outcome data showed promise that the intervention may have the potential to both improve family functioning and reduce children's problem behaviour. Implications of family-focused initiatives, particularly within a conflict/post-conflict context for the prevention of several negative health and social outcomes directions, are discussed.

Surgical release of the chest wall skin and fascia for sclerodermatous graft versus host disease causing restrictive lung disease: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Graft versus host disease (GVHD) remains a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the setting of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Skin involvement is reported to be as high as 70-95 % in this group with GVHD and the severity of the involvement varies widely. Surgical management of complications of severe cutaneous GVHD is uncommon and is rarely mentioned as a treatment option. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of severe sclerodermatous skin changes restricting chest expansion and exercise tolerance to the point of limiting basic activities of daily life. A 54-year-old male presents with severe restrictive lung disease from sclerodermatous graft versus host disease (GVHD) after stem cell transplant for Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML). He experienced limited symptomatic relief from maximal medical therapy and photochemotherapy, and subsequently underwent a skin release and split skin grafting of his chest and abdomen in an effort to improve exercise tolerance and quality of life. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Despite an initial improvement in functioning, the patient's spirometry and lung function continued to decline with time, possibly suggesting that he did not gain a sustained benefit from surgical release of his cutaneous GVHD. CONCLUSION: While delineating between disease progression and surgical outcome is difficult in this case, the patient would argue that by delaying or reducing further decline in function, the surgical release procedures led to improved quality of life in subsequent years. However further research is required to establish a clear role for surgery in the treatment of refractory cutaneous GVHD.

What are practitioners' views of how digital health interventions may play a role in online child sexual abuse service delivery?

Introduction: Online child sexual abuse (OCSA) affects considerable numbers of children globally and is associated with a variety of mental health problems. Existing practitioner studies suggest that young people are infrequently asked about online abuse and practitioners have a fragmented understanding of the problems experienced or how they might approach them. There are very few evidence-based interventions that guide clinical assessment or practice. Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) have the potential to be an effective option where children and young people's services are challenged, including accessibility and anonymity. The aim of this study was to explore mental health practitioners' views of how DHIs may play a role in supporting young people who have experienced OCSA, and the role they can play in healthcare delivery. Method: In-depth qualitative interviews and one focus group were conducted with 25 child mental health professionals across two sites (Manchester and Edinburgh). Data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three overarching themes and 9 sub-themes were identified: (1) feeling a little bit lost; (2) seeing potential problems; and (3) knowing what works. Practitioners expressed interest in a DHI to support this client group and saw it as a way of managing waiting lists and complementing existing therapies. They felt that many young people would see this as a preferred medium to in-person therapy, would be empowering, and offers new ways of learning how to stay safe online. However, there were concerns about how much time would be needed by staff to deliver a DHI, anxieties about safety issues in relation to content and data protection, some of which may be unique to this population of young people, and concerns about the absence of a therapeutic relationship with vulnerable children. Discussion: Our findings indicated that practitioners were uncertain about working with children subjected to OCSA but were receptive to the possibility of using a DHI to support their practice and to reduce waiting lists. Concerns were expressed about the time needed for staff training and support as well as concerns over patient safety and the lack of evidence about the effectiveness of an unsupported DHI.

Implementation of a digital health intervention for young people exposed to Technology Assisted Sexual Abuse.

BACKGROUND: The internet has become a place of increased risk of abuse, including sexual abuse, for young people (YP). One potential risk factor to online abuse and exploitation is the ability to mentalise. We developed the i-Minds app, a mentalisation-based digital health intervention (DHI) for YP who have experienced technology assisted sexual abuse (TASA), which we tested in a clinical feasibility trial. Nested within the trial was a qualitative implementation study with clinicians who referred to the trial. OBJECTIVE: To explore the barriers and enablers to the future integration of i-Minds into clinical practice. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Twelve HCPs were recruited from across two trial recruitment sites (Manchester and Edinburgh). METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were informed by Normalisation Process Theory (NPT). Framework analysis was used; transcripts were coded deductively to NPT constructs. RESULTS: Practitioners were positive about the need for, and added value of, the i-Minds app over existing interventions, including other DHIs. While they felt confident with the app, concerns remained around the safety of using the app without practitioner support. i-Minds promoted changes in practitioners' work and impacted online behaviour of YP. There was an identified need for further training and organisational support. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners are aware of TASA but have limited knowledge, skills and tools to work with TASA in clinical practice with YP. There is a need for awareness raising and education about TASA and DHI. i-Minds offers a theory-informed DHI for working with YP exposed to TASA that is acceptable to practitioners and YP.

The experiences of practitioners working with young people exposed to online sexual abuse.

Introduction: This qualitative study explored healthcare professionals' current understanding of, and clinical practices related to, Online Child Sexual Abuse (OCSA). Methods: Data were collected across two UK sites (Manchester and Edinburgh). Interviews and one focus group were held with 25 practitioners working in services offering clinical support to young people who have experienced OCSA. Thematic analysis of the data identified three overarching themes and 10 subthemes related to the research questions: (1) the breadth of the problem; (2) working with OCSA; and (3) the emotionally charged nature of OCSA. Results: While practitioners recognized OCSA as problematic, they differed in how they conceptualized it. There was a heightened awareness of the role that sexual images played in OCSA and concerns about first-person-produced imagery by Children and Young People (CYP). Practitioners described a generational gap related to their technology use and that of the young people they worked with. Practitioners also described a paucity of referral pathways and concerns that there was no training available to them. Organizational barriers meant that questions about technology use were not routinely included in assessments and often there was reliance on young people making disclosures. Discussion: Novel findings from this study were the psychological impacts that such cases had on practitioners, which may indicate a need for organizational support for staff as well as further training needs. Existing frameworks that help conceptualize and assess the role of technology as part of the ecology of the child may have great utility for practitioners.

A Digital Intervention to Improve Mental Health and Interpersonal Resilience in Young People Who Have Experienced Technology-Assisted Sexual Abuse: Protocol for a Nonrandomized Feasibility Clinical Trial and Nested Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: No evidence-based support has been offered to young people (YP) who have experienced technology-assisted sexual abuse (TASA). Interventions aimed at improving mentalization (the ability to understand the mental states of oneself and others) are increasingly being applied to treat YP with various clinical issues. Digital technology use among YP is now common. A digital intervention aimed at improving mentalization in YP who have experienced TASA may reduce the risk of revictimization and future harm and make YP more resilient and able to manage distress that might result from TASA experiences. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we describe a protocol for determining the feasibility of the i-Minds trial and the acceptability, safety, and usability of the digital intervention (the i-Minds app) and explore how to best integrate i-Minds into existing routine care pathways. METHODS: This is a mixed methods nonrandomized study aimed to determine the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and usability of the intervention. Participants aged between 12 and 18 years who report distress associated with TASA exposure will be recruited from the United Kingdom from the National Health Service (NHS) Trust Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, sexual assault referral centers, and a web-based e-therapy provider. All participants will receive the i-Minds app for 6 weeks. Coproduced with YP and a range of stakeholders, the i-Minds app focuses on 4 main topics: mentalization, TASA and its impact, emotional and mental health, and trauma. A daily prompt will encourage YP to use the app, which is designed to be used in a stand-alone manner alongside routine care. We will follow participants up after the intervention and conduct interviews with stakeholders to explore the acceptability of the app and trial procedures and identify areas for improvement. Informed by the normalization process theory, we will examine barriers and enablers relevant to the future integration of the intervention into existing care pathways, including traditional clinic-based NHS and NHS e-therapy providers. RESULTS: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of Scotland. We expect data to be collected from up to 60 YP. We expect to conduct approximately 20 qualitative interviews with participants and 20 health care professionals who referred YP to the study. The results of this study have been submitted for publication. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide preliminary evidence on the feasibility of recruiting YP to a trial of this nature and on the acceptability, safety, and usability of the i-Minds app, including how to best integrate it into existing routine care. The findings will inform the decision to proceed with a powered efficacy trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Registry (ISRCTN) ISRCTN43130832; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN43130832. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/40539.

A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of a Parenting Intervention Offered to Women With Severe Mental Health Problems and Delivered in a Mother and Baby Unit Setting: The IMAgINE Study Outcomes.

Background: Approximately 1-2% of mothers may experience severe mental illness (SMI) requiring admission to an inpatient Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). MBUs aim to provide mental health assessment and treatment and strengthen the mother-infant relationship, essential for infant development. Whilst MBUs offer various interventions, they do not routinely offer structured parenting interventions. The Baby Triple P Positive Parenting Program (BTP) was developed to enhance parenting competence, psychological coping and the quality of partner and other social support. Guided by lived experience consultation, we aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of delivering BTP plus Treatment as Usual (TAU) in this setting. Method: A multi-site, parallel-group, single-blind pilot randomized controlled trial (registration: ISRCTN12765736) comparing BTP+TAU to TAU in participants, recruited from two MBUs in England. The Baby Triple P intervention consisted of eight parenting sessions, with the final four being delivered over the telephone following MBU discharge. Feasibility outcomes were participant intervention engagement and study retention. Clinical outcomes including maternal parenting competence, bonding and mental health outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-baseline/intervention (10 weeks) and six-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression models. An economic feasibility analysis was also conducted. Results: Thirty-seven of the 67 eligible participants consented; 34 were randomized (16 to BTP+TAU and 18 to TAU), of whom 20 were retained at post-intervention data collection and 21 at six-month follow-up. Twelve participants (75%) completed the intervention, which was rated as highly acceptable. Clinical outcomes signaled potential improvements in maternal parenting competence, bonding, mood and mental health symptomatology in participants who received the intervention. Healthcare resource use and EQ-5D-5L questionnaires were well-completed by participants. Delivering BTP in this setting is estimated to cost £443-822 per participant. Conclusions: This is the first trial of a parenting intervention in a MBU setting. BTP is feasible and acceptable to mothers with SMI, with a promising signal for treatment efficacy. Although minor modifications may be required for the collection of observer-rated measures post-MBU discharge, the findings indicate that a larger, definitive trial could be conducted, especially if the setting is extended to include perinatal mental health community settings.

Enhancing Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) with Parenting Skills: RCT of TRT + Parenting with Trauma-Affected Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Utilising Remote Training with Implications for Insecure Contexts and COVID-19.

Child psychosocial recovery interventions in humanitarian contexts often overlook the significant effect that caregivers can have on improving children's future trajectory. We enhanced the well-established, evidenced-based child trauma recovery programme Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) intervention with parenting sessions, i.e., TRT + Parenting (TRT + P), which aims to improve parent mental health and their ability to support their children's mental health. We describe the findings of a three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing enhanced TRT + P vs. TRT and waitlist. The primary aim was to test if children in the enhanced arm of the programme show improved child and caregiver mental health. We recruited 119 Syrian refugee children and one of their caregivers in Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. They were randomised to the TRT, TRT + P, or waitlist control group. Data were collected at baseline and 2 weeks and 12 weeks post intervention. Training of facilitators was via remote training from the United Kingdom. Results showed a highly consistent pattern, with children in the enhanced TRT + P group showing the greatest levels of improvement in behavioural and emotional difficulties compared to children in the TRT or waitlist control groups. Caregivers in the TRT + P group also reported significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress. Findings indicate that the addition of the evidence-based parenting skills components has the potential to enhance the effects of interventions designed to improve children's mental health in contexts of trauma, conflict, and displacement. Implications for COVID-19 remote learning are also discussed.

Friendship groups and physical activity: qualitative findings on how physical activity is initiated and maintained among 10-11 year old children.

BACKGROUND: Many youth physical activity interventions have minimal effect. To design better interventions we need to understand more about the factors that influence youth activity. Application of self-determination theory to youth physical activity, particularly the relatedness and competence, might suggest that friends and friendship groups influence the initiation and maintenance of youth physical activity. In this study we examined this issue. METHODS: Seventeen focus groups were conducted with 113, 10-11 year old children, from 11 primary schools in Bristol, UK. Focus groups examined: 1) the nature of children's friendship groups; 2) associations between physical activity and social group status; and 3) how friendship groups affect the initiation and maintenance of physical activity. All focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Participants reported that there were three different types of friendship groups; School friends; Neighborhood friends; and Other Friends who were friends from organized activities or children of their parents' friends. Participants had multiple groups of friends and engaged in different activities with the different groups. Possessing several groups of friends was desirable as it kept the friendships fresh and interesting. Physical activity was perceived as a positive attribute and linked to social status among boys. Among girls the association between physical activity ability and social status was more complex, appearing to differ by the norms of the group to which participants belonged. Some participants reported that low activity ability could be perceived as desirable in some social groups. Participants reported that friends provide support to initiate physical activity via co-participation (i.e. engaging in activity together); modeling of being active; and providing verbal support to engage in activity. Enjoyment was the most important factor in maintaining activity participation with participating in activity with friends a key factor influencing enjoyment. CONCLUSION: Friendship groups affect both the initiation and maintenance of youth physical activity. Children belong to several groups and engage in different activities with different groups. Simple strategies that aim to promote physical activity via the different friendship groups could be an effective means of promoting increased physical activity in young people.

Licence to be active: parental concerns and 10-11-year-old children's ability to be independently physically active.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity independent of adult supervision is an important component of youth physical activity. This study examined parental attitudes to independent activity, factors that limit licence to be independently active and parental strategies to facilitate independent activity. METHODS: In-depth phone interviews were conducted with 24 parents (4 males) of 10-11-year-old children recruited from six primary schools in Bristol. RESULTS: Parents perceived that a lack of appropriate spaces in which to be active, safety, traffic, the proximity of friends and older children affected children's ability to be independently physically active. The final year of primary school was perceived as a period when children should be afforded increased licence. Parents managed physical activity licence by placing time limits on activity, restricting activity to close to home, only allowing activity in groups or under adult supervision. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies are needed to build children's licence to be independently active; this could be achieved by developing parental self-efficacy to allow children to be active and developing structures such as safe routes to parks and safer play areas. Future programmes could make use of traffic-calming programmes as catalysts for safe independent physical activity.

"Get off the sofa and go and play": family and socioeconomic influences on the physical activity of 10-11 year old children.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity declines as children approach puberty. Research has focussed on psychosocial, environmental, and demographic determinants. This paper explores how family and socioeconomic factors are related to children's physical activity. METHODS: Seventeen focus groups were conducted with 113, 10-11 year old children from 11 primary schools in Bristol, UK. Focus groups examined: 1) the way parents encourage their children to be physically active; 2) the extent to which physical activity is engaged in as a family; and 3) the types of non-family based physical activities Year 6 children commonly participate in. RESULTS: Participants from all socioeconomic (SES) groups reported that parents encouraged them to be physically active. However approaches differed. Children from middle/high SES schools were assisted through actions such as logistical and financial support, co-participation and modelling. Parents of children from low SES schools mainly restricted their input to verbal encouragement and demands. Participation in family-based activities was reported to be higher in children from middle/high SES schools than children from low SES schools. All SES groups reported time to be a limiting factor in family-based activity participation. Cost was reported as a significant barrier by children from low SES schools. Children from middle/high SES schools reported engaging in more sports clubs and organised activities than children from low SES schools, who reported participating in more unstructured activities or 'free play' with friends. CONCLUSION: The family is important for encouraging children to be physically active, but families from different socioeconomic backgrounds support their children in different ways. This research suggests that the design of physical activity interventions, which might include working with families, requires tailoring to groups from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Correction to: Enhancing maternal and infant wellbeing: study protocol for a feasibility trial of the Baby Triple P Positive Parenting programme for mothers with severe mental health difficulties (the IMAGINE study).

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that Elizabeth Camacho was omitted from the author name list.

Enhancing maternal and infant wellbeing: study protocol for a feasibility trial of the Baby Triple P Positive Parenting programme for mothers with severe mental health difficulties (the IMAGINE study).

BACKGROUND: There is a strong evidence base for the benefits of parenting interventions for parents without severe mental illness (SMI). As the impact of maternal SMI can be significant on child development, mothers need support to maximise outcomes for themselves and their children. Some mothers with SMI require admission jointly with their baby to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU), a psychiatric inpatient ward, for assessment and treatment. However, MBUs do not yet offer formally evaluated, evidence-based parenting interventions as a matter of routine. This paper describes a study to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate a parenting and psychological intervention targeting the mother's and infant's wellbeing for mothers admitted to a MBU. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a multisite, single-blind feasibility trial with half the participants randomised to the Baby Triple P Positive Parenting Programme plus treatment as usual (TAU) and the other half randomised to TAU alone. Self-report and observer-rated assessments are collected at baseline, 10 weeks post-baseline and 6 months post-baseline. Participants are mothers admitted to a MBU in the Northwest of England or the Midlands. Participants are included if they are fluent in English to provide informed, written consent. Our objective is to determine whether we can recruit 66 women, randomise 60, and retain them in the intervention and study, and whether the intervention and study procedures are acceptable. As part of a nested process evaluation, qualitative interview data from trial participants and MBU staff will inform feasibility and acceptability. The feasibility of collecting data required to conduct an economic evaluation of the intervention will also be explored. DISCUSSION: Although research has been conducted in relation to mothers with severe mental illness and MBUs, to our knowledge, this is the first controlled trial to test the feasibility, acceptability, uptake and retention alongside the potential efficacy of a parenting intervention for this population. This study is essential to examine the contextual challenges involved in this setting with this population and to identify any refinements required. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN12765736 . Date of first registration: 2 February 2017.

Parents' perceptions of their infants' participation in randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To explore parents' perceptions of their infants' participation in randomized control trials (RCTs) and the implications of the RCT for their infant and themselves. DESIGN: A qualitative study using semistructured interviews. SETTING: Participants were identified from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) clinical registers and from responses to an advertisement put on the website of United Kingdom special care baby charity, BLISS. Interviews were conducted with parents face-to-face in their homes or over the telephone. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen parents of 12 infants born prematurely or with complications at full term and who had participated in one of three RCTs while receiving intensive care in one of seven NICUs. METHODS: Interviews were audio-taped or digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using systematic thematic analysis using WinMax qualitative software. RESULTS: Five main themes emerged from the data. The themes were parents' immediate reactions to being approached about RCT enrollment, interactions between parents and clinicians upon the approach of enrollment and during the RCT, making the decision to enroll their infants, implications of the RCT for parents, and effects of the RCT on the infants. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be encouraged to approach parents about enrollment of their infants in clinical research given that parents reported mostly positive experiences related to this participation. However, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that the individual needs of parents are being met throughout the entire research process from enrollment to follow-up.

Disentangling child and family influences on maternal expressed emotion toward children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: We used multi-level modelling of sibling-pair data to disentangle the influence of proband-specific and more general family influences on maternal expressed emotion (MEE) toward children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: MEE was measured using the Five Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) for 60 sibling pairs (aged 5 through 17 years) each comprising one proband with ADHD and one child without ADHD. Questionnaire measures were used to assess child and adolescent conduct and emotional problems and maternal depression and ADHD. Multi-level models partitioned the effects of five MEE components (initial statement [IS], relationship [REL], warmth [WAR], critical comments [CC], and positive comments [PC]) into proband-specific and general family effects. RESULTS: Significant proband-specific effects were confirmed for all MEE components, with higher levels of MEE expressed toward probands with ADHD than siblings without ADHD. For REL, PC, and CC, this effect was explained by comorbid child conduct problems rather than ADHD. Only low WAR was associated with child ADHD itself. Furthermore, only low WAR was related to variations in more general family characteristics, especially levels of maternal depression. CONCLUSIONS: MEE toward children with ADHD was influenced by proband-specific factors. For most components, these were driven by comorbid symptoms of conduct problems rather than ADHD itself. WAR was different; it was influenced by both child-specific and more general characteristics of the family. Further studies utilising a longitudinal design are required to establish the direction of causation and extend our understanding of the relationship between EE components and ADHD.