Youth mental health in a Canadian community sample during COVID-19: Exploring the role of perceived sense of belonging.

Research has linked broad societal changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and poorer mental health in young people. There remains a pressing need for studies examining the factors that are associated with better mental health and well-being. The current study addresses this gap using a community-based survey called the Waterloo Region Youth Impact Survey. It was designed in partnership with local youth and the Canadian Index of Well-Being in accordance with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund guidelines. Using a convenience sampling methodology, this survey was developed to explore the domains, rates, and correlates of well-being and mental health among youth during the pandemic (N = 297). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify dimensions related to children's social environment (friends, school, family), sense of belonging, mental health, and well-being. Subsequently, a mediation model was tested. The relationship between children's environments and mental health and well-being operated via perceived sense of belonging. Findings shed light on patterns of youth mental health and well-being during the pandemic, illustrating the role of belonging as a promotive factor with public health relevance.

The longitudinal interplay between insecure attachment behaviors and psychosocial strengths among children in child welfare services.

Children who have experienced maltreatment are more likely to have disrupted attachments, fewer psychosocial strengths, and poorer long-term psychosocial outcomes. However, few studies have examined the interplay between attachment security and psychosocial strengths among children involved in therapeutic services in the context of the child welfare system. The present longitudinal study examines the insecure attachment behaviors and psychosocial strengths of 555 children referred to the Therapeutic Family Care program (TFCP) in Cobourg, Ontario between 2000 and 2019. The children were assessed by their caregivers on a regular basis using the Assessment Checklist for Children (ACC) and the complementary strengths-focused ACC+ measure. Average age of children at baseline was 9.57 years (SD = 3.51) and 229 (41.26%) were female. We conducted growth curve and random intercepts cross-lagged panel models to test the longitudinal interplay between insecure attachment behaviors and strengths. Results suggest that females' attachment security improved, males' attachment security worsened, and both males and females developed strengths over time. Further, analyses revealed a directional effect, whereby fewer insecure attachment behaviors predicted more psychosocial strengths approximately 6 months later. Implications for attachment-oriented and strengths-based services in the context of child welfare are discussed.

Maternal early exposure to violence, psychopathology, and child adaptive functioning: pre- and postnatal programming.

BACKGROUND: The pre- and postnatal programming mechanisms, timing, and direction of effects linking maternal early exposure to violence (MEEV), psychopathology, and child adaptive functioning are understudied. Thus, the following hypotheses were tested: (H1) higher pre- and postnatal maternal psychopathology will predict lower adaptive functioning, (H2) lower adaptive functioning will predict higher subsequent maternal psychopathology, (H3) cumulative effects of MEEV on maternal psychopathology and adaptive functioning will be observed, and (H4) higher MEEV will predict lower adaptive functioning via maternal psychopathology both pre- and postnatally. METHODS: Prospective pregnancy cohort study including 1503 mother-child dyads with associations between MEEV, psychopathology, and child adaptive functioning examined using cross-lagged panel analysis. Assessment occurred in the third trimester and annually across the first four years of life. RESULTS: Higher pre- and postnatal maternal psychopathology predicted lower child adaptive functioning at 12 and 24 months, respectively. MEEV predicted maternal psychopathology cumulatively and offered a repeated prediction of adaptive functioning across the first two years of the child's life, operating predominantly through maternal psychopathology during pregnancy. Child effects on mothers were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Like in socioemotional assessment, pediatric assessment of child adaptive functioning should consider the intergenerational transmission of MEEV. IMPACT: Associations between maternal early exposure to violence (MEEV), psychopathology, and child socioemotional development is well documented. Much less is known about the pre- and postnatal programming mechanisms, timing, and direction of effects between MEEV, maternal psychopathology, and child adaptive functioning. Findings suggest associations of both prenatal and postnatal maternal psychopathology with child adaptive functioning, though the effects of MEEV were more strongly operative through the prenatal pathway. Pediatric assessment and interventions surrounding adaptive functioning should consider the potential role of MEEV in shaping children's health and development, in addition to potential consequences of pre- and postnatal maternal mental health.

Does physical activity moderate the association between screen time and psychosocial development in early childhood? Analysis of a longitudinal infant cohort study in Ireland.

The objective of this study was to explore the extent to which the association between screen time and psychosocial development in preschool children differed between the sexes and according to their frequency of engagement in physical activity. Data are based on a prospective cohort of Irish children, collected between 2010 and 2013 when children were ages 3 (n=9786) and 5 years (n=9001). Children's screen time (h/day), psychosocial development (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), and physical activity (bouts/week) were assessed via caregiver report. The magnitude of the association between screen time and changes in behavioural difficulties differed significantly between the sexes. For boys, the association between increased screen time and the onset of behavioural problems coincided directly with a reduction in their frequency of engagement in physical activity. The association between screen time and changes in behavioural difficulties was not moderated by girls' engagement in physical activity, however; and there was no difference in the association between screen time and prosocial behaviours at different frequencies of engagement in physical activity for either boys or girls.Conclusions: Results support recommendations to establish greater balance between physical activity and sedentary behaviours in token economy systems to minimise the negative effects of excessive screen time. What is Known: • Provision of screen time has become normalised as a behavioural reinforcer for use with young children. • Screen viewing above recommended guidelines is associated with behavioural problems that reflect poor self-regulation. What is New: • Boys' levels of engagement in physical activity moderated the relationship between screen time and changes in behavioural difficulties between the ages of 3 and 5 years. • Neither screen time nor physical activity was significantly associated with changes in prosocial behaviours between the ages of 3 and 5 years for either boys or girls.

Parent and Child Trauma Symptoms During Child-Parent Psychotherapy: A Prospective Cohort Study of Dyadic Change.

Five randomized controlled trials have shown that child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) improves trauma symptoms in children. Less is known about parent symptoms or moderators of symptom change. In a sample of 199 parent (81% biological mother; 54% Latina/o) and child (aged 2 to 6 years; 52% male; 49% Latina/o) dyads who participated in an open treatment study of CPP, this study investigated whether parent and child symptoms similarly decreased during treatment and whether improvement was moderated by parent, child, and treatment characteristics. Parents completed baseline and posttreatment interviews regarding exposure to traumatic events, posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS), and other mental health indices. Latent difference score analysis showed that PTSS significantly decreased by more than 0.5 SD for parents and children. The PTSS improvement in parents was associated with reductions in child avoidance, r = .19, p = .040, and hyperarousal, r = .33, p < .001. Girls showed a greater reduction than boys in reexperiencing, ß = -.13, p = .018, and hyperarousal, ß = -.20, p = .001. Contrary to expectations, parent and child improvement in PTSS was greater for those with fewer parental lifetime stressors, ßrange = .15 to .33, and for those who participated in fewer treatment sessions, ßrange = .15 to .21. The extent of improvement in parent PTSS varied based on clinician expertise, ß = -.20, p = .009. Significant reductions in parent and child PTSS were observed during community-based treatment, with CPP and symptom improvement varying according to child, parent, and treatment characteristics.

Cumulative risk disparities in children's neurocognitive functioning: a developmental cascade model.

The current longitudinal study examined the role of cumulative social risk on children's theory of mind (ToM) and executive functioning (EF) across early development. Further, we also tested a cascade model of development in which children's social cognition at 18 months was hypothesized to predict ToM and EF at age 4.5 through intermediary language skills at age 3. We then examined whether this developmental mechanism varied as a function of social risk status. Participants were 501 children recruited when they were newborns, at which point eight psychosocial risk factors were assessed and combined into a metric of cumulative social disadvantage. Families were followed up at 18 months, at which point four social-cognitive skills were assessed using developmentally sensitive tasks: joint attention, empathy, cooperation, and self-recognition. Language was measured at age 3 using a standardized measure of receptive vocabulary. At age 3 and 4.5, EF and ToM were measured using previously validated tasks. Results showed that there were notable cumulative risk disparities in overall neurocognitive skill development, and these effects became more differentiated over time. Support was also found for a developmental mechanism wherein the effect of social cognition at 18 months on ToM and EF in the preschool period operated specifically through children's receptive language ability at age 3. This pathway functioned similarly for children with both low- and high-risk backgrounds. These results extend previous findings by documenting the role of cumulative social disadvantage on children's neurocognition and the pathways that link key neurocognitive abilities across early development.

Suicidal Ideation and Attempts Among Youth With Physical-Mental Comorbidity in Canada: Proposal for an Epidemiological Study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that having a chronic physical illness (CPI; eg, asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy) is an independent risk factor for suicidality (ie, suicidal ideation or attempts) among youth. Less is known about the mechanisms linking CPI and suicidality. Some evidence suggests that mental illness (eg, depression and anxiety) or neurodevelopmental disorder (eg, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) mediates or moderates the CPI-suicidality association. Missing from the knowledge base is information on the association between having co-occurring CPI and mental illness or neurodevelopmental disorder (MIND) on youth suicidality. OBJECTIVE: This study uses epidemiological data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey of Children and Youth (CHSCY) to study the intersection of CPI, MIND, and suicidality in youth. We will estimate prevalence, identify predictors, and investigate psychosocial and service use outcomes for youth with CPI-MIND comorbidity versus other morbidity groups (ie, healthy, CPI only, and MIND only). METHODS: Conducted by Statistics Canada, the CHSCY collected data from 47,850 children (aged 1-17 years) and their primary caregiving parent. Measures of youth CPI, MIND, family environment, and sociodemographics are available using youth and parent informants. Information on psychiatric services use is available via parent report and linkage to national administrative health data found in the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System and the Discharge Abstract Database, which allow the investigation of hospital-based mental health services (eg, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and length of stay in hospital). Questions about suicidality were restricted to youths aged 15-17 years (n=6950), which form our analytic sample. Weighted regression-based analyses will account for the complex survey design. RESULTS: Our study began in November 2023, funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (SRG-0-008-22). Access to the linked CHSCY microdata file was granted in May 2024. Initial examination of CHSCY data shows that approximately 20% (1390/6950) of youth have CPI, 7% (490/6950) have MIND, 7% (490/6950) seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 3% (210/6950) had attempted suicide anytime during their life. CONCLUSIONS: Findings will provide estimates of suicidality among youth with CPI-MIND comorbidity, which will inform intervention planning to prevent loss of life in this vulnerable population. Modeling correlates of suicidality will advance understanding of the relative and joint effects of factors at multiple levels-information needed to target prevention efforts and services. Understanding patterns of psychiatric service use is vital to understanding access and barriers to services. This will inform whether use matches need, identifying opportunities to advise policy makers about upstream resources to prevent suicidality. Importantly, findings will provide robust baseline of information on the link between CPI-MIND comorbidity and suicidality in youth, which can be used by future studies to address questions related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated countermeasures in this vulnerable population of youth. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/57103.

Family functioning in the context of current and historical stressors: Exploring the buffering role of social support.

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can be passed onto future generations through complex biopsychosocial mechanisms. However, social support in caregivers who have experienced adversity may lead to adaptation. Most research on the intergenerational consequences of ACEs has focused on mental health in subsequent generations, while overlooking family functioning as an outcome. OBJECTIVE: This pre-registered study addresses this gap by examining a hypothesized association between caregiver ACEs and caregiver-perceived family functioning, and the moderating role of social support. It was expected that high levels of social support would attenuate the association between caregiver ACEs and family functioning, controlling for contemporaneous stressors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data come from a multinational non-clinical sample (n = 310). METHODS: Caregivers completed self-report measures to assess caregiver ACEs, social support, COVID stressors, and family dysfunction. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses revealed that the ACEs-by-social support interaction was not significant. Exploratory analyses revealed a significant three-way interaction between COVID stressors, ACEs, and social support (b = 0.001, SE < 0.001, p = .008). For lower adversity, social support protected against the association between COVID stressors and family dysfunction; however, for higher adversity, social support was only protective when COVID stressors were low. CONCLUSIONS: Social support is protective against concurrent stressors during the pandemic in relation to family functioning, though this buffering depends on historical levels of adversity. Findings are interpreted through a trauma-informed lens and provide support for family-focused interventions and policies to mitigate the impact of stress on caregivers with high ACEs.

Exploring networks of complex developmental trauma symptomatology among children and adolescents involved in child welfare.

Background: Clinical presentations of child and adolescent psychopathology can vary systematically for boys and girls. While network analysis is increasingly being applied to explore psychopathology in adults, there is a dearth of network studies considering differences in symptoms for boys and girls, particularly in developmental trauma-related symptomatology. Methods: This study involves rural children (n = 375, 39.47% girls) and adolescents (n = 291, 51.20% girls) involved with child protection services in Ontario, Canada. Caregivers completed the Assessment Checklist for Children or Adolescents within the first 6 months of care. Psychometric network analyses were conducted using subscales for boys and girls. Differences were examined via network comparison permutation tests, moderated network models, and independent t-tests. Results: Attachment-related interpersonal difficulties were the most central nodes in the child and adolescent networks for both boys and girls. Emotional dysregulation also had high strength centrality for adolescents. While network comparison tests found the overall network structures and global network strength to be invariant between boys and girls for children and adolescents, moderated network models and independent t-tests revealed several differences with regards to the expression of specific symptoms. Among children, girls exhibited more indiscriminate and pseudomature interpersonal behaviors, whereas boys expressed significantly more non-reciprocal interpersonal behaviors and self-injury. Adolescent girls exhibited more behavioral dysregulation and suicide discourse in the moderated network model; t-tests also indicated higher levels of emotional dysregulation, negative self-image, and other items considered clinically important complex trauma symptoms (e.g., distrust of adults, confused belonging). Discussion: This study supports evidence of differences in the expression of complex trauma symptomatology for boys and girls. Additionally, girls exhibit more symptoms, in general. Consistent with the transdiagnostic conceptualization of the consequences of developmental trauma, findings demonstrate the primacy of attachment-specific difficulties and emotion dysregulation.

A case study of virtually delivered emotion-focused family therapy.

Clinical psychologists and therapists are increasingly taking advantage of internet and mobile-based technologies to deliver mental health services for individuals and groups since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a dearth of research evaluating the appropriateness of virtual platforms for family interventions. Further, no research has examined the effectiveness of weekly emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT). This case study presents a virtually delivered 8-week EFFT intervention, which supported caregivers to manage child symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger, facilitate emotion processing, and strengthen relationships. Two parents from one family during a marital separation participated and completed brief measures of therapeutic alliance, family functioning, parental self-efficacy, and parental and child psychological distress at 12 time points as well as a posttreatment semistructured interview. A strong therapeutic alliance was formed, and general family functioning, parental self-efficacy, parent psychopathology, and child depression, anger, and anxiety symptoms improved over the course of therapy.

Parenting and pandemic pressures: Examining nuances in parent, child, and family well-being concerns during COVID-19 in a Canadian sample.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused vast disruptions in family life for Canadian parents since early 2020. While numerous environmental stressors have been identified, including job loss and the demands of balancing work-life conflicts and at-home schooling, relatively less is known about the areas of family life parents are most concerned about and how these worries relate to well-being across the family system. Methods: Canadian parents (n = 29,831, 90.29% mothers, 57.40% Ontario residents) of children aged 0-14 were surveyed about their concerns related to child, parent, and family well-being in June 2020. Structural equation modelling was used to model the relationship between concerns about children, parenting, and the whole family, in association with several sociodemographic variables including child disability status, parent sex and education, job loss during COVID-19, and caregiver employment. Results: Parenting, child, and family concerns were positively correlated. Higher child and family concerns were reported by parents who had not attended university, those who had experienced employment loss or reduced hours, and families with all adults working outside the home. Parents of children with a disability reported higher concerns across all three domains: child, parenting, and family psychosocial well-being. Discussion: These results showcase distinct associations between social determinants of health and the types of worries caregivers exhibited across multiple areas of family life during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Findings are interpreted in relation to clinical intervention and public policy targets for families.

Brief emotion-focused family therapy: A 12-month follow-up study.

This study provides a 12-month follow-up evaluation of caregivers after participating in a 2-day Emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT) intensive, a brief intervention for caregivers of youth struggling with mental health difficulties. Caregivers (N = 498) of children (N = 337) completed measures of caregiver self-efficacy and child mental health difficulties 1 week before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at 4, 8, and 12-month follow-ups. Piecewise latent trajectory models revealed that parental self-efficacy showed a large immediate increase following the intervention, ß = 1.61 (1.32, 2.14), and although this effect was attenuated by 4 months, ß = -0.77 (-1.31, -0.52), it did not change further by 12 months. Reductions in child mental health difficulties were observed by 4 months, ß = -0.54 (-0.77, -0.37), and remained stable through the 12-month follow-up. Caregivers reporting more increases in self-efficacy also reported greater reductions in their children's symptoms at 4 and 12 months.

Prevalence & Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19: A Rapid Review.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments enacted a range of public health measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. These measures resulted in school closures, social isolation, and job loss, which all contributed to increased psychosocial stress, particularly among families with pre-existing vulnerability factors. Given the relationship between increased psychosocial stress and intimate partner violence (IPV), this rapid review investigated change in the prevalence and correlates of IPV victimization during the first six months of the pandemic. PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane COVID-19 registry were reviewed. This search resulted in 255 unique results, of which 24 studies were included. There were 19 studies that examined changes in the rate of IPV from before the COVID-19 pandemic to during the pandemic. Of the studies examining changes in the rate of IPV, 11 found a significant increase. Key vulnerability factors contributing to the increase include low socioeconomic status, unemployment, a personal or familial COVID-19 diagnosis, family mental illness, or overcrowding. Six studies examined whether the presence of children in the home was associated with IPV, but the direction of this relationship was inconsistent. This review finds preliminary evidence of a relationship between COVID-19 induced stressors, pre-existing vulnerabilities, and increased IPV, which present important implications for policy and practice.

Parental mental health trajectories over the COVID-19 pandemic and links with childhood adversity and pandemic stress.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant disruptions, with parents of school-age children being identified as a vulnerable population. Limited research has longitudinally tracked the mental health trajectories of parents over the active pandemic period. In addition, parents' history of adverse (ACEs) and benevolent (BCEs) childhood experiences may compound or attenuate the effect of COVID-19 stressors on parental psychopathology. OBJECTIVE: To identify distinct longitudinal trajectories of parental mental health over the COVID-19 pandemic and how these trajectories are associated with parental ACEs, BCEs, and COVID-19 stress. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 547 parents of 5-18-year-old children from the U.K., U.S., Canada, and Australia. METHODS: Growth mixture modelling was used to identify trajectories of parental mental health (distress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and substance use) from May 2020 to October 2021. COVID-19 stress, ACEs, and BCEs were assessed as predictors of mental health trajectories via multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Two-class trajectories of "Low Stable" and "Moderate Stable" symptoms were identified for psychological distress and anxiety. Three-class trajectories of "Low Stable", "High Stable", and "High Decreasing" symptoms were observed for post-traumatic stress. Reliable trajectories for substance use could not be identified. Multinomial logistic regression showed that COVID-19 stress and ACEs independently predicted membership in trajectories of greater mental health impairment, while BCEs independently predicted membership in trajectories of lower psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: Parents experienced mostly stable mental health symptomatology, with trajectories varying by overall symptom severity. COVID-19 stress, ACEs, and BCEs each appear to play a role in parents' mental health during this unique historical period.

Family Functioning and Health-Related Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Mental Illness.

Previous research suggests that family dysfunction may be related to lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in parent caregivers, but it is unknown if this association exists in the context of child mental illness. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to compare HRQoL between parent caregivers and Canadian population norms using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36); examine associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL; and investigate whether child and parental factors moderate associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL. Cross-sectional data were collected from children receiving mental healthcare at a pediatric hospital and their parents (n = 97). Sample mean SF-36 scores were compared to Canadian population norms using t-tests and effect sizes were calculated. Multiple regression was used to evaluate associations between family functioning and parental physical and mental HRQoL, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. Proposed moderators, including child age, sex, and externalizing disorder, and parental psychological distress, were tested as product-term interactions. Parents had significantly lower physical and mental HRQoL versus Canadian norms in most domains of the SF-36, and in the physical and mental component summary scores. Family functioning was not associated with parental physical HRQoL. However, lower family functioning predicted lower parental mental HRQoL. Tested variables did not moderate associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL. These findings support the uptake of approaches that strive for collaboration among healthcare providers, children, and their families (i.e., family-centered care) in child psychiatry settings. Future research should explore possible mediators and moderators of these associations.

Psychometric Properties of Screening Instruments for Social Network Use Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Children and adolescents spend considerable time on the internet, which makes them a highly vulnerable group for the development of problematic usage patterns. A variety of screening methods have already been developed and validated for social network use disorder (SNUD); however, a systematic review of SNUD in younger age groups has not been performed. Objective: To review published reports on screening tools assessing SNUD in children and adolescents with a maximum mean age of 18.9 years. Evidence Review: To identify instruments for the assessment of SNUD, a systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycArticles, and Scopus. The final search took place on May 2, 2022. Psychometric properties of available tools were examined and evaluated to derive recommendations for suitable instruments for individuals up to 18 years of age. Findings: A total of 5746 publications were identified, of which 2155 were excluded as duplicates. Of the remaining 3591 nonredundant publications, 3411 studies were assessed as not relevant after title and abstract screening. A full-text analysis of 180 remaining studies classified as potentially eligible resulted in a final inclusion of 29 studies revealing validation evidence for a total of 19 tools. The study quality was mostly moderate. With regard to validation frequency, 3 tools exhibited the largest evidence base: Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), the short version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale-Short Form (BSMAS-SF). Among these, 1 study tested a parental version (SMDS-P) for its psychometric properties. Taking all criteria into account, the strongest recommendation was made for the SMDS and BSMAS-SF. Conclusions and Relevance: Results suggest that the SMDS-SF and BSMAS-SF were appropriate screening measures for SNUD. Advantages of the SMDS are the availability of a short version and the possibility of an external parental rating.

Pandemic-Related Disruption and Positive Adaptation: Profiles of Family Function at the Onset of the Pandemic.

The onset of the pandemic brought heightened stress to parents due to disruptions to family life, in addition to processes of positive family adaptation, including greater closeness, more time spent together, and shared problem-solving. Delineating how early pandemic-related family stress and positive adaptation simultaneously operate is important for understanding risk and resilience. We use a person-oriented approach to identify subgroups of caregivers based on patterns of stress and positive adaptation in the first months of the pandemic. Data come from a multi-national study of 549 caregivers (68% female) of 1098 children (younger child: M = 9.62, SD = 3.21; older child: M = 11.80, SD = 3.32). In May 2020, caregivers reported on stress (income, family, and pandemic-specific) and positive adaptation using previously validated scales, and covariates indexing family vulnerabilities (i.e., caregiver adverse childhood experiences, caregiver and child mental health) and psychosocial resources (caregiver social support, positive coping, religiosity/spirituality, and benevolent childhood experiences, and pre-pandemic socioeconomic resources). A latent profile analysis was conducted using the four indicators. Profiles were examined in relation to covariates using BCH procedures. A 4-profile solution was selected, characterized by Low Disruption (n = 296), Multi-Domain Disruption (n = 36), Income Disruption (n = 111), and Family Disruption (n = 106) groups. Positive adaptation minimally differentiated profiles. Participants in the Low Disruption group reported more resources and fewer vulnerabilities than other groups. Those in the Multi-Domain Disruption group reported the fewest resources and the most vulnerabilities. Early in the pandemic, a minority group of individuals in this sample carried a disproportionate burden of pandemic-related stress. Potential consequences to family functioning and implications for systemic family prevention and intervention efforts are discussed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42844-022-00077-7.

Gambling Features and Monetization in Video Games Create Challenges for Young People, Families, and Clinicians.

Video gaming (also known as computer gaming or electronic gaming) has stirred scientific interest since its widespread adoption as a recreational activity in the 1980s. Initial research focused on the negative consequences of violent content and the development of excessive or addictive use by players. Based on evidence showing that some players develop clinically significant addiction-like symptoms such as loss of control and impaired individual, social, and occupational functioning,1 Gaming Disorder has been recognized as an official diagnosis in the International Classification of Diseases, 11thedition (ICD-11).2 However, recent changes in video games have again produced qualitatively new problems.

Assessing positive adaptation during a global crisis: The development and validation of the family positive adaptation during COVID-19 scale.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the psychosocial functioning of children and families. It is important to consider adversity in relation to processes of positive adaptation. To date, there are no empirically validated multi-item scales measuring COVID-related positive adaptation within families. The aim of the current study was to develop and validate a new measure: the Family Positive Adaptation during COVID-19 Scale (Family PACS). The sample included 372 female and 158 male caregivers (73% White-European/North American; median 2019 income = $50,000 to $74,999 USD) of children ages 5-18 years old from the United Kingdom (76%), the United States (19%), Canada (4%), and Australia (1%), who completed measures in May 2020. Participants responded to a 14-item survey indexing a range of perceived coping and adaptation behaviors at the beginning of the pandemic. An exploratory factor analysis yielded an optimal one-factor solution comprised of seven items related to family cohesion, flexibility, routines, and meaning-making (loadings from 0.44 to 0.67). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated measurement invariance across female and male caregivers, demonstrating that the factor structure, loadings, and thresholds did not vary by caregiver sex. There was evidence for concurrent validity with significant bivariate correlations between the Family PACS scores and measures of caregiver positive coping, parenting practices, couple satisfaction, and family functioning (correlations from 0.10 to 0.23), but not negatively-valenced constructs. Findings inform our conceptualization of how families have adapted to adverse pandemic-related conditions. Further, we provide preliminary support for the Family PACS as a practical tool for evaluating positive family adaptation during this global crisis, with implications for future widespread crises.