Biomedical subjects

Panos Vostanis

Publications and source records attributed to Panos Vostanis.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Mental health support for youth offending teams: a qualitative study.

The objective of the present study was to examine the views of professionals working in youth offending teams (YOTs) on a new model for providing mental health service support within the context of an interagency setting. Focus groups were used and data were analysed according to the constant comparative method. The setting consisted of two YOTs, one in an inner-city area and the other in a rural/semi-urban area, where primary mental health workers operate at the interface between YOTs and the specialist child and adolescent mental health services. Seventeen YOT professionals participated in four focus groups. Four themes were identified: previous experiences of specialist mental health services; issues of interagency working; the role of the primary mental health worker within the YOT; and recommendations for the future. Overall, the clinical component of the role (assessment and intervention), and the accessibility and responsiveness of the mental health staff were consistently valued, while there were mixed responses on role definitions within the team, consultation and training. It is concluded that mental health service provision through primary mental health workers is a useful model for interagency partnerships for high-risk client groups with multiple and complex mental health needs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Child psychiatric disorders among primary mental health service attenders.

The aim of this study was to establish the range of psychiatric disorders and psychiatric comorbidity among children and adolescents attending a primary mental health service (PMHS). The main psychiatric diagnostic categories were: oppositional defiant disorders (ODDs) (75.3%), anxiety disorders (36.1%), mood disorders (35.1%), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHDs) (28.9%). The study found high rates (61.8%) of psychiatric comorbidity. It concludes that training in the recognition of likely psychiatric comorbidity in this population is essential for professionals working in the interface between primary and specialist services.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Emotional problems in Palestinian children living in a war zone: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Children living in war zones are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress and other emotional disorders, but little is known about the effect of traumatic events during war. We aimed to assess the nature and severity of emotional problems in Palestinian children whose homes had been bombarded and demolished during the crisis in Palestine, compared with children living in other parts of the Gaza strip. METHODS: 91 children exposed to home bombardment and demolition during Al Aqsa Intifada and 89 controls who had been exposed to other types of traumatic events related to political violence completed self-report measures of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and fears. FINDINGS: Significantly more children exposed to bombardment and home demolition reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress (p=0.0008) and fear (p=0.002) than controls. 54 (59%) of 91 exposed children and 22 (25%) of 89 controls reported post-traumatic stress reactions of clinical importance. Exposure to bombardment was the strongest socioeconomic predictor of post-traumatic stress reactions (odds ratio 0.25 [95% CI 0.12-0.53], p=0.0008). By contrast, children exposed to other events, mainly through the media and adults, reported more anticipatory anxiety and cognitive expressions of distress (p=0.001) than children who were directly exposed. INTERPRETATION: Children living in war zones can express acute distress from various traumatic events through emotional problems that are not usually recognised. Health professionals and other agencies coming in contact with children who have been affected by war and political violence need to be trained in detection and treatment of such presentations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

The mental health of children in homeless families and their contact with health, education and social services.

Previous research indicates that children in homeless families have a high risk of physical and mental illness. This study reports the initial stage of a longitudinal research programme to measure the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among parents and children in homeless families. A sample of parents in 113 homeless families were interviewed within 2 weeks of admission to seven homeless centres in the City of Birmingham, and compared with a sample of 29 low-income families who were not homeless. Both sets of interviews used the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), the Communication Domain of the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (ISSI), and height and weight percentiles. A sub-sample of children was also interviewed. The results indicate that 85% of families became homeless because of domestic or neighbourhood violence, that in 54% of families in homelessness coincided with the separation of the partners, and that 49% of mothers had current psychiatric morbidity. Children in homeless families had delayed communication and higher mean scores for mental health problems than the comparison sample. Homeless children were also more likely to have had histories of abuse, and less likely to have attended school or nursery school since becoming homeless. Homeless families had high rates of contact with primary healthcare and social services, but few had been in contact with specialist child and adolescent mental health services. These results indicate a need for a co-ordinated action by housing, social services, education, health services, and the police to prevent families from becoming homeless by protecting victims of domestic and neighbourhood violence from further violence and intimidation. Hence the need to rapidly re-house into permanent accommodation those who do become homeless, to maintain education for their children, and to ensure that such families have access to effective social support and healthcare.

Journal Article↗