Citizen participation among children and adolescents is key for the development of society. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the legal and ethical recognition of public, education, and social policies for children is vital for ensuring an active and critical society. The aim of this research paper is to analyse the characteristics and challenges of citizen participation during childhood as an educational process. The methodology employed was a systematic review carried out using the WOS, SCOPUS, and ERIC databases, taking into account the PRISMAS 2020 protocol. The results show that the incorporation of a culture of participation in children and adolescents will guarantee the persistence of democratic systems, although there are still challenges to overcome. The conclusions suggest that it is crucial that educational institutions, families, and society as a whole commit to promoting the philosophy of citizen participation at an early age in formal and non-formal educational contexts.

Some lifestyle habits and problematic behaviors have been associated to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents in cross-sectional studies but their role as individual risk factors needs to be analyzed through proper longitudinal designs. The objective is to analyze and summarize the evidence on the association of lifestyle habits and problem behaviors with NSSI in adolescents. Longitudinal studies were searched in Medline, Embase and APA PsycInfo without date or language restrictions. Adolescents with and without exposure factors were compared. Out of 5295 identified records, 13 longitudinal studies were included (39,575 participants). Studies included different age ranges (10–20 years, mean 14.3, SD 2.4), and 78% were female. Results showed a statistically significant increased risk of NSSI with regular smoking, alcohol use, early cannabis use, and poor physical activity. Inconsistent results were found for use of technology and sleep habits, and no studies analyzed dietary habits or gambling. Most studies were of moderate or high quality but certainty of the evidence was very low according to GRADE criteria. Longitudinal evidence suggests that some lifestyle habits and problem behaviors are risk factors for NSSI in adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of developing strategies to promote healthy lifestyles in adolescents.

Background: Child and adolescent mental health problems have increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to establish the association of the presence and intensity of posttraumatic stress due to COVID-19 with the presence of (1) self-harm and suicide risk, (2) depressive and anxious symptoms, (3) eating disorders and (4) problematic Internet and video game use. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on a sample of second–fourth grade secondary school students (14 to 16 years old) from Navarra and the Canary Islands recruited at the SESSAMO project. Validated questionnaires were used to assess the intensity of posttraumatic stress due to COVID-19, risk of suicide and presence of self-harm, symptoms of mental disorder and problematic use of the Internet and video games. Results: Out of 1423 participants analyzed, those with the highest level of posttraumatic stress showed a significant increase in the risk of suicide (OR = 5.18; 95% CI = 2.96–9.05) and in the presence of eating disorder symptoms (OR = 3.93; 95% CI = 2.21–7.00), and higher anxiety and depression scores (b coefficient for anxiety = 11.1; CI = 9.7–12.5; for depression = 13.0; CI = 11.5–14.5) as compared to those with the lowest level. Participants with a high level of posttraumatic stress were almost 10 times more likely to present problematic video game use (OR = 9.49; 95% CI = 3.13–28.82). Conclusions: Years after the pandemic, posttraumatic stress derived from it continues to impact the mental health of adolescents. Further long-term research is needed, as well as close follow-up and intervention in this population.

The growing use of mobile devices among children under the age of 12 underscores the need to investigate potential associated risks and to encourage appropriate usage habits. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the relationship between mobile device use and behavioral problems in children aged 3 to 12 years, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The literature search was conducted in three databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and WOS), in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The study protocol was previously registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). Eligibility criteria were established using the Population, Exposure, Comparator, and Outcomes (PECO) framework. Risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) for the quality appraisal of non-randomized studies. A total of seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated an incidence of 8.52% for emotional problems (95% CI [4.10, 17.71]); 8.00% for behavioral problems (95% CI [1.87, 34.21]); 10.23% for symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention (95% CI [2.73, 38.40]); 11.64% for peer relationship problems (95% CI [5.20, 26.08]; k = 4); and 0.20% for reduced prosocial behavior (95% CI [0.12, 0.32]) among children with higher mobile device usage. Children’s greater use of mobile devices is associated with a higher prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems.

Adolescents’ failure to embrace healthy lifestyles constitutes a serious public health issue, such that its relationship to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) merits further research. The aim of the study was to ascertain the association between a Global Index of Lifestyle Quality (GILQ) and the presence of NSSI. Cross-sectional analysis of a sample of 2nd- to 4th-year ESO students (Obligatory Secondary Education, from ages 14 to 16) recruited for the SESSAMO project, a multicenter prospective cohort study. Exposure variables were collected, including eating patterns, physical activity, screen use, the consumption of cannabis, alcohol and tobacco, risky sexual behavior, gambling, spend time with friends, and sleep quality. To determine the presence of NSSI, a validated questionnaire was administered. The association between different lifestyles and the presence of NSSI was analyzed through multivariate logistic regression models. 2042 adolescents were included. Physical activity, screen use, risky sexual behavior, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness showed inverse and statistically significant associations with the presence of NSSI in multivariate models. A higher lifestyle score was associated with a 71% reduction in the likelihood of engaging in NSSI (OR for extreme quartiles of GILQ adherence =0.29; 95% CI = 0.15–0.57). The result was similar when boys and girls were analyzed separately. A healthy lifestyle was inversely associated with the presence of NSSI in this sample of Spanish adolescents. Lifestyles could function as potential predictors of NSSI.