Objectives: To examine the impact of displacement experiences on 0- to 6-year-old children’s social-emotional and cognitive development, as well as influencing factors on reported outcomes. Study design: We systematically searched MEDline, Psyndex, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Elsevier, TandF, Oxford Journal of Refugee Studies, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, and Canada’s Journal on Refugees for existing literature regarding social-emotional and cognitive outcomes in children directly exposed to forced displacement due to political violence. Results were synthesized in the discussion and displayed using harvest plots. Results: Our search generated 9,791 articles of which 32 were selected for review and evaluation according to NICE criteria. Included studies provided results for 6,878 forcibly displaced children. Measured outcomes were diverse and included areas such as peer relations, prosocial behavior, family functioning, play, intelligence, learning performance, and language development. Repeated exposure to adverse experiences, separation from parents, parental distress, as well as duration and quality of resettlement in the host country were reported as influencing factors in the reviewed studies. Conclusion: As protective factors like secure and stable living conditions help to promote children’s development, we call for policies that enhance participation in the welcoming society for refugee families. Early integration with low-threshold access to health and educational facilities can help to mitigate the wide-ranging negative consequences of forced displacement on young children’s development.

Background: Families with young children are particularly vulnerable for the stressors induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, studies on their psychosocial situation during the course of the crisis are still sparse. Methods: In a comparison of three survey waves (wave I and III = high COVID-19 incidences), we cross-sectionally investigated the proportion of families (N_total = 2940) with children aged 0–3 years experiencing pandemic burden, parenting stress, and parental and child mental health problems in relation to COVID-19 incidences and restrictions in Southern Germany via validated questionnaires. Potential influencing factors were also explored. Results: The number of parents with a high pandemic burden decreased over the course of the pandemic with a peak of 65.3% in wave I (significant changes except wave II versus III). Participants with high parenting stress significantly increased from 38.2% in wave I to 51.2% in wave III. The number of parents with symptoms of depression and anxiety remained constantly high with a maximum of 28.4% being affected. Infants with crying/sleeping problems increased significantly from 26.4% in wave I to 35.5% in wave III. Toddlers’ emotional and behavioral problems showed a peak of 23.9% in wave III (no significant changes). Increased family conflicts were the strongest predictor for parenting stress (ß = 0.355), maternal (ß = 0.305), infants’ (ß = 0.149) and toddlers’ (ß = 0.216) mental health problems during the pandemic. Conclusions: Psychosocial stress factors in families with infants and toddlers remained highly pronounced and even partly increased irrespective of pandemic events. The findings suggest a staggered negative impact of pandemic-related factors on young children’s mental health. Promoting infants’ mental health as well as strengthening parental resources by reducing parenting stress should be a top healthcare priority in the aftermath of COVID-19. Trial registration The study was pre-registered in OSF (https://osf.io/search/?q=tksh5&page=1)

Background/Objectives: Increasing screen time in childhood has been suggested to impact physical health, eating behaviors, and well-being. This study investigated how screen time affects mindfulness, mindful eating, and diet quality in Turkish adolescents aged 9–12 years. Methods: One hundred thirty-seven participants completed surveys on anthropometry, screen time, the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire, the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index, the Mindful Eating Questionnaire for Children, and the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure. Results: The average screen time was 4.43 ± 2.37 h/day. Significant negative correlations emerged between screen time and mindfulness (r = −0.471, p < 0.001), as well as between screen time and diet quality (r = −0.244, p < 0.05). A regression analysis revealed significant associations only for mindfulness (B = −0.158, p < 0.001) and age (B = 0.636, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Higher mindfulness and younger age correlated with lower screen time, suggesting mindfulness interventions in schools may reduce screen use.

Background: Perinatal depression affects 10–15% of mothers and approximately 5% of fathers. However, only a small number of affected individuals seek treatment. If left unrecognized and untreated, it can have negative long-term consequences for the family’s health, leading to subsequent high costs. Early treatment is crucial, yet there is a notable underdiagnosis and undertreatment. Affected individuals are often seen during this time, e.g. in paediatric practices, but not by specialists in mental health. Consequently, this study aims to increase detection and treatment rates of affected individuals by implementing a screening for depression and psychosocial stress in perinatal and postpartum parents within routine obstetric and paediatric care with subsequent advice and—if necessary—further referral to a mental health specialist. Methods: UPlusE is a prospective, cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in an outpatient setting. Obstetric and paediatric practices will be randomized into an intervention and control group (1:1 ratio). Practices and enrolling patients will be required to use specific smartphone apps (practice apps) for interaction. The screening will occur with the apps at each paediatric checkup up to the child’s age of 12 months, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), KID-PROTEKT questionnaire, and the scale 1 (impaired bonding) of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ-1). The goal is to screen 10,000 patients across Germany. Gynaecologists and paediatricians will receive certified training on peripartum depression. Participants in the intervention group with scores above cut-offs (EPDS ≥ 10, KID-PROTEKT ≥ 1, PBQ-1 ≥ 12) will receive counselling through their treating gynaecologists/paediatricians and will be provided with regional addresses for psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and “Frühe Hilfen” (early prevention) as well as family counselling centres, depending on symptom severity. At each screening, participants will be asked whether they sought support, where, and with whom (utilization). Utilization is the primary outcome. Discussion: The screening is designed to reduce underdiagnosis to enable suitable support at an early stage (especially for those often overlooked, such as individuals with “high-functioning depression”) and hence to avoid manifestation of mental health problems in the whole family, especially infants who are exceptionally dependent on their parents and their well-being will benefit from this program. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00033385. Registered on 15 January 2024.

The changes in social life and education settings associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the social development of infants who are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors. The present observational study compared infants' social development in a group examined prior vs. a group examined during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated the role of maternal media use. We also explored if any single developmental tasks were specifically affected. Trained examiners assessed social developmental scores of 1860 healthy infants (0-24 months; mean age: 9.1 months, SD = 6.5) via a standardized developmental test. An adjusted regression model showed significantly lower social developmental T-values (B = -1.790, 95 % CI: [-2.682; -0.898) for infants examined during the pandemic as well as for infants with a longer duration of exposure to the pandemic (B = -0.131, 95 % CI: [-0.239; -0.023]). The effect was partially mediated by maternal media use (direct effect: B = -1.35; total effect: B = -1.65, p < .05). Infants up to 11 months predominantly showed difficulties with engaging in dyadic interaction and emotion regulation, while in children up to 24 months of age items indicative of prosocial behavior were fulfilled less frequently. While there seems to be a small effect of being examined during the pandemic on infants' social development, children were in a non-delayed range of development. Although it only had a small impact on social development, parents should be educated on responsible media use. Longitudinal studies might offer further insights on additional influencing factors and long-term effects of the pandemic on infant social development.

Background: Families with young children are particularly vulnerable for the stressors induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, studies on their psychosocial situation during the course of the crisis are still sparse.Methods: In a comparison of three survey waves (wave I and III = high incidences), we cross-sectionally investigated the proportion of families (Ntotal = 2,940) with children aged 0-3 years experiencing pandemic burden, parenting stress, and parental and child mental health problems in relation to COVID-19 incidences and restrictions in Southern Germany. Potential influencing factors were also explored.Results: The number of parents with a high pandemic burden decreased from 65.3% to 57.3% in wave II and rose to 62.2% in wave III (significant changes except wave II vs. III). Participants with high parenting stress increased from 38.2% to 46.1% and 51.2% (all significant changes). The number of mothers with affective symptoms remained constant with a maximum of 28.3%. The proportion of affected fathers decreased from 25.4% in wave I to 14.3% in wave II and rose significantly to 28.4% in wave III. Infants with crying sleeping problems increased significantly from 26.4% in wave I to 35.5% in wave III. Toddlers’ emotional and behavioral problems showed a similar trend with 23.9% being affected in wave III (no significant changes after adjusting for child age and gender). Increased family conflicts during the pandemic were the strongest predictor for parenting stress (ß = .355), maternal (ß= .305), infants’ (ß= .149) and toddlers’ (ß= .216) mental health problems.Conclusions: Psychosocial stress factors in families with infants and toddlers remained highly pronounced and even partly increased irrespective of pandemic events. The ongoing heightened support needs of families with young children must remain a focus and promoting infants' mental health as well as strengthening a positive family microclimate should be a top priority in the aftermath of COVID-19.Trial registration: The study was pre-registered in OSF (https://osf.io/search/?q=tksh5&page=1).Keywords: Parent Psychosocial Functioning, Infant Mental Health, COVID-19, Depression, Anxiety, Early Life Adversity, Infancy and Early Childhood, Parenting, Stress, Pandemic