A program evaluation examined mental health literacy levels and coping outcomes for youth (ages 10–16), before and at the end of their participation in a manualized, school-based mental health literacy program called Youth Education and Support (YES). Most of the youth reportedly had a parent or other family member with a mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety, and/or substance abuse. The mental health literacy levels of program participants from pre to post were evaluated with the developing Knowledge of Mental Illness and Recovery (K-MIR) scale. This scale was validated using item-response theory, demonstrating good psychometric properties. Youth answered two coping questions about their use of positive coping during the program and coping skills compared from pre to post intervention. Findings revealed that youth levels of mental health literacy increased significantly from pre to post program participation. Over 90% of the youth reported an improved use of positive coping strategies from pre to post intervention. The program appeared to deliver enhanced levels of literacy and coping for this sample of youth. The scale appeared to be appropriate to measure youth mental health literacy. Recommendations for practice, policy, and research are offered.

Adaptive behaviour has been viewed broadly as an individual’s ability to meet the standards of social responsibilities and independence; however, this definition has been a source of debate amongst researchers and clinicians. Based on the rich history and the importance of the construct of adaptive behaviour, the current study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the application of adaptive behaviour models to assessment tools, through a systematic review. A plethora of assessment measures for adaptive behaviour have been developed in order to adequately assess the construct; however, it appears that the only definition on which authors seem to agree is that adaptive behaviour is what adaptive behaviour scales measure. The importance of the construct for diagnosis, intervention and planning has been highlighted throughout the literature. It is recommended that researchers and clinicians critically review what measures of adaptive behaviour they are utilising and it is suggested that the definition and theory is revisited.

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Millions of children have a parent with a mental illness (COPMI). These children are at higher risk of acquiring behavioural, developmental and emotional difficulties. Most children, including COPMI, have low levels of mental health literacy (MHL), meaning they do not have accurate, non-stigmatized information. There is limited knowledge about what kind of MHL content should be delivered to children. The aim of this exploratory study is to identify the knowledge content needed for general population children and COPMI to increase their MHL. A second aim is to explore content for emerging children’s MHL scales. Researchers created and analyzed a literature review database. Thematic analysis yielded five main mental health knowledge themes for children: (1) attaining an overview of mental illness and recovery; (2) reducing mental health stigma; (3) building developmental resiliencies; (4) increasing help-seeking capacities; and (5) identifying risk factors for mental illness. COPMI appeared to need the same kind of MHL knowledge content, but with extra family-contextual content such as dealing with stigma experiences, managing stress, and communicating about parental mental illness. There is a need for MHL programs, validated scales, and research on what works for prevention and early intervention with COPMI children.

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Objective: This study examines the efficacy of a six week child mindfulness program (TRIPLE R) in teaching mindfulness skills and reducing negative emotional symptoms in a school setting.Method: Using a correlational within-subjects repeated measures design, the relationships between child self-reported mindfulness skills and negative emotional symptoms were explored. Mindfulness skills were measured using the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM; Greco, Baer & Smith, 2011), and emotional symptoms were measured using the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS; Chorpita, Yim, Moffitt, Umemoto, & Francis, 2000). A sample of 57 Australian grade 5 children in three primary schools completed the measures pre and post intervention. Results: There was a small to moderate increase in mindfulness skills post intervention (Cohen's d = 0.32), however negative emotional symptoms did not significantly improve. Increased mindfulness skills were significantly associated with decreased emotional symptoms, most notably for symptoms related to social phobia (R = -.61), separation anxiety (R = -.42) and generalised anxiety (R = -.32). Discussion: This study provides preliminary support for the TRIPLE R program and the potential benefits of school-based mindfulness interventions in improving children's wellbeing. The limited improvement in negative emotional symptoms is likely related to the non-clinical sampling. The relationship between increased mindfulness skills and decreased emotional symptoms is discussed, and recommendations for further research are presented.