Understanding practitioners’ and young people’s views of a risk calculator for future psychopathology and poor functioning in young people victimised during childhood

Abstract

Background: Although children who are exposed to victimisation (including abuse, neglect, domestic violence and bullying) have an increased risk of later psychopathology and functional impairment, not all go on to develop these outcomes. Risk calculators that generate individualised probabilities of a victimised child developing future psychopathology and poor functioning have the potential to help practitioners identify the most vulnerable children and efficiently target preventive interventions. Aim: This study explored the views of young people and practitioners regarding the acceptability and feasibility of potentially using a risk calculator to predict victimised children's individual risk of poor outcomes. Methods: Young people (n ¼ 6) with lived experience of childhood victimisation took part in two focus groups. Health and social care practitioners (n ¼ 13) were interviewed individually. Focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Results: Ten themes were identified, organised according to the three main topics of discussion: (i) identifying risk (risk factors, current practice, accuracy, implementation, response); (ii) protective factors and prevention (individual, environment, preventative intervention); and (iii) communication of research (stakeholders, methods). Conclusion: Risk calculators have the potential to enhance health and social care practice in the United Kingdom, but we highlight key factors that require consideration for successful implementation.

Unmet Needs and Perceived Challenges in Early Intervention for Psychosis: A Qualitative Study of Three Groups of Stakeholders

“…To our knowledge, the current study constitutes the first attempt to explore the experiences of CSC consumers regarding how their therapeutic needs are being met under the care they receive. The resulting sample size resembled previous qualitative mental health studies involving multiple stakeholders (Latham et al, 2021;Lawn et al, 2015;Svirydzenka et al, 2017;Twamley et al, 2021). Participants from all three groups provided information indicating that clients and family caregivers experience a variety of needs between sessions.…”

Violent experiences and neighbourhoods during adolescence: understanding and mitigating the association with mental health at the transition to adulthood in a longitudinal cohort study

“…The putative protective factors that we investigate were identified during focus group discussions with a group of young people with lived experience of violence, abuse, and mental health problems (see Latham et al [33] for details of the focus groups) and then matched to measures available in the E-Risk Study. These factors are also consistent with theoretical accounts of resilience that highlight physical, psychological, and social resources in the environment that can help individuals to sustain their wellbeing in the face of adverse circumstances [34] as well as empirical findings [32,35,36].…”