Purpose Bullying victimization poses a critical challenge, exerting negative effects on adolescents' mental health. In this study, the mediating role of basic psychological need frustration (BPNF) in the relationship between bullying victimization and psychological distress in adolescents was examined. Methods Between November 2025 and January 2026, research data were gathered via self-report instruments from 636 high school students attending schools in central Türkiye. SPSS PROCESS macro (Model 4) was employed for mediation analyses. Results The findings showed that autonomy, relatedness, and competence frustration partially mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and psychological distress. Conclusion The findings yield significant practical implications for interventions aimed at safeguarding and enhancing adolescent mental health.
Maternal emotional well-being and lifestyle behaviors co-occur during the perinatal period, yet most studies examine them separately. Using data collected since 2019 from the Longitudinal Examination Across Prenatal and Postpartum Health in Taiwan, a prospective cohort of 539 mother-child dyads, we assessed maternal depressive symptoms, eudaimonic well-being, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and sleep duration from early pregnancy to 2 years postpartum. Group-based multi-trajectory modeling identified co-occurring maternal profiles. Birth weight was analyzed with multiple linear regression, and repeated measures of child attention, aggression, internalizing symptoms, and suspected language delay (ages 2-5 years) with generalized estimating equations, adjusting for covariates. Four perinatal profiles emerged: holistic flourishing (perinatal-HF), lower behavioral engagement, higher well-being (perinatal-LBE-HWB), higher behavioral engagement, lower well-being (perinatal-HBE-LWB), and high-risk (perinatal-HR). Relative to perinatal-HF, the perinatal-HR profile was associated with higher attention problems (aβ = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.35-1.16), aggression (aβ = 5.34; 95% CI, 3.85-6.83), internalizing problems (aβ = 5.65; 95% CI, 4.12-7.19), and suspected language delay (AOR = 2.38; 95% CI, 1.23-4.61). Notably, mothers with preserved emotional well-being but lower behavioral engagement showed comparatively favorable child outcomes. In contrast, mothers with lower emotional well-being showed elevated child behavioral risk despite healthier behaviors. Distinct co-occurring maternal profiles were differentially associated with offspring development, supporting multidomain perinatal screening and interventions that prioritize maternal emotional well-being.
Growing up, most of us in India were taught that being hit or scolded by teachers and parents was for our own good. Proverbs like "Laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi maante" (Stubborn people only learn through harsh measures) and “Ek thappad se kya farak padta hain” (One slap won’t impact anyone) reinforced the idea that harsh measures were necessary for discipline. But how much of this belief holds true today? A 2018 study by Agrasar revealed that 80% of school-going children in India face daily corporal punishment, with 90% of parents approving it.[i] As adults, many repeat this cycle with their own children. To understand its long-term impact and gain insights, we spoke to working professionals aged 25–40 about their experiences. Hidden Scars of Childhood Punishment “I freeze in the presence of authority. Fear from school days—sweaty hands, anxious dreams—still haunts me. I struggle with public speaking and wish someone had helped me overcome this fear earlier.” - Ashutosh, Fashion Designer “I grew up scared to talk to my parents, fearing punishment. Even now, I avoid admitting mistakes and struggle to connect with others, afraid of being judged.” - Ramit, Entrepreneur “I grew up in fear—doing things I didn’t want to, just to avoid punishment. I learned to lie. The anger from those moments stayed with me, driving me to take up martial arts so I’d never feel powerless again” - Abhishek, Author and Consultant Out of 32 respondents, 25 reported that childhood punishment profoundly and negatively impacted their personalities. Common effects included lying or hiding things, struggling to trust or connect with others, stage fright, avoiding mistakes at work, hesitating to express feelings, and seeking constant validation. While punishment is often justified as a way to teach discipline, these conversations revealed a stark truth: it doesn’t instill discipline but leaves lasting scars that overshadow its intended lessons. Moments That Stay “My Grade 6 teacher slapped me and made me kneel for hours. I still feel sad and angry thinking about it.” Sarthak, Consultant with Big 4 “The sting of that first slap in Grade 4 and the wooden ruler on my knuckles in Grade 10—those moments stay with you.” Tuhina, Educator Most interviewees vividly recalled when and why they were punished by teachers or parents. I still remember my math teacher in Grades 4–6 spanking me for asking questions I didn’t understand, which instilled a lasting fear of numbers—a struggle I face at work even today. Many shared that revisiting these memories evokes anger and sadness. Discipline or Damage? “Punishment didn’t help me. As an act of rebellion, I didn’t take biology in Grade 12. Now, I constantly seek fulfillment through helping others.” Prayas, PhD Student Parents and teachers often believe punishment instills discipline and improves performance. However, all 32 respondents disagreed, stating it harmed their well-being and decision-making. Breaking the Cycle “Breaking the patterns of the past is challenging, but it’s our responsibility to unlearn what we once endured.” Rashmi, Educator and Parent “Despite my military background, I would never resort to physical punishment with my children.” Akash, Naval Officer Something that struck a chord with me was that everyone interviewed echoed the same thought: the importance of empowering individuals to completely eliminate corporal punishment. While Section 17 of the Indian Right to Education Act imposes an absolute ban on corporal punishment in [most] schools, our analysis indicates that enforcement remains inconsistent across India. Some states have explicitly prohibited it, while others still have gaps in policy and implementation. Limited awareness, ineffective monitoring, and weak enforcement allow corporal punishment to persist in many schools. We must break this cycle—not just through laws but by shifting mindsets and embracing non-violent approaches to discipline. If we reject humiliation and violence for ourselves, how can we accept it for our children? [i] https://agrasar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Choking-Childhood.pdf Guest author Nidhi is a changemaker in the social impact and education space, driven by a passion for creating meaningful change through creative and collaborative solutions. A Teach for India alumna, she has worked with government programs and non-profits across India, impacting lakhs of students and thousands of teachers. She previously led Social-Emotional Learning at Heritage International Xperiential Schools, where she designed and implemented a curriculum focused on students' holistic well-being. Currently, at Agrasar, she is spearheading efforts to eliminate corporal punishment in schools. Nidhi's email id: nidhi.ubuntu@gmail.com Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-lamba-46a262a4/ The post The Impact of Corporal Punishment on Working Professionals first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.
Child rights networks and organisations across the globe collectively condemn what the continued revelations surrounding the Epstein case have laid bare: a horrific pattern of systemic failure to protect children and young people. What continues to emerge are cycles of sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation, upheld by patriarchal structures that treat women and children as objects. This case has exposed, yet again, a system that prioritises power over justice, and perpetrators over victims. At the heart of this are children and young people who were subjected to exploitation, abuse, and profound violations by people who weaponised their wealth and influence. We recognise the courage it takes to come forward, and we stand in solidarity with all those affected by sexual violence and trafficking. What enabled this abuse to occur and persist? Power imbalances gone unchecked, little to no accountability, weak safeguarding mechanisms, normalisation of abuse and exploitation, and cultures of silence. We firmly believe that: Survivors of sexual violence during childhood, of all genders, must come first Survivors must be heard, supported, and protected from further harm and retraumatisation Survivors have the right to dignity, privacy, and justice Perpetrators must be held accountable by justice systems without exceptions or delays Violence against children can be an organised crime Institutions, public and private, have a responsibility to uphold the highest safeguarding standards Justice processes must be transparent, independent, and survivor-centred We urge all relevant authorities to ensure that investigations and any release of information prioritise the safety, dignity, and rights of survivors of sexual violence during childhood. This case is a painful reminder that safeguarding is not optional, it is a fundamental responsibility shared by governments, institutions, civil society, and communities. Accountability for perpetrators is foundational to a functioning and robust child protection system. We remain committed to working with our members and partners worldwide to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, challenging the systems that enable it, and ensure that every child can grow up safe within a caring family. Signed by: Family for Every Child ECPAT International PACT — Protect All Children from Trafficking (USA) Urban Light (Thailand) Ignite Philanthropy Global Social Service Workforce Alliance Together for Girls Child Helpline International No Means No WorldWide Child Rights International Network (CRIN) The post Joint Statement From Child Rights Networks and Organisations on the Epstein Case appeared first on ECPAT.
Indian non-profit using AI over WhatsApp to support parents and teachers in delivering early childhood education at scale across India. The post Rocket Learning appeared first on ECDAN.
The purpose of this study was to longitudinally examine the effects of stigma on the development of children living in out-of-home care situations, specifically with regards to self-esteem and antisocial behavior. Using a stratified sampling method, data from 341 children aged 11 or 12 living in out-of-home care (residential institutions, group homes, and foster homes) were collected five times, from 2011 to 2015. The results of latent growth modeling (LGM) analyses were as follows. First, individuals demonstrated different levels of stigma at ages 11 or 12, and the levels of stigma were likely to decrease over time (mean for intercept: 2.146; p < 0.001, mean for slope: −0.038; p < 0.001). Second, the initial stigma at ages 11 or 12 had a statistically significant negative effect on their self-esteem after four years. In addition, the results on stigma slopes during the five-year period between ages of 11–12 and 15–16 showed that stigma had a negative impact on self-esteem and was an influential factor of antisocial behavior. The results suggest that it is necessary to provide interventions for children in out-of-home care, and practitioners must place emphasis on early screening, monitoring children’s lives, and psychosocial health.
Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM), this study which was crosssectional explored the relationship between VVGE and aggression in Chinese adolescents, taking into account the effects of individual difference trait (i.e., moral disengagement, anger, hostility) and family situation (i.e., parental rearing patterns). The study sample consisted of 630 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.43 years, SD = 1.40). Results showed that VVGE was positively associated with moral disengagement and adolescent aggression. Furthermore, when controlling for gender, moral disengagement played a partial mediating role between VVGE and adolescent aggression and physical aggression; anger and hostility played a partial mediating role between VVGE and physical aggression and a full mediating role between VVGE and verbal aggression. Father’s preference and mother’s denying of the parental rearing patterns moderated the relationship of moral disengagement on aggression. The findings suggest that moral disengagement, anger, hostility and parental rearing patterns may be the factors that increase in the risk of higher levels of adolescent aggression after repeated exposure violent video games.
Digital Storytelling (DST) is a storytelling practice that is interwoven with digital media, including images, texts, sounds, and other elements. This study specifically designed a DST project based on a dialogic orientation and examined to what extent it could promote young participants’ critical and reflective mindsets. By using civic identity as a heuristic production theme, a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) was conducted in Hong Kong in 2019. Participants were youths in Hong Kong, aged 16–24. They were randomized into a group receiving intervention (n1 = 36) and a control group that did not receive the intervention (n2 = 51). Participants shared photos on social media, chatted online and offline with facilitators, and finally produced their digital photo stories. Participants in the intervention group increased their self-esteem and critical thinking disposition. Their ethnocentric views also declined. Participants in the control group became more closed-minded, but participants in the intervention group remained at a stable level. This study provides initial evidence showing that DST might be used to develop youth participants’ CT disposition in civic engagement activities.
As the discussion of Chinese left-behind children (LBC) continues, intervention programs dedicated to this population increase and diversify. While reviews have summarized intervention programs promoting LBC’s health and psychological wellbeing, there is no synthesis depicting a comprehensive picture. This scoping review systematically examines interventions tackling LBC’s various issues and identifies their design and foci. We performed a systematic literature search to extract intervention studies from four English (i.e., Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, & PsycINFO) and one Chinese (i.e., CNKI) database. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (MMAT). Two main rounds of deductive coding were performed on Nvivo 12 plus to identify the design and foci of the interventions. Thirty-three articles were identified for our final review. Twenty-six were published in Chinese and seven in English. Existing interventions have tackled multiple psychological, social, physical, developmental, and sexual problems or needs of Chinese rural left-behind children. Among them, LBC’s psychological wellbeing has drawn the most attention. The majority of the reviewed studies performed a randomized controlled trial (N=20). Quantitative evaluation is prevalent, with only one study applying a purely qualitative evaluation. In addition, only two studies adopted validated interventions, while the others are self-designed. The review results indicate several gaps in intervention studies for LBC. First, many existing interventions have considered LBC’s psychological and social wellbeing, while little effort has been paid to address their educational and intellectual development. Further, while existing interventions are concerned with LBC’s temporary needs, their long-term life planning, as well as their current self-efficacy and self-concept driving their actions towards future self, were neglected. As for the intervention design, empirically validated interventions are recommended for future studies for their verified efficacy and evidence-based standardized practice. In addition, a qualitative evaluation should be considered because it might be more powerful in eliciting realistic and viable solutions to improve the effectiveness and reliability of the interventions from the participants.
This study examined the associations between developmental trajectories of parenting and adolescent well-being. The moderating effect of child gender was also explored. The participants were 3,328 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents (52.1% boys, mean age = 12.59 years at baseline) who responded to questionnaires measuring their perceptions of parenting and well-being every year during the six-year high school period. Latent growth curve modeling revealed that trajectories of positive parental factors (behavioral control and parent–child relationship) positively predicted trajectory of life satisfaction, but negatively predicted hopelessness trajectory, indexed by intercept–intercept and slope–slope associations. Reverse associations were found for psychological control. Child gender mainly moderated the influence of psychological control, with the associations appearing to be slightly stronger for girls than for boys. These findings add evidence that there may be long-term parental impacts on children’s well-being and highlight the importance of looking at related developmental trajectories involved.
