Africa Knowledge Hub for Children

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex6 Oct 2026

Prevalence and Determinants of Antepartum Depression among Antenatal Women in a Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-sectional study

Background: Antepartum depression (APD) is a significant public health concern affecting maternal well-being, pregnancy outcomes, and child development. In India, APD remains under-recognized despite its high prevalence. Identifying its burden and determinants is essential for strengthening maternal mental health services. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 antenatal mothers attending outpatient and inpatient departments from February to May 2025. Sample size was calculated using prevalence from a South Indian study. Data were collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. APD was assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) with a cut-off score ≥13. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Bivariate analysis employed Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, followed by logistic regression for variables with p<0.20. Results: Among the 210 participants, 84 (40.0%) were screened positive for Antepartum depressive symptoms. Maternal education, husband’s occupation, gestational age, social support, and consanguinity showed significant associations. Multivariable analysis identified low/moderate social support (AOR=2.63), gestational age <32 weeks (AOR=3.21), husband’s non-professional occupation (AOR=4.48), and consanguinity (AOR=2.91) factors independently associated with screening-positive antepartum depressive symptoms. Conclusions: APD is highly prevalent, driven largely by psychosocial and socioeconomic factors. Routine EPDS screening and integration of mental health services into antenatal care are strongly recommended. Clinical Significance: Routine screening for antepartum depression using EPDS and identification of high-risk groups such as women with poor social support and socioeconomic stress can improve early detection and management, thereby enhancing maternal and fetal outcomes.

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex6 Oct 2026

From shark hunters to sea guardians: Environmental literacy transformation and socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people in Sapeken Islands, East Java-Indonesia

The Bajo people are known for their closeness to and dependence on the sea. Over the past few decades, the Bajo people have undergone significant changes that are worth examining. This study aims to analyze the socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people who inhabit Sadulang Besar Island, Sapeken Archipelago, East Java, with particular attention to how environmental literacy, intergenerational learning, and shifting livelihood strategies have contributed to changes in marine practices and ecological identity. They have transformed from shark hunters into key actors in environmental literacy-based marine stewardship. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study design. The study involved community leaders—former shark hunters, young environmental activists, seaweed farmers, teachers from educational institutions, and village government officials. A total of 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted across these groups, supported by participant observation, documentation of community activities, a community ecological-literacy survey, and village-level secondary records. The collected data were then analyzed using the interactive model of Miles et al. The results show that increasing community-based environmental literacy is a key factor in changing ecological behavior and reconstructing the identity of the Bajo people. At the same time, the findings suggest that this transformation was not driven by literacy alone, but also by changing economic opportunities, youth leadership, external mentoring, and community reflection on the ecological consequences of earlier practices. The process of critical reflection and transformative learning supports the younger generation of the Bajo people in developing conservation movements, including coral transplantation, the construction of fish houses/apartments, and intensive community mentoring in seaweed cultivation. Quantitative data show an 87.2% decrease in households actively engaged in shark hunting and an increase in participation in conservation activities from 22% to 74% over the past decade. Sapeken District is also listed as the largest seaweed producer in Sumenep Regency. These findings demonstrate that environmental literacy, fostered by local awareness, has been shown to drive social and economic change toward sustainability. Rather than presenting the case as a simple success story, this article highlights a negotiated and still ongoing transition in which conservation, livelihood adaptation, and social legitimacy continue to be worked out within the community. This research provides conceptual and practical contributions to the development of a community-based environmental literacy model for coastal stewardship, while acknowledging its contextual limits and the need for comparative studies in other Sama-Bajau/Bajo settings.

Husamah Husamah, Abdulkadir Rahardjanto, Atok Miftachul Hudha et al.

IDRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex6 Oct 2026

Online sexual exploitation and grooming in inclusive settings: school response mechanisms and the first 24 h

The increasing integration of digital technologies into inclusive school settings may heighten the vulnerability of students with special educational needs to online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) and online grooming. This study examines schools’ capacity to identify and respond to these risks, with a focus on the initial response in the first 24 h after a concern is raised. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 school professionals in Türkiye (15 teachers; 15 school administrators) working in inclusive settings. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seven themes were identified: (1) digital risks encountered by students within inclusive school settings, (2) early warning signs, (3) schools’ initial response process in suspected cases, (4) schools’ technical safety measures, (5) gaps in student-facing education, (6) teachers’ professional development needs, and (7) recommendations for families. Risks were most frequently linked to unmoderated interactions on social media and in online games. Concerns were commonly recognised through behavioural indicators. Although referral to the school guidance/counselling service was typical, participants reported uncertainty about legal reporting requirements and referral pathways and described feeling insufficiently prepared. Overall, the findings suggest that technical measures alone are inadequate and underscore the need for a comprehensive school safety approach that includes clear reporting protocols, structured staff training, and sustained collaboration with families.

Alper Gülay, Gökhan Kahveci

ProtectionDevelopmentTRRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

Work-to-family conflict and family role performance among employed adult child caregivers: A moderated mediation model.

Work-to-family conflict has significant implications for adult child caregivers and the older parents they care for, and cultural values such as filial piety play a critical role in shaping these dynamics. By integrating the work-home resources model with the dual filial piety framework, this study offers a novel perspective on how filial piety shapes the resource-depletion processes linking work-to-family conflict with family role performance. We conducted two empirical studies to test our hypotheses. Study 1 employed a time-lagged survey design and included 292 full-time employees who regularly provided care to their aging parents. Study 2 adopted a weekly experience sampling design, involving 256 participants and yielding 1,265 observations over a 5-week period. The results reveal that work-to-family conflict is negatively associated with family role performance. Informal caregiver burnout mediates this relationship. Moreover, reciprocal filial piety buffers the indirect effect of work-to-family conflict on family role performance through caregiver burnout, whereas authoritarian filial piety amplifies it. These findings highlight the role of culturally embedded filial norms in shaping resource dynamics and provide actionable insights for promoting caregiver well-being and eldercare quality in rapidly aging societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Yang Jia, Yanyan Zhang

CNRead at source

OtherOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

DIVORCE AND CHILDREN'S PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING: FAMILY PROCESSES, RISK FACTORS, AND PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS

: Parental divorce is a multifaceted family change that may affect children’s emotional security, behavior, educational functioning, social relationships, and long-term psychological well-being. However, contemporary scientific evidence does not support the deterministic view that divorce in itself inevitably leads to impaired psychological adjustment in the child. Rather, a child’s condition is shaped by the interaction of the family climate before the divorce, interparental conflict, the quality of parenting, economic resources, living conditions, the child’s developmental stage, and the quality of relationships after the divorce.

Ruziqulov Fakhriddin Rasulovich

DevelopmentUZRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

Paternal involvement and caregiving outcomes at three years: A study using municipal data in Japan

Abstract This study aimed to ascertain whether paternal involvement in childrearing at 18 months was associated with developmental and caregiving outcomes at the age of 3 years. We used the health examination records of 52,921 children born in Kitakyushu City, Japan, between 2013 and 2019, whose caregivers were designated to answer a question about paternal involvement at the 18‐month examination. Valid responses were given by 33,619 caregivers, of whom 21,956 (65.3%) reported consistent involvement. To adjust for confounding by child and family characteristics, 1:1 propensity score matching was applied, yielding 11,175 matched pairs of children with consistent versus inconsistent involvement. The primary outcome, physician‐flagged developmental issues, was slightly less prevalent among children with consistent paternal involvement (11.1% vs. 12.3%; relative risk .91, 95% CI .83–.99). Fewer children in this group were unable to say their own name (11.8% vs. 13.4%) or had difficulty dressing (5.5% vs. 7.0%). A lower proportion of caregivers reported concerns about childcare (19.6% vs. 23.5%) and frustration with childcare (16.3% vs. 20.3%). These findings suggest that consistent paternal engagement during toddlerhood is associated with slightly better child development and caregiver well‐being, highlighting its potential relevance to early childhood health promotion strategies.

Shogo Akahoshi, Reiko Saito, Aya Yoshikawa et al.

DevelopmentJPRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

Understanding Student Well-being Model: A Review

The present study aims to critically review Soutter’s Student Well-Being model (SWBM) and its different domains in light of the empirical studies on student well-being. Soutter et al.'s (2013) SWBM is based on multiple studies of well-being conducted with high-school-aged youth across various disciplines. Seven common themes were found in the literature search. These seven themes formed the domains of the SWBM: “having”, “being”, “relating”, “feeling”, “thinking”, “functioning”, and “striving”. The review's findings suggested that the domains from the existing literature fit well within the overarching domains of SWBM. Aligning various empirical domains with the seven domains of the SWBM further enhances the SWBM's comprehensiveness across different research contexts. Future research can explore the potential of SWBM to develop a culturally appropriate measurement scale for assessing students’ well-being cross-culturally. Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 50(2), 93-108

Saira Hossain

DevelopmentBDRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

Pediatric genetic obesity: From molecular pathophysiology to precision therapeutics

Childhood obesity results from a spectrum of genetic contributors, ranging from monogenic leptin-melanocortin pathway defects and syndromic causes to polygenic predisposition. Early recognition of red flags—severe onset before the age of 5 years, extreme hyperphagia, consanguinity, or dysmorphic features—should prompt biochemical and genetic evaluation, since a growing number of these conditions now have targeted pharmacotherapy. This chapter outlines a practical approach to clinical screening, biochemical work-up, and tiered genetic testing for suspected monogenic or syndromic obesity, along with an overview of precision and broader pharmacologic options, and offers guidance on when affected children should be referred to a pediatric endocrinologist.

Abhishek J. Kulkarni, Amulya Andalat Dileepkumar, Joewin Monteiro

SurvivalINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

Neuro-Protective Criminal Justice: A New Paradigm For Child Criminal Responsibility And Protection

Contemporary criminal justice systems predominantly assess child criminal responsibility through fixed age thresholds and formal legal capacity while often disregarding neuroscientific evidence concerning brain development, impulse regulation, and limited decision making capacity. This article proposes neuro protective criminal justice that integrates neuroscience, neurolaw, and child centered human rights into criminal law policy. The study aims to examine the conceptual foundation of neuro protective criminal justice, analyze child criminal liability under Indonesian law, and develop a model of neurological protection within the child criminal justice system. This research employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and comparative approach. The analysis demonstrates that age based responsibility doesn’t adequately reflect children’s vulnerability to social and structural influences. It argues for a framework that prioritizes rehabilitation, prevention of neurological and psychological harm, and long term developmental well being through restorative justice, therapeutic interventions, and diversion. This study positions neuro protection as a foundational principle of child criminal justice while providing normative guidance for legal reform consistent with neuroscientific knowledge and international child protection standards. The study concludes that Indonesia should introduce regulations requiring neurological development analysis throughout juvenile criminal proceedings and reform legal practices across all components of its legal system.

Vience Ratna Multiwijaya, Setiyono Setiyono, Rini Purwaningsih et al.

ProtectionDevelopmentIDRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex5 Oct 2026

Association between timing of psychological intervention and reconstruction of worldview, life perspective, and values in adolescents with depression

Background Timely access to structured psycho-educational intervention is crucial for cognitive-motivational recovery in adolescents with depression, a population in a critical developmental stage of consolidating core belief systems. Drawing upon the theory of educational timing, the initiation of these interventions may represent a critical window for reshaping worldview, life perspective, and values. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between intervention timing and the reconstruction of these existential constructs, thereby providing an empirical basis for optimizing psycho-educational strategies in adolescent depression care. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 244 adolescents with depressive disorder treated between January 2022 and December 2024. To operationalize the concept of “optimal educational timing,” the cohort was stratified based on intervention initiation: early intervention, defined as initiation of structured psycho-educational intervention within 14 days of the index clinical encounter, and delayed intervention, defined as initiation after 14 days. Outcomes were assessed using the Worldview, Life Perspective, and Values Reconstruction Questionnaire (WLVQ-22). Linear and logistic regression models were used to evaluate changes in WLVQ-22 scores and responder outcomes. Results The cohort included 126 adolescents in the early-intervention group and 118 in the delayed-intervention group. Baseline WLVQ-22 scores were comparable between groups. After adjustment, early intervention initiation was associated with greater changes in worldview (β = 4.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.89 to 5.98; p < 0.001), life perspective (β = 3.93, 95% CI: 2.45 to 5.41; p < 0.001), and values total score (β = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.87; p < 0.001). Early intervention was also associated with higher odds of response for worldview (odds ratio [OR] = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.71 to 5.11), life perspective (OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.46 to 4.33), and values reconstruction (OR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.37 to 6.13). Conclusions Earlier initiation of structured psychological intervention was associated with more favorable short-term WLVQ-22-assessed reconstruction indicators in adolescents with depression. These findings highlight the need for prospective studies to further evaluate the role of intervention timing in adolescent depression care.

Lin Chen

DevelopmentPre/postCNRead at source

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Prevalence and Determinants of Antepartum Depression among Antenatal Women in a Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-sectional study

From shark hunters to sea guardians: Environmental literacy transformation and socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people in Sapeken Islands, East Java-Indonesia

Online sexual exploitation and grooming in inclusive settings: school response mechanisms and the first 24 h

Work-to-family conflict and family role performance among employed adult child caregivers: A moderated mediation model.

DIVORCE AND CHILDREN'S PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING: FAMILY PROCESSES, RISK FACTORS, AND PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS

Paternal involvement and caregiving outcomes at three years: A study using municipal data in Japan

Understanding Student Well-being Model: A Review

Pediatric genetic obesity: From molecular pathophysiology to precision therapeutics

Neuro-Protective Criminal Justice: A New Paradigm For Child Criminal Responsibility And Protection

Association between timing of psychological intervention and reconstruction of worldview, life perspective, and values in adolescents with depression

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