Africa Knowledge Hub for Children

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

A Systematic Review of Explainable Multimodal Artificial Intelligence for Early Identification of Developmental Potential in Children

Children who are developmentally lagging require quick and tailored supports- this is why focusing on potential development is important. AI has advanced by integrating multiple forms of speech, behaviour, physiology, and vision, and emerging AI systems for speech triage and multi-modal systems are demonstrating promise for comprehensive pediatric assessment. This literature review examines the most recent XAI approaches and applications to developmental screening and assessment of learning and development from 2016-2025. Under the PRISMA model, 34 studies were selected that involve data fusion, explainable AI, and stakeholder-driven explainable AI. The review explores various AI model approaches, data fusion, explainable AI, and evaluation with explainable AI trust, ethical, bias, and generalization frameworks. Survey results of the various frameworks show that XAI approaches and selected strikingly high attribution approaches of clinician educator explanation dominated stakeholder-controlled assessment and understanding and maintained high diagnostic and predictive accuracy levels. The issues of availability and sustaining longitudinal studies and accountability for cultural and demographic bias are persistent. This review suggests discussing adaptive and transparent AI systems that are equitable, scalable, and reliable. This synthesis aids the creation of efficient and useful AI technologies for fair access to early childhood assessment and intervention tools.

Shyamala B, P Shridhara Acharya, Ananth Prabhu G

Development

Peer-reviewed articleCrossref30 Apr 2021

Processes For The Prevention Of Domestic Violence Against Children In Uzbekistan

This article addresses topical issues of protection of children from domestic violence in the national legal system. Special attention is paid to the forms of domestic violence, protection of the rights and freedoms of victims.

Shavkat Ganiev

ProtectionUZRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Balloon cells in type II focal cortical dysplasia: developmental origins, molecular signatures, and epileptogenic mechanisms

Type II focal cortical dysplasia (FCD II) is a major cause of drug-resistant epilepsy in children, with balloon cells representing a defining histopathological feature of FCD IIb. Although diagnostically important, the biological identity and epileptogenic contribution of balloon cells remain incompletely understood. Current evidence links balloon cells to disrupted cortical development, often driven by somatic mosaic mutations in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, resulting in impaired differentiation, cellular enlargement, and hybrid neuroglial phenotypes. This review examines current evidence on the developmental origins and lineage states, molecular signatures, electrophysiological features, and network effects of balloon cells in FCD II. Persistent mTOR hyperactivation appears to interact with cytoskeletal abnormalities, oxidative stress, and local inflammatory signaling, thereby creating a microenvironment that favors epileptogenic remodeling. Despite being largely electrically silent, BCs are embedded within lesion microenvironments characterized by disrupted inhibitory circuitry, altered neurotransmitter homeostasis, and complement-associated synaptic remodeling. BCs may participate indirectly in these processes, although their cell-specific causal contribution remains unresolved. Recent single-cell and spatial transcriptomic studies further distinguish balloon cells from dysmorphic neurons and implicate them in local immune activation. Understanding balloon cell biology may reveal cell-specific therapeutic targets and support precision treatment strategies beyond surgical resection.

Yan Gao, Xinna Ji, Shuo Feng et al.

CNRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Associations between dysfunctional parental discipline and parent-reported mental health outcomes in preschoolers: a cross-sectional study

This study explored the association between parental discipline and mental health in a sample of 21,366 Chinese preschool children (mean age = 4.82 ± 0.89 years; 51.77% boys, 48.23% girls). Parenting practices were measured as overall parenting scores, laxness, overreactivity, and verbosity, and children’s mental health was assessed by the official simplified Chinese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Both outcomes were dichotomized using validated cut-offs for Chinese preschoolers, and odds ratios are reported as the odds of meeting these cut-off definitions (Total Difficulties Score > 14; adequate Prosocial Behavior Score ≥ 6). The results indicated that higher parenting scores (for total difficulties: AOR = 4.03; 95% CI: 3.64–4.46; for prosocial behavior: AOR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.45–0.51), particularly in laxness (for total difficulties: AOR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.23–1.34; for prosocial behavior: AOR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.85–0.91) and overreactivity (for total difficulties: AOR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.76–1.90; for prosocial behavior: AOR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.64–0.68), were associated with higher odds of a Total Difficulties Score > 14 (i.e., risk of mental health difficulties) and lower odds of an adequate Prosocial Behavior Score (≥ 6), while verbosity (for total difficulties: AOR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.77–0.84; for prosocial behavior: AOR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.19–1.27) was associated with lower odds of a Total Difficulties Score > 14 and higher odds of an adequate Prosocial Behavior Score (≥ 6). Subgroup analyses suggested potential effect modification by education level and child age, but most interaction effects were not significant after multiple comparison correction. The findings emphasize the need for balanced parenting and interventions targeting both discipline and parental well-being to enhance children’s mental health.

Liangliang Liu, Mingyue Duan, Hongli Sun

DevelopmentProtectionCNRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Questioning the Patriarchal Politics of (M)Othering: Re-reading Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood

Knowledge is constructed through questioning. In line with this, Nigerian feminist author Buchi Emechet a questions the traditional methods of stereotyping the role of motherhood, which overtly demonstrates how deliberately political it is to confine a woman merely within her role as a mother, even if she possesses every possible potential to construct her own multifaceted ‘self’ as an independent entity in the mainstream of society. Nnu Ego, the female protagonist of The Joys of Motherhood, is deserted by her first husband for her inability to produce a child and her second husband, too, though she produces several children by him, objectifies her by disregarding her individual human 'self.' She exhausts herself for educating her children and ultimately dies unheard and unattended. But the traditional patriarchal paradigm defines her success and failure in terms of her children’s success and failure, and thus in general, it hinders women in general from developing their agency and transforms them into 'Other.' This qualitative research will address the research question—how does patriarchal politics work behind the process of transforming a mother into an ‘Other’? This paper will borrow the theoretical framework from the Marxist feminist theorists, such as Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and the Afro-American feminist bell hooks.

Elham Hossain

NGRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Psychological outcomes of primary-school physical education interventions: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

Introduction Physical education (PE) offers opportunities for psychological learning, but evidence of benefit depends on the outcome, design, and instructional context. Methods This systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis included 74 reports from 70 trial families of primary-school PE interventions. Four databases covered English-language reports published from January 2000 through 31 May 2026. Randomized and nonrandomized controlled studies were distinguished from uncontrolled pre -post and short-term within-child designs. Multilevel models addressed dependent effects, with trial-family CR2 inference. Results Source-informed controlled analyses contained five core social-emotional effects from three families (g = 0.947, 95% CI [−0.774, 2.667]; Holm-adjusted p = 0.424) and 13 adjacent psychological effects from five families (g = 0.215, 95% CI [−0.386, 0.817]; Holm-adjusted p = 0.424). Model-based prediction intervals were [−2.387, 4.280] and [−1.368, 1.799], respectively. The broader controlled analysis, requiring additional variance or clustering assumptions, included 126 effects from 28 families and yielded g = 0.381, 95% CI [0.135, 0.627]. Discussion The broader and combined source-informed estimates were similar (g = 0.381 and 0.421, respectively), although the latter was less precise; because the analyses overlap, they do not provide independent confirmation of benefit. The primary estimates remain too uncertain to define a dependable average benefit, rather than demonstrating that benefits are absent. Positive broader evidence warrants attention alongside substantial heterogeneity, source-reporting limitations, and an inconclusive exploratory small-study diagnostic. Future trials should align psychological targets, instructional content, implementation measures, and validated outcomes, and report allocation-aware uncertainty.

Lebin Li, Yao Huang, Di Zhang et al.

DevelopmentExperimentalCNRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleCrossref16 Oct 2018

Violence Against Women and Children Following the 2011 Great East Japan Disaster: Making the Invisible Visible Through Research

This study reports on 82 unduplicated cases of violence against women and children after the Great East Japan Disaster of March 2011. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from informants who worked with the disaster-affected populations. In addition to domestic violence, reported cases involved sexual assault and unwanted sexual contact, including quid pro quo assault perpetrated by nonintimates. Perpetrators often exploited a sense of fear, helplessness, and powerlessness and used threats to force compliance with sexual demands in exchange for life-sustaining resources. Findings point to the urgent need to develop measures to prevent and respond to postdisaster gender-based violence.

Mieko Yoshihama, Tomoko Yunomae, Azumi Tsuge et al.

ProtectionJPRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Shared digital music streaming and parent–adolescent communication: evidence from Turkish Cypriot adolescents

Background The rapid expansion of online music streaming platforms has transformed adolescents’ everyday media practices, making music consumption increasingly individualized, algorithmically curated, and socially networked. While existing scholarship has established the importance of music in adolescent identity formation and emotional regulation, considerably less attention has been devoted to understanding how digitally mediated music listening influences communication within families. As digital-native adolescents increasingly consume music through platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, parents—many of whom remain digital immigrants—face new opportunities and challenges in maintaining meaningful communication with their children. This study investigates whether shared digital music listening constitutes a communicative practice capable of strengthening parent–adolescent relationships. Rather than examining music consumption solely as an individual behavior, the study conceptualizes shared streaming experiences as an interactional process through which emotional exchange, cultural identity, and intergenerational understanding are negotiated. Methods Drawing upon a mixed-methods dataset comprising 500 Turkish Cypriot adolescents aged 14–17 (400 quantitative; 100 qualitative), the study integrates responses from a 22-item Music Listening Habits Questionnaire, the Parent–Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS), and qualitative relational content analysis. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine associations between shared music listening practices and communication quality, while qualitative coding explored participants’ perceptions of family music experiences. Results Quantitative findings demonstrate a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between the frequency of shared music listening with parents and parent–adolescent communication quality ( r = 0.455, p < 0.01). Qualitative evidence further indicates that shared listening to culturally meaningful Turkish Cypriot music facilitates emotional openness, mutual understanding, and constructive family conversations. Although adolescents predominantly accessed music through Spotify and YouTube, the communicative value of music depended less on platform choice than on opportunities for shared engagement and discussion. Conclusion The study advances Uses and Gratifications Theory by extending its application from individual media gratification toward shared family media practices. It proposes that digital music streaming can function as an intergenerational communication resource capable of narrowing the communicative divide between digital-native adolescents and digital-immigrant parents. By integrating media studies, communication research, and music psychology, the article offers a culturally grounded framework for understanding how shared digital listening contributes to healthier family relationships in contemporary media environments.

Ozgur Tosun

DevelopmentParticipationCYRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Teacher–child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative

Introduction Preschool peer acceptance is a pivotal marker of social-emotional well-being and future adaptation. Although teacher–child relationship quality is a known correlate of children’s peer status, the mechanisms linking this vertical relationship to horizontal peer relations remain insufficiently understood. Methods This two-wave longitudinal study examined whether emotion understanding and social initiative were associated with the prospective link between teacher–child relationship quality and later peer acceptance. Data were collected from 319 Chinese preschool children across a 12-month interval. Teachers reported teacher–child closeness, conflict, and children’s social initiative; children completed an emotion understanding task; and peer acceptance was assessed using peer nominations. Structural equation models controlled for baseline levels of emotion understanding, social initiative, peer acceptance, and relevant covariates. Results Results showed that T1 teacher closeness positively predicted, whereas teacher conflict negatively predicted, T2 peer acceptance. Emotion understanding and social initiative each served as significant indirect pathways linking teacher–child relationship quality with later peer acceptance. In addition, a theory-informed serial indirect pathway from T1 teacher–child relationship quality to T2 peer acceptance via T2 emotion understanding and T2 social initiative was statistically significant. Discussion However, because the study was observational and because the mediators and outcome were all assessed at T2, the findings should be interpreted as prospective associations consistent with the proposed theoretical model rather than as evidence of causal or strictly temporal mechanisms. These findings suggest that supportive teacher–child relationships may be linked to peer acceptance through children’s socioemotional understanding and proactive peer engagement.

Yuebo Li, Haowen Dang, Yong Yang et al.

DevelopmentCNRead at source

OtherOpenAlex7 Oct 2026

Platform Governance in the Prevention of Child Radicalization in Indonesia: A Policy Network Analysis

This article examines the governance transition in Indonesia’s Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) policy. It traces the governance perspective used in the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism (RAN-PE), which has shifted from a policy-network perspective toward a whole-of-government approach. Using qualitative methods, the study finds that the whole-of-government approach does not yet fully recognize digital platforms as actors beyond the traditional P/CVE policy network. Although coordination among state institutions has developed in addressing communications and cyber issues, the government has not effectively regulated the infrastructural power of digital platforms. This limitation is particularly visible in cases of child radicalization. The study therefore recommends strengthening P/CVE efforts through platform governance as a complement to the whole-of-government framework in responding to radicalization in digital spaces.

Yuseptia Angretnowati, Machya Astuti Dewi, Melaty Anggraini

ProtectionIDRead at source

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A Systematic Review of Explainable Multimodal Artificial Intelligence for Early Identification of Developmental Potential in Children

Processes For The Prevention Of Domestic Violence Against Children In Uzbekistan

Balloon cells in type II focal cortical dysplasia: developmental origins, molecular signatures, and epileptogenic mechanisms

Associations between dysfunctional parental discipline and parent-reported mental health outcomes in preschoolers: a cross-sectional study

Questioning the Patriarchal Politics of (M)Othering: Re-reading Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood

Psychological outcomes of primary-school physical education interventions: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

Violence Against Women and Children Following the 2011 Great East Japan Disaster: Making the Invisible Visible Through Research

Shared digital music streaming and parent–adolescent communication: evidence from Turkish Cypriot adolescents

Teacher–child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative

Platform Governance in the Prevention of Child Radicalization in Indonesia: A Policy Network Analysis

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