Violence against children has clearly proven demographic, health, educational, social, and economic consequences which are not limited to immediate trauma and increased child mortality rates. Establishing and maintaining sustainable data collection systems is a key component of the effort to address child abuse. The review of the indicators collected by the institutions in Bulgaria shows that there are partially collected data that are relevant to the topic of violence against children. However, it remains unclear how the collected data is integrated into a general framework. The use of the data collected by the institutions for the improvement of the existing mechanisms, as well as for the planning of effective policies to deal with violence against children, is also in question.
ABSTRACT Introduction Antipsychotic‐associated heart rate‐corrected QT (QTc) prolongation and sudden cardiac death are uncommon in young people, but risk is concentrated in patients with identifiable clinical vulnerability and during selected drug‐ or exposure‐related situations. We mapped the evidence and developed a risk‐stratified framework for clinical monitoring. Methods This structured narrative review searched PubMed in August 2026 using one comprehensive query and 41 targeted subqueries. After PMID‐based deduplication, 934 unique records underwent title screening, 382 abstract review, and 158 full‐text relevance assessment; 104 database‐derived sources met broad relevance criteria. Backward citation checking and author‐identified sources added 58 articles. Overall, 162 sources were considered and 100 providing direct, non‐redundant support were cited from the original search; three further sources were incorporated during peer review to address reviewer comments, for a final total of 103 cited references. Two authors independently assessed full‐text relevance. Youth evidence was prioritized; adult evidence was used for adult‐only agents or when youth‐specific data were unavailable. Findings were synthesized narratively without formal risk‐of‐bias or certainty assessment. Results Patient‐level factors, particularly electrolyte disturbance, bradycardia, restrictive eating disorder or medical instability, thyroid dysfunction, inherited channelopathy, structural disease, and interacting drugs, were more consistently associated with QTc risk than drug identity for many commonly used agents. Ziprasidone and pimozide had the strongest youth‐specific drug‐related signals. Adult evidence supported heightened caution with sertindole and iloperidone; high‐dose phenothiazines and amisulpride in overdose or renal impairment represented exposure‐ or context‐dependent risks. Clozapine required separate myocarditis‐focused surveillance. The evidence supports structured baseline risk assessment and targeted ECG and electrolyte testing, with repeat monitoring driven by risk factors, treatment changes, and agent‐specific warnings. Conclusion Monitoring should be tiered rather than uniformly scheduled for all patients. The proposed framework distinguishes core clinical risk assessment from targeted cardiac testing and identifies precautionary intervals that require prospective validation.
Alessandro Cuomo, Mario Pinzi, Andrea M. Fagiolini
This study investigates the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against mothers and their risk of perpetrating child maltreatment (CM) in North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, and Romania. Risk factors for IPV, CM, and their co-occurrence were identified. Two samples ( N 1 = 112, N 2 = 701) of mothers with children with behavioral problems were assessed. IPV was reported by 64% of mothers, CM by 96%, and their co-occurrence by 63%. Mothers exposed to emotional IPV reported more physical and emotional CM. Mothers exposed to physical IPV reported more physical CM. Motheŕs own history of CM and offspring's behavior problems were associated with IPV and CM co-occurrence.
Antonia Brühl, Catherine L. Ward, Jamie M. Lachman et al.
Utilizing life story interviews of immigrant women whose children were abducted by abusive (ex-)husbands, the article unpacks a three-part pattern of transnational mobility: first, husbands apply strategies of coercive control to dominate wives in Denmark; second, wives draw on Scandinavian “woman-friendly” state support to challenge men and seek divorce; and third, men try to regain control through abducting children to the Middle East, seeking to blackmail mothers into leaving Denmark and resubmitting themselves to male control. While some wives accede to their husband’s demands, others skillfully manage to “re-abduct” children back to Denmark, thereby belying the trope of the victimized immigrant woman.
In recent years, there has been considerable concern about the deterioration of mental health in children and adolescents, and there is a coincidence between mental disorders and addictive disorders. In view of this situation, it is important to review preventive interventions from the educational field, since it is considered an area of socialization par excellence of the subjects that can avoid or reduce exposure to adversities at an early age. For this purpose, a narrative review was carried out. The databases PubMed, PsycINFO and ERIC were searched. A total of 2096 records were retrieved from which 16 studies were selected. Most of the interventions reviewed adopted a universal approach. Most of the articles reviewed refer to interventions around 13–15 years of age and, in general terms, no specific actions are specified by groups according to their needs or risks. The intervention is usually applied by teachers in collaboration with other health experts. The focus is mainly on depression, anxiety, alcohol, cannabis and tobacco, but mental health is also promoted with reinforcement of emotional competence and training in social skills. Also, there is a scarce presence of programs on non-substance addictions and long-term follow-up studies. Based on what has been studied in this research, preventive initiatives are at a point of unquestionable reflection that requires redirecting efforts based on solid scientific evidence that determines approaches adjusted to the realities of the target populations and that helps to make decisions on when to carry out universal or specific interventions.
Remedios Aguilar-Moya, Raquel Ibáñez-Martínez, David Melero-Fuentes
Motor imagery (MI), the mental simulation of movement without execution, provides a behavioural tool to evaluate sensorimotor representations. However, its characterisation in young children remains debated. This study investigated age-related differences in MI across early primary school years using a multi-task battery. One hundred and eighteen children aged 5–8 years (61 females), spanning the final year of kindergarten (GSM), first grade (CP), second grade (CE1), and third grade (CE2), completed executed and imagined trials of five functional tasks (standing up, typical gait, precision gait, drawing, and cube handling). Psychometric properties of the battery were evaluated. To ensure feasibility, engagement with imagery tasks was verified by comparing executed-imagined consistency in complexity-duration structure (i.e., complex tasks take longer both when executed and when imagined). Age-related differences were evaluated in terms of execution–imagery isochrony and variability across classes. Internal consistency was excellent (α = .91–.98) and test–retest reliability ranged from moderate to excellent (ICC = .68–.92). Engagement increased by age but already exceeded 70 % in the youngest group. Isochrony improved with age for simpler, highly practised tasks (typical gait, standing up), whereas more complex tasks (precision gait, cube handling) showed stable performance across classes. Variability decreased with age, and older children’s performance became increasingly influenced by task complexity demands. Findings demonstrate that mental chronometry can reliably capture MI abilities in children as young as five, revealing both developmental gains and task-specific constraints. These results highlight the feasibility of MI assessment in early childhood, warranting the need for longitudinal neuroimaging approaches to clarify mechanistic insights.
Giorgio Cannavacciuolo, Marie-Bertille Dehouck, Véronique Bury et al.
Demographic factors have long been suspected to relate to perfectionist traits in adolescents. A broad epidemiological sample conducted in Norway, based on self‐reports, found that scores of perfectionism did not differ by gender or age, although girls were more prone to score highly on overall perfectionism, self‐oriented perfection (SOP), and socially prescribed perfections (SPP). than boys. Perceived economic well‐being was associated with high perfectionism. Parental education was not a significant factor in the perfectionist traits of teens.
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems worldwide, leading to concerns about reduced access to routine childhood immunisations. However, comprehensive data on how the pandemic specifically impacted paediatric vaccination coverage in Switzerland remain limited across the country. The present study provides an analysis of the timeliness and coverage of routine childhood immunisations in Switzerland before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering insights into potential fluctuations in coverage. AIMS: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine childhood immunisation in Switzerland by comparing vaccination coverage and timeliness for children under 35 months of age before and during the pandemic. Additionally, the study seeks to identify factors associated with the likelihood of children receiving vaccinations, considering demographic and geographic variables. METHODS: We used 2019–2023 data from the Swiss National Vaccination Coverage Survey (SNVCS), a cross-sectional survey that collected immunisation information of children under 35 months of age from a nationally representative sample of households. Children who were eligible for a vaccine from March 2020 to March 2021 were considered as the COVID-affected group and those eligible for a vaccine before this date were included in the pre-COVID-19 cohort. Coverage of the following vaccine doses was considered: diphtheria at one, two and three doses (Di1, Di2, Di3); pneumococcus at one, two and three doses (PCV1, PCV2, PCV3); and measles first and second dose (MCV1, MCV2). Vaccine timeliness was defined as receiving a dose on time with a tolerance period of 30 days. We used logistic regression models to identify and understand the factors that might influence vaccination rates. RESULTS: For the diphtheria vaccines (Di1, Di2, Di3), while coverage remained high, there was a slight decrease observed in timely vaccination rates for some doses, with reductions of around 1% to 3% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. The impact on PCV1, PCV2 and PCV3 showed similar trends, with slight reductions in coverage during the pandemic, but these differences were not statistically significant. For measles-containing vaccines (MCV1 and MCV2), coverage during the pandemic was higher compared to pre-COVID-19 rates. Geographic and demographic factors, such as an urban setting, nationality and linguistic region, significantly influence childhood vaccination rates in Switzerland. CONCLUSION: While minor declines in vaccine timeliness were observed (diphtheria vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), the overall likelihood of vaccination was not significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, changes in vaccination recommendations introduced in 2019 may have influenced these trends.
Vasiliki Baroutsou, Monica N. Wymann, Jan S. Fehr et al.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected national healthcare systems worldwide, with around 282 million cumulative confirmed cases reported in over 220 countries and territories as of the end of 2021. The Italian National Health System was heavily affected, with detrimental impacts on preventive service delivery. Routine vaccination services were disrupted across the country during the first months of the pandemic, and both access to and demand for vaccines have decreased during the pandemic. In many cases, parents preferred to postpone scheduled appointments for routine paediatric vaccinations because of stay-at-home orders or fear of COVID-19 infection when accessing care. The objective of the current study was to assess the routine childhood vaccine coverage (VC) rates during the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy. We compared 2020 and 2019 VC by age group and vaccine type. The Italian Ministry of Health collected anonymised and aggregated immunisation national data through the local health authorities (LHAs). Results were considered statistically significant at a two-tailed p-value ≤ 0.05. VC rates for mandatory vaccinations decreased in 2020 compared to 2019 (range of VC rate decrease: −1% to −2.7%), while chicken pox increased (+2.2%) in 7-year-old children. Recommended vaccinations were moderately affected (range of VC rate decrease in 2020 vs. 2019: −1.4% to −8.5%), with the exception of anti-HPV in males, Men ACWY, and anti-rotavirus vaccination (VC increase 2020 vs. 2019: +1.8%, +4.7% and +9.4%, respectively). In the COVID-19 era, the implementation of coherent, transparent, and effective communication campaigns and educational programs on safe childhood vaccinations, together with the increase in the number of healthcare staff employed, is essential to support strategies to reinforce vaccination confidence and behaviour, thus avoiding health threats due to VPD during and beyond COVID-19 times.
Michela Sabbatucci, Anna Odone, Carlo Signorelli et al.
AIMS We recently conducted a large survey amongst parents of young children exploring attitudes concerning immunisation and the general immunisation status of the children and their parents in Switzerland. Since little is known about the immunisation status of fathers of young children, we present our findings here; data on mothers were previously published elsewhere. METHODS We performed standardised interviews with parents of children born on or after 1 January 2013, and hospitalised at the University of Basel Children’s Hospital, Switzerland, between January and June 2017. If participation was declined, partial consent was sought for four questions regarding age, education level, attitudes towards vaccinations in general and availability of vaccination records of the parents. To compare our study results with other studies focusing on the completeness of the immunisation status of fathers, we conducted a literature search using broad search terms for studies published between 1 April 2009 and 1 December 2019. RESULTS Thirty-nine (20%) fathers of 199 enrolled children participated. The great majority had a positive or mostly positive attitude towards vaccinations, but only 2 (15%) of 13 fathers who participated in immunisation counselling were up-to-date with all generally recommended immunisations. Fifty-two percent of participating fathers reported that the last assessment of their immunisation status by a physician was >5 years ago. After the birth of their child, 56% of fathers had received a recommendation for immunisation against pertussis and 65% of them followed the recommendation. We identified three studies matching our review’s inclusion criteria. None of them reported specific findings for fathers. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to analyse the complete immunisation status of fathers of young children. It is often incomplete with potentially missed opportunities for updating vaccinations during recent physician consultations. The low participation rate of fathers is a limitation which prohibits generalisation of our findings. However, as healthcare personnel have been shown to have the strongest impact on vaccination uptake, we propose that this group be further sensitised and educated with the goal of improving immunisation rates in fathers of young children.
Mirjam L. Erb, Tobias E. Erlanger, Ulrich Heininger
