This study investigates the potential of rumination-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (RFCBT) to address core issues in adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Specifically, it examines RFCBT’s effectiveness in reducing internalized shame, negative interpretation biases, and rumination, which contribute significantly to their social anxiety. The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phase. The population of the study included all adolescents with SAD in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2023. The sample consisted of 48 adolescents with SAD who were selected using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the RFCBT group or the control group (24 participants per group). The research instruments included the Social Anxiety Questionnaire, the Child Internalized Shame Scale, the Interpretation Bias Questionnaire, and the Rumination Response Scale (RRS). Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data. The findings indicate that RFCBT had a significant effect on reducing internalized shame, interpretation bias, and rumination (p<0.01) in adolescents with SAD, with results maintained at follow-up. This study adds to the evidence that RFCBT can be helpful for anxiety disorders in adolescents. RFCBT seems to work by addressing negative self-views, biased interpretations, and repetitive negative thinking patterns. More research is needed to determine if these benefits are sustained long-term and if RFCBT can improve social skills and overall well-being for adolescents with social anxiety.

While the effects of multidisciplinary weight loss on resting energy expenditure remain unclear in adolescents with obesity, the potential presence of adaptive thermogenesis (AT) has never been explored, which was the objective of the present work. Twenty-six adolescents (14.1±1.5 years) with severe obesity completed a 9-month inpatient multidisciplinary intervention followed by a 4-month follow-up. Anthropometric measurements, body composition (Dual X-ray Absorptiometry) and Resting Energy Expenditure (REE, indirect calorimetry) were assessed before (T0) and after 9 months of weight loss intervention (T1) and after a 4-month follow-up (T2). AT, at the level of REE, was defined as a significantly lower measured versus predicted (using regression models with baseline data) REE. Two precited REE equations were used, using both FM and FFM (REEp1) or FFM only (REEp2). Measured and predicted REE significantly decreased between T0 and T1 (p<0.001) and remained lower at T2 compared with T0 (REEm: p=0.017; REEp: p<0.001). REEp2 was significantly higher than REEm at T1 (p=0.012) suggesting the presence of AT. FFM at T0 was negatively correlated with ATp1T1 (Rho=-0.428; p=0.033) and ATp2T1 (Rho=-0.485; p=0.014). The variation of FFM between T0 and T1 was negatively correlated with AT at T1 and T2. These preliminary results suggest the existence of AT in response to WL in adolescents with obesity, independently of the degree of WL. AT was associated with subsequent body weight and fat regain, suggesting AT may represent a damper to weight loss attempts while increasing the adolescents’ risks for subsequent weight and adiposity rebounds.

This article assesses a 10-month co-created universal school-based mental health (SBMH) promotion initiative for adolescents (10–19). The study combined quantitative and qualitative components. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted in four schools in Tanzania (n = 400 baseline, 488 endline, with 100 intervention participants at both) and eight schools in Vietnam (n = 1,036 baseline, 893 endline and 436 in panel). In each country, ~90 qualitative interactions (interviews and focus groups) were held at baseline and endline with adolescents, parents, teachers and service providers (total = ~180). In Tanzania, multivariate analysis indicated significant gains among intervention participants relative to peers. Emotional literacy rose 9.5% (p = 0.007; d = 0.57). Attitudes toward help-seeking (p = 0.021; d = 0.50) and prosocial behaviors (p = 0.043, d = 0.38) also improved Active coping increased 15.6% (p = 0.006; d = 0.55). In Vietnam, emotional literacy increased 5.3% (p = 0.012, η2 = .019), and positively, emotion-focused coping declined 14.4% (p = 0.032, η2 = .015). Qualitative evidence reinforces these findings, and suggested spillover effects for nonparticipants. Overall results indicate that co-created universal SBMH initiatives can improve adolescent well-being and offer viable alternatives to limited adolescent-focused mental health services in LMICs.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms among adolescents in Can Tho City, Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,054 students aged 15–18 years, recruited from eight high schools using one-off anonymous questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised – Vietnamese version. The Self-esteem Scale of Vietnamese Adolescents, the Crandell Cognitions Inventory-Short form scale, the School Connectedness Scale and the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents were used to assess self-esteem, cognitive distortion, school connectedness and educational stress, respectively. Univariate analyses explored the relationships between sociodemographic variables and depressive symptoms. Pearson correlations were calculated for the associations between variables. Multiple regression was used to adjust for the factors that contributed to depressive symptoms in adolescents. The findings revealed that 37.4% of adolescents in Can Tho City, Vietnam, experienced depressive symptoms. Factors influencing depression in adolescents include cognitive distortions, academic pressure, exposure to interpersonal violence, consumption of alcohol and smoking, family history of depression, family incarceration and experiences of digital sexual violence. These results underscore the urgent need for a multilevel and multidimensional intervention strategy involving parents, educators, mental health professionals and policymakers to promote early identification, provide support and enhance mental health literacy among adolescents.

This scoping review provides an overview of the impact of fruit and vegetable (FAV) consumption on cognitive function in adolescents and young adults between January 2014 and February 2024. A comprehensive search across six databases, CINAHL, PubMed-MEDLINE, ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, identified 5,181 articles, of which six met the inclusion criteria after deduplication and screening. This scoping review focused on individuals aged 11–35 years in schools, colleges, universities, and communities. Following a descriptive and narrative synthesis of the data, tables and figures were used to present the findings. Across the six included studies, most consistently demonstrated a positive association between higher fruit and vegetable (FAV) intake and improved cognitive performance among adolescents and young adults. This association was evident in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, with stronger effects observed for whole fruits and vegetables high in fibre and polyphenols. Cognitive domains positively impacted included psychomotor speed, memory, attention, and mood. However, findings varied by type of food and cognitive domain; while whole FAVs were generally beneficial, results for fruit juice were mixed—some studies showed acute benefits. Differences in study designs, dietary assessment tools, and cognitive measures contributed to variability. Despite these inconsistencies, the overall trend supports a beneficial role of FAV consumption in promoting cognitive health during adolescence and early adulthood. This review demonstrates that increased fruit and vegetable consumption is consistently linked to improved cognitive function in adolescents and young adults. However, further research is needed to establish its long-term effects on cognitive ageing and disease prevention

To examine the association between snack characteristics (snack frequency, snack energy density and snack nutritional quality) with diet quality and cardiometabolic risks among US adolescents from the 2009–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Cross-sectional dietary data collected using a 24-h dietary recall from the 2011–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 boys and 1897 girls aged 12–19 years) were analysed. Associations between snack characteristics with diet quality, fasting blood glucose, TAG, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, blood pressure, waist circumference and metabolic syndrome risk score using multiple linear regression were analysed stratified by sex. Higher snack nutritional quality (β (95 % CI): boys 0·31 (0·09, 0·52); girls 0·44 (0·30, 0·57)) was linked to better overall diet quality, whereas snack energy density excluding beverages (β (95 % CI): boys –1·82 (–2·52, –1·12); girls –1·75 (–2·69, –0·82)) was linked to poorer overall diet quality. Among girls, higher snack frequency was associated with lower waist circumference and lower fasting blood glucose (–0·67 (–1·28, −0·05)). Additionally, higher snack energy density and nutritional quality were associated with lower waist circumference and TAG, respectively. No associations between snack characteristics and cardiometabolic indicators or metabolic syndrome risk score were observed for boys. Findings suggest that strategies to improve adolescent snack nutritional quality and energy density may enhance overall diet quality. However, limited associations were observed between snack characteristics and cardiometabolic risk indicators among girls only. Prospective studies are needed to further investigate the relationship between snack characteristics and adolescent health outcomes.

Delayed reward discounting (DRD), the tendency to prefer smaller rewards available immediately relative to larger rewards available after a delay, is associated with numerous health outcomes across the lifespan. Emerging literature points to the central role of early environments, specifically factors reflecting harshness (including lack of resources) and unpredictability (exposure to instability and stressful events) in the development of DRD. Yet, existing research uses disparate indicators of environmental risk and often draws on small samples resulting in conflicting findings, making comparisons across studies challenging. The current systematic review examined environmental factors that may place youth at greatest risk for heightened DRD and subsequent negative health outcomes. Search results identified 28 articles reflecting 20 unique samples. Additionally, meta-analyses were conducted to examine overall effects for the two most commonly examined environmental predictors (family income and family history of substance use disorder). Results suggest small-to-medium associations of environmental risk with DRD, with smaller associations observed for more distal predictors of harshness (e.g., family income) and larger associations among more proximal indicators of environmental instability (e.g., harsh parenting and parental pathology). Findings highlight the role of environmental factors on DRD development and may inform future interventions.

This study examined whether childhood adversity, specifically threat-related adversity, was associated with within-person changes in the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal cortisol slope (DCS), and whether these changes predicted increased depressive symptoms during adolescence. We also explored sex differences. In total, 283 first-year secondary school students in Belgium (M = 12.48 years; SD = 0.39; 42.8% female) participated in six assessments over 2.5 years. Childhood adversity (psychological, physical, and sexual victimization) reported at the first three waves was averaged. CAR and DCS latent residual change scores were derived from salivary cortisol samples collected during waves 1 and 3. Depressive symptom changes were assessed in linear growth curve models using self-reports from waves 3 to 6. The childhood adversity × sex interaction significantly predicted CAR and DCS changes, indicating a blunted CAR across waves for victimized boys, and a blunted DCS for victimized girls. Childhood adversity predicted the depressive symptoms intercept. No other predictors were associated with the depressive symptoms intercept, and none were linked to the depressive symptoms slope. Thus, childhood adversity may be linked to changes in diurnal cortisol patterns that differ by sex. Evidence for diurnal cortisol changes as a pathway to increased depressive symptoms remains inconclusive.