Arabic emphatic consonants are claimed to be late-acquired, likely due to their motoric complexity, involving both coronal and pharyngeal/uvular constrictions. Children’s production has largely been studied using impressionistic data, with limited acoustic analysis. This study acoustically examines the acquisition of emphatic consonants in Saudi-Hijazi Arabic-speaking children aged 3–6 years. Thirty-eight children performed a real-word repetition task, after which consonantal and vocalic cues to the plain–emphatic contrast were measured. Results show that children produce both types of acoustic cues, with an age-related increase in the acoustic contrast and an overall alignment with adult patterns. Larger acoustic contrasts were found in vowels preceding rather than following consonants in word-medial positions, with no evidence for a difference between word-initial and word-final positions. The plain–emphatic contrast was greater for stops than fricatives and larger for female than male children. These findings are discussed in relation to the development of coarticulated consonants.

The dietary inflammatory index (DII) has emerged as a promising tool associated with the development of cardiovascular risk factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis, developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (the protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under number CRD42022323267), aimed to synthesise observational studies that evaluated the association between the DII and indicators of body adiposity and blood pressure in children and adolescents. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched, without time and language restrictions. The methodological quality of the studies and the certainty of the evidence were assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, respectively. The meta-analysis revealed that a higher DII (pro-inflammatory diet) was significantly associated with increased odds of body adiposity, as indicated by body mass index (BMI) (odds ratio [OR] = 1·62; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1·38–1·86), waist circumference (OR = 1·45; 95% CI 1·10–1·81) and the waist-to-height ratio (OR = 1·76; 95% CI 1·38–2·14) in adolescents, compared with those with a lower DII (anti-inflammatory diet). In addition, for every unit increase in the DII, there was a small but significant rise in mean BMI (β = 0·06 kg/m2). The children’s dietary inflammatory index (CDII) showed no association with cardiometabolic risk factors. There were no consistent associations between the DII or CDII and blood pressure. In conclusion, while a pro-inflammatory diet (based on the DII) is linked to body adiposity, additional longitudinal studies are needed to explore these associations, particularly regarding the CDII and blood pressure.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative validity of food and nutrient intakes estimated by a brief-type diet history questionnaire for Japanese children and adolescents (BDHQ15y) designed to assess habitual dietary intake during the previous month. A total of 432 boys and 412 girls aged 6–17 years from thirty-two prefectures in Japan completed the BDHQ15y and subsequently provided 8-day weighed dietary records (DR) on two non-consecutive days over four seasons for comparison. Among the intakes of forty-four nutrients and thirty-one food groups adjusted for energy intake using the density model, the BDHQ15y showed percentage differences in median intake of less than 10 % compared with the DR for nineteen nutrients in both sexes, as well as for eleven and seven food groups in boys and girls, respectively, indicating good agreement for key nutrients and food groups, including protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, grains, vegetables, dairy products and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). The median values (25th–75th percentiles) of Spearman’s correlation coefficients in boys and girls were 0·33 (0·28–0·38) and 0·28 (0·23–0·35) for nutrients, respectively, and 0·36 (0·29–0·42) and 0·29 (0·24–0·36) for food groups, respectively. Bland–Altman plots showed wide limits of agreement, with overestimation at higher intakes for most nutrients and food groups, except SSB. In conclusion, the BDHQ15y shows promise for large-scale dietary monitoring, particularly for estimating group-level intakes of key nutrients and food groups. However, its limited ability to rank individual intakes and the variability in individual-level assessments necessitate cautious interpretation and application.

The authors examine the 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 US censuses to identify demographic characteristics of children who resided in public and private institutions for minors, with special attention to patterns of racial segregation and exclusion. The article focuses on public and private institutions founded exclusively to serve children and youth and also on correctional institutions for children and adults. The authors found racial segregation in private institutions, underrepresentation of children of color in both private and public institutions, and overrepresentation of boys of color in correctional institutions for minors and adults. They also identified a historical pattern, with few exceptions, of excluding girls of color from all types of public and private institutions.

Children vary in environmental sensitivity, reflecting heightened responsiveness to positive and negative environments. It is commonly measured through the temperament trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS). Currently, no instruments exist in the German language to assess SPS in children. The present study translated the 21-item Highly Sensitive Child Scale (HSC-21) into German and evaluated its psychometric properties using caregiver reports (n = 367) and child self-reports (n = 112). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a bifactor model with a general sensitivity factor and three specific subdimensions (i.e., Ease of Excitation, Low Sensory Threshold, Aesthetic Sensitivity). The German HSC-21 demonstrated full configural, metric and scalar measurement invariance across sex and age groups and good to excellent reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interrater agreement). HSC-21 scores moderately predicted internalizing problems but not externalizing problems. Consistent with environmental sensitivity theory, Ease of Excitation and Low Sensory Threshold were linked to internalizing problems, whereas Aesthetic Sensitivity predicted better school performance, fewer peer problems, and greater prosocial behavior. The HSC-21 demonstrated meaningful correlations with temperament and personality traits, including positive associations with neuroticism, behavioral inhibition, and sensory sensitivity, and negative associations with extraversion and activity level. Thus, the German HSC-21 represents a reliable and valid measure of SPS and environmental sensitivity.

Increasing numbers of children and young people (CYP) are presenting with common mental health difficulties. In 2017, the UK government outlined a service transformation plan which led to the development and implementation of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), to deliver evidence-based interventions in schools for mild to moderate mental health difficulties. This service evaluation aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of individual interventions delivered by MHST practitioners trained to deliver low-intensity cognitive behavioural interventions to CYP with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, within one service based in the South East of England. Four hundred and fifty-nine CYP engaged in an individual intervention delivered by MHST practitioners between January 2021 and December 2022. Interventions were delivered either online via video call or face-to-face. All children and their parents/carers were invited to complete two routine outcome measures (Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)) at baseline and post-intervention. Outcome data demonstrated significant improvements across all child- and parent-rated RCADS anxiety and depression scales. Significant improvements were also shown for both child- and parent-rated SDQ total difficulties and impact scores. These all showed effect sizes ranging from medium to large. Girls presented higher scores pre- and post-intervention compared with boys apart from the OCD subscale; gender was not a predictor of improvement in the majority of analyses. Individual, low-intensity cognitive behavioural interventions delivered in this MHST service were effective in reducing symptoms of emotional and behavioural difficulties in CYP with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

Key learning aims

1. (1) Understand the context of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) as an early intervention service within school settings.

2. (2) Learn about the impact of MHST-delivered interventions on symptoms of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and young people.

3. (3) To gain an understanding of how boys and girls may respond differently to MHST-delivered interventions.

The 1970s saw intense discussions among feminists about the patriarchal family. While radical feminists called for complete withdrawal from marriage and motherhood, others attempted to reconfigure the roles of parents and children in the light of feminism. A particularly vibrant discussion unfolded in the feminist magazine Effe, published in Rome between 1973 and 1982, evolving from a largely negative to a more nuanced view of motherhood by the late 1970s. The notion of love was central. Effe writers asked how love could be separated from care and if it was really so natural. They stressed how maternal love needed to be balanced with children’s need for freedom and autonomy and reflected on their experiences as daughters as well as mothers. While excessive love could be harmful, there was radical potential in the notion of the loved and wanted child. Many proposed collective solutions to child-rearing, while others stressed the sensual pleasures of motherhood. Using a history of the emotions lens, this article teases out the complexities and contradictions of Italian feminist thinking about motherhood. Although the space for more positive evaluations expanded over time, Effe was ultimately more successful in reclaiming pregnancy as a feminist experience than motherhood itself.