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MeSH TERMS
* activities of daily living
* adolescent health services
* child health services
* mental health services
* occupational therapy
* public health practice
* socialization
We describe the results of a systematic review of the literature on children's mental health using a public health model consisting of three levels of mental health service: universal, targeted, and intensive. At the universal level, strong evidence exists for the effectiveness of occupation- and activity-based interventions in many areas, including programs that focus on social-emotional learning; schoolwide bullying prevention; and after-school, performing arts, and stress management activities. At the targeted level, strong evidence indicates that social and life skills programs are effective for children who are aggressive, have been rejected, and are teenage mothers. The evidence also is strong that children with intellectual impairments, developmental delays, and learning disabilities benefit from social skills programming and play, leisure, and recreational activities. Additionally, evidence of the effectiveness of social skills programs is strong for children requiring services at the intensive level (e.g., those with autism spectrum disorder, diagnosed mental illness, serious behavior disorders) to improve social behavior and self-management.
Arbesman, M., Bazyk, S., & Nochajski, S. M. (2013). Systematic review of occupational therapy and mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention for children and youth. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, e120-e130. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.0083597
The objectives of this review were to systematically search the literature and critically appraise and synthesize the applicable findings to address the following focused question: What is the effectiveness of activity-based interventions for mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention with children and youth? The interventions include those focused on peer and social interaction, compliance with adult directives and social rules and norms, and participation in productive and task-focused behavior.
Statement of the Problem
Historically, interventions in the area of children's mental health tended to focus narrowly on services provided to children with diagnosed mental illness provided in psychiatric settings (Bazyk, 2011). More recent efforts have used a public health model to expand the scope of services. According to Bazyk (2011), children's mental health services using the public health model focus on helping all children develop and maintain mental health, and occupational therapy practitioners provide such services to all children, both with and without identified mental...