Netherlands Youth Institute

Conventional assessment and treatment approaches targeting justice-involved youth have typically yielded low engagement and modest long-term impact on recidivism and psychosocial functioning. Technologies such as virtual reality, smartphone applications, and wearable devices, offer promising opportunities to address such limitations by providing scalable, engaging and ecologically valid approaches that align well with the often complex needs of this population. The contributions in the special issue aim to showcase some of the potential of these technologies. The special issue originated from a 5-day international Lorentz workshop that brought together researchers and professionals working in clinical practice to explore opportunities, needs, and barriers related to technology implementation in this context. The included contributions comprise empirical case studies illustrating efficiency gains through technological support of existing practices; papers detailing innovative methods that leverage unique capabilities of specific technologies, such as enhanced accessibility and immersive experiences; state-of-the-art reviews; and a viewpoint paper addressing ethical considerations. Collectively, the contributions highlight the promise of technology as well as the need for methodologically robust research to ensure effective and ethical implementation.

BackgroundUniversity students are facing a multitude of challenges and an increase in mental health issues that affect their academic performance and overall well-being. In response, Erasmus University Rotterdam launched the Student Wellbeing Programme in 2019, offering comprehensive, tailored support through a stepped-care framework to enhance student success and well-being. One of the tools developed for students is ROOM to Grow, an anonymous and accessible preventative mental health app.ObjectiveThis paper describes the process and outcomes of ROOM’s design and development, guided by the Centre for eHealth Research (CeHRes) road map and privacy-by-design principles, and highlights the lessons learned throughout this process.MethodsThis paper describes the first 4 phases of the CeHRes Road map: contextual inquiry, value specification, design, and operationalization. It outlines the population (ie, stakeholders), methods (ie, literature reviews, expert groups, cognitive walkthroughs, interviews, experimental designs), and outcomes of each phase.ResultsThe most common mental health struggles among our target population were stress, anxiety symptoms, perfectionistic tendencies, and loneliness. Students often recognized these issues only once they became overwhelming. Regarding digital tools, students seek credible content specific to their experiences, as well as adaptable and intuitive systems; they are mindful of data privacy and aim to reduce their screen time. ROOM was developed to address the diverse needs and preferences of university students through a transdiagnostic approach to mental health. It targets emotion regulation (ER) skills and self-awareness, which underlie the mental health challenges experienced by our target users. ROOM comprises 26 brief exercises (ie, micro-interventions) that support the development and use of adaptive ER. The exercises incorporate techniques from various therapeutic approaches (ie, self-compassion, positive psychology, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy) to accommodate students’ diverse content preferences. To help students recognize their struggles earlier, ROOM includes a mood tracker and a self-assessment module with questionnaires that evaluate both traits (eg, perfectionistic tendencies) and states (eg, stress levels), providing personalized feedback. ROOM further implements an intelligent recommender system that connects users to relevant content, enhancing the tool’s personalization and responsiveness to users’ needs. As students aim to minimize screen time, ROOM’s goal is not prolonged app use but the application of ER skills in real life, supported by features that facilitate skill transfer into everyday settings. Finally, ROOM was developed within a “privacy-by-design” framework to address students’ privacy concerns, implementing strict privacy and security regulatory standards.ConclusionsCompromises were necessary to balance user needs, resource constraints, and privacy-by-design and security standards, often limiting ROOM’s interactivity. Other challenges included simplifying complex psychological concepts into brief formats, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, balancing academic rigor with industry production pace, and operating with fixed resources while maintaining an iterative process. This paper may serve as a primer for designing transdiagnostic, adaptive mental health interventions for youth, blending therapeutic approaches and promoting skill transfer.

This three-level meta-analysis examined the effects of post-detention aftercare programs for adolescent and young adult offenders on several types of criminal recidivism (primary outcomes) and dynamic risk and protective factors for criminal behavior (secondary outcomes). A systematic search was conducted in the databases APA PsycInfo, Medline, ERIC, Web of Science Core Collection, SocINDEX, and Google Scholar, resulting in 26 relevant studies that produced 259 effect sizes. The results revealed a small overall effect (g=0.26). Aftercare was effective for both primary (g=0.23) and secondary (g=0.35) outcomes. Smaller effects were found for general offenses (g=0.23) and violent offenses (g=0.26), a somewhat larger effect for minor offenses (g=0.39), and no effect for substance abuse offenses (g=-0.04). Larger effects were found for arrests (g=0.25) compared to convicted offenses (g=0.12). Moderator analyses showed that mentoring and multi-modal interventions were effective, whereas family interventions as well as service and surveillance interventions were not effective. Positive changes in skills, substance abuse, family functioning, externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and general health were associated with larger intervention effects on recidivism, and thus may be considered important levers of change in post-detention aftercare programs. It was concluded that aftercare programs can fulfill a crucial role in deterring youth from re-offending. Future research should focus on refining aftercare programs and identifying program components that contribute to the success of aftercare for young offenders.

Abstract In 2023, eight pilot groups related to Centering Parenting (CP) started at several asylum seeker centres in the Netherlands. CP offers group-based care for parents with babies born in the same period. During regular group sessions, parents discuss medical, social, and psychological topics with each other. At the same time, a youth nurse from the regional health centre provides individual medical care. CP offers valuable social support to these parents, especially during times of stress and uncertainty. The added value of CP lies in strengthening parents’ own capabilities and boosting their self-confidence. Recognition and acknowledgement are central to the approach. The nurse takes on a coaching role, primarily by asking open questions and encouraging dialogue. Compared to traditional one-on-one care, CP allows for more time to discuss the many aspects involved in raising children in an asylum seeker centre. In 2025, more regional health centres are expected to implement this type of preventive care.

ObjectiveEfficient screening for neurocognitive dysfunction is pivotal for timely intervention in at-risk populations in pediatrics. The Pediatric Perceived Cognitive Functioning (PedsPCF) item bank was developed for this purpose. We aimed to explore the relationship between, and the discriminative value of PedsPCF scores with neurocognitive outcomes and the behavior rating inventory of executive function parent report (BRIEF) in a pediatric population.MethodsThe PedsPCF parent- and self-report versions were added to neurocognitive testing batteries that were administered in clinical care or research in two Dutch academic pediatric hospitals. Most test batteries were individually tailored, resulting in a wide variety of measures. We determined Pearson correlations between the PedsPCF and neurocognitive test outcomes categorized into five neurocognitive domains as proposed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5, and the BRIEF-parent. Moreover, we assessed the discriminative values of PedsPCF deficit scores (M - 1 SD) for neurocognitive domain deficits (M - 1 SD) and the BRIEF-parent.ResultsThe PedsPCF was completed by 104 children and 106 parents. The parent-PedsPCF correlated with three neurocognitive domains and the BRIEF-parent but did not indicate deficits in any of the neurocognitive domains. The self-report PedsPCF correlated with a deficit in complex attention and the BRIEF-parent, and could indicate a deficit in complex attention only.ConclusionsAlthough the PedsPCF correlated with neurocognitive test outcomes, the discriminative value of the total score was limited. The short and freely available PedsPCF appears to add a useful subjective dimension to neurocognitive testing rather than a replacement of neurocognitive assessment.

This study investigated 1) the development of early numeracy (EN) across kindergarten and Grade 1, 2) parental socioeconomic factors contributing to EN development, and 3) the predictive value of EN development for mathematics achievement mid-primary school. The sample included 1252 children. EN was measured bi-annually between mid-kindergarten Year 1 and end Grade 1. Latent growth curve modeling revealed non-linear development of EN, with stronger growth throughout kindergarten and a flattening curve in Grade 1, without reaching ceiling. Lower maternal education level and migration background were associated with lower EN at baseline but also greater improvement over time. Higher baseline EN and growth positively predicted mathematics achievement in mid-primary school. Findings confirm significant EN development throughout early grades, but learning gains are not optimal in the current informal setting. Implications for early screening and intervention to address insufficient foundational skills, and promote later mathematics achievement, are addressed. • Growth trajectories for early numeracy development were examined longitudinally from mid-Kindergarten until end of Grade 1. • The predictive value of early numeracy for mathematics achievement mid-primary school is demonstrated. • Latent growth curve modeling reveals accelerated growth in Kindergarten followed by decelerated growth in Grade 1. • Children from lower maternal education levels and migration backgrounds show significant improvement over time. • The absence of a ceiling effect suggests suboptimal development, highlighting the need for early screening or intervention.

Parents of autistic children often experience high levels of distress, yet little is known about the associated factors and cross-country differences. This study examined the relationship between distress, self-reported autistic traits, associative stigma, and coping strategies among parents of autistic children from Malaysia and the Netherlands. Parents from Malaysia ( N = 41) and the Netherlands ( N = 154) filled in questionnaires about distress, autistic traits, associative stigma, and coping. Associations between these factors (structural equation modeling) and cross-country differences (Mann–Whitney U test) were analyzed. In both countries, parents’ own autistic traits were positively associated with their reported distress. Active coping was negatively associated with parental distress, and passive coping was positively associated with parental distress. Malaysian parents reported more autistic traits, associative stigma, and religious coping compared to Dutch parents. These results underscore the unique dynamics of parental distress, coping strategies, and self-reported autistic traits within different cultural contexts.

Many parents continue to provide financial assistance to their emerging adult children, which has particular links with emerging adults’ well-being. The current study examined how form and level of parental financial support shape need-supportive and -thwarting parenting and well-being of emerging adults. Participants in this short-term longitudinal study were 600 Lithuanian emerging adults (M age = 24.94, SD age = 3.03, range 19–29 years; 52.3% females), recruited from online survey panel using the controlled quota sampling strategy. The latent profile analysis identified four profiles characterizing dependence on parental financial support: entirely dependent, mostly dependent, dependent on direct support, and financially self-sufficient. Reliance on both employment income and parental support was linked to unfavorable parenting and poorer well-being, while reliance only on direct support was linked to more favorable parenting and well-being. The findings demonstrate the importance of differentiating between forms of parental financial support.