The Anna Freud Centre’s online research library contains a collection of evidence-based material on children and young people’s mental health, written and co-written by our team. The research explores factors relating to:
anxiety | behavioural difficulties | depression | digital mental health | empowering young people and families | early years | evaluation | fostering and adoption | intervention | maltreatment and abuse | measures | mentalization | methodology | neurodiversity | parents and carers| prevalence and trends | prevention | psychological therapies | resources | risk and resilience | social care | trauma | wellbeing
The library is managed by our team of evidence experts. It is updated on a regular basis and currently consists of research published between 2018 and 2023.
Please be aware that links to our open-access papers lead to external sites and that the management, data handling and administration of these external sites is not the Anna Freud Centre’s responsibility.
Join the Anna Freud Learning Network
Subscribe here for free
-
Mercers’ Wellbeing Evaluation Programme: final report
The Mercers’ Wellbeing Evaluation Programme aimed to support Mercers’ Associated Schools and Colleges to evaluate their mental health and wellbeing provision. The programme was delivered in two phases between 2016 and 2022. The final report from the Mercers’ Wellbeing Evaluation Programme is available online. It summarises the learning and achievements of the programme’s second phase, setting these within the context of the programme as a whole.
-
Neural correlates of face familiarity in institutionalised children and links to attachment disordered behaviour
One of the most well-documented sequelae of early maltreatment and institutionalisation is attachment problems, including behaviours under the labels of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). Despite growing evidence of the neurobiological effects of institutionalisation, the neural correlates of these behavioural patterns are largely unknown.
Authors: Oliveira, P. S., Fearon, P, Belsky, J., Mesquita, A., Sampaio, A., Pinal, D., Soares, I. (2022).
-
Emerging evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 1)
We searched for evidence from around the world carried out during the pandemic to explore some specific questions: 1. What are the key mental health challenges for children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic? 2. Are there any particularly vulnerable groups? 3. What might help children and young people to manage these challenges? This review (Issue 1) was carried out between January 1st 2020 and May 4th 2020.
Authors: Cortina, M.A., Gilleard, A., Deighton, J. (2020).
-
Emerging evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 2)
We searched for evidence from around the world carried out during the pandemic to explore some specific questions: 1. What are the key mental health challenges for children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic? 2. Are there any particularly vulnerable groups? 3. What might help children and young people to manage these challenges? This review (Issue 2) captures research published between 5th May 2020 and 24th May 2020.
Authors: Cortina, M.A., Gilleard, A., Deighton, J., Edbrooke-Childs, J. (2020).
-
Emerging evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 3)
We searched for evidence from around the world carried out during the pandemic to explore some specific questions: 1. What are the key mental health challenges for children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic? 2. Are there any particularly vulnerable groups? 3. What might help children and young people to manage these challenges? This review (Issue 3) captures research identified between 25th May and 14th June 2020.
Authors: Gilleard, A., Lereya, T., Tait, N., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Deighton, J., Cortina, M.A. (2020).
-
Emerging evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 4)
We searched for evidence from around the world carried out during the pandemic to explore some specific questions: 1. What are the key mental health challenges for children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic? 2. Are there any particularly vulnerable groups? 3. What might help children and young people to manage these challenges? This issue captures research identified between 15th June and 5th July 2020.
Authors: Gilleard, A., Lereya, T., Tait, N., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Deighton, J., Cortina, M.A. (2020).
-
Emerging Evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 5 research bulletin)
We have been conducting rapid reviews of the emerging evidence surrounding the mental health impacts of the pandemic on children and young people in detail (Issues 1-4 of this series). This issue, and future issues, will briefly highlight key new findings from our rapid reviews in a condensed format to enable us to share learning in a timely manner.
Authors: Jeffery, M., Gilleard, A., Lereya, T., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Deighton, J., Cortina, M.A. (2020).
-
Emerging Evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 6 research bulletin)
We have been conducting rapid reviews of the emerging evidence surrounding the mental health impacts of the pandemic on children and young people. In the current issue, we summarised key findings from a rapid review of evidence emerging between September and November 2020.
Authors: Jeffery, M., Gilleard, A., Lereya, T., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Deighton, J., Cortina, M.A. (2021).
-
Emerging Evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 7 research bulletin)
We have been conducting rapid reviews of the emerging evidence surrounding the mental health impacts of the pandemic on children and young people. In the current issue, we summarise key findings from a rapid review of evidence emerging between November 2020 and January 2021.
Authors: Jeffery, M., Gilleard, A., Lereya, T., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Deighton, J., Tait, N., Cortina, M.A. (2021).
-
Emerging Evidence: coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health (Issue 8 research bulletin)
We have been conducting rapid reviews of the emerging evidence surrounding the mental health impacts of the pandemic on children and young people. This final concluding issue aims to reiterate what we have learned, emphasising some of the key studies and setting out recommendations for supporting children and young people’s mental health as the pandemic continues and beyond.
Authors: Jeffery, M., Gilleard, A., Lereya, T., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Deighton, J., Tait, N., Cortina, M.A. (2021).