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Family Issues in Child Mental Health

A Cross- cultural Perspective

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Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

Abstract

Family is the microcosm of culture, and child mental health needs to be contextualized within the framework of the family and the culture, for overall comprehension and care. Family can have an etiological or a causative role, perpetuating or a maintenance role, and a therapeutic or an ameliorative role, in children’s mental disorders. Our environment and sociocultural canvas are changing rapidly and so are the experiences, causing strain and dysregulation of various neurobiological systems, with potential for psychological malfunctioning. The brain and nervous system constantly adapt and change according to the environment wherein the newer systems and mechanisms develop and others are replaced or modified, in favor of survival. A series of adaptations bring about the evolutionary change in the structure and functions of the brain. Most psychopathologies in children and adolescents develop in the backdrop of family and the sociocultural system, necessitating need for advancing cross-cultural research with a specific focus on family issues. Findings from the western studies from the high-income countries may not be directly applicable in the Indian context or for that matter in the other low- and middle-income countries. The onus is on the experts, to be aware and also sensitive to both the family issues as well as the cross-cultural perspectives in the child and adolescent mental health care. Many countries are multicultural, and cultures by itself are dynamic and constantly evolving. The following text is a prelude to this sensitization. The discussion attempts to focus more on the low- and middle-income countries (LAMIC) alongside research from the Western world.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

    Savita Malhotra

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi, India

    Deepak Kumar

Authors
  1. Savita Malhotra
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  2. Deepak Kumar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Savita Malhotra .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. King’s College London, London, UK

    Eric Taylor

  2. Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    F. C. Verhulst

  3. National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore

    John Wong

  4. Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

    Keiko Yoshida

  5. King's College London, London, UK

    Anula Nikapota

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore

    John CM Wong

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Malhotra, S., Kumar, D. (2020). Family Issues in Child Mental Health. In: Taylor, E., Verhulst, F., Wong, J., Yoshida, K., Nikapota, A. (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_20-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_20-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

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