Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39806574›Full record

ArticleHealth expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy2025

How to Approach a Child About Concerns for Their Mental Health and Seeking Help: A Delphi Expert Consensus Study to Develop Guidelines on Mental Health First Aid for Supporting Children.

Catherine L Johnson, Claire M Kelly, Anthony F Jorm, William Garvey, Laura M Hart

Abstract readConsensus Statement
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Catherine L JohnsonCentre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2443-4826
Claire M KellyMental Health First Aid International, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9438-7810
Anthony F JormCentre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1424-4116
William GarveyCentre for Community Child Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-8963-1412
Laura M HartCentre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5894-4520

Funding

This study was supported by an Australian NHMRC Investigator Grant (1172889 awarded to A.F.J.) and a Northwest Melbourne Primary Health Network research grant (awarded to L.M.H.).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdults who live or work with children are an important source of support and are gateways to professional help when a child is experiencing a mental health problem. This study aimed to develop consensus-based guidelines on how adults such as parents, educators or health professionals should approach a child aged 5-12 years to discuss concerns about the child's mental health and seek help.

methodsA Delphi consensus method with three rounds was used. Experts were recruited from six countries to form three panels: health professionals, educators and people with lived experience (parents and carers, and young people with mental health problems). Statements to be rated were sourced from an online search of websites designed for adults who live or work with children. Further suggestions for statements came from panellists. Statements that reached 80% consensus across all panels were included in the guidelines.

results132 participants completed the Round 1 survey, reducing to 54 by Round 3. A total of 248 statements were presented to panel members, with 151 being endorsed and included in the guidelines.

conclusionsThese guidelines represent the first recommendations developed for members of the public providing mental health first aid to children aged 5-12 years. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Lived experience advocates (i.e. those with lived experience of a mental health problem in childhood and/or caregiving experience of raising a child with a mental health problem) were involved at two stages of this research: As part of the Advisory Group for the project and as expert panel members. Advisory Group members provided input into the conduct of the study and the content and design of the research outputs. Panel members provided their expertise to review every item to be included in the guidelines, proposed new items to be included, and reviewed and approved the finalised output documents.

Indexed as

First AidMental DisordersMental HealthPatient Acceptance of Health CareAdultChildChild, PreschoolDelphi TechniqueFemaleHealth PersonnelHumansMaleMental Health ServicesMiddle AgedParentschild mental healthDelphi studyguidelinesmental health first aid

Identifiers

PMID39806574
PMCPMC11729744

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.