Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42491508›Full record

ArticleJCPP advances2026

Measurement of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health outcomes in first nations children: A systematic review.

Maddison O'Gradey-Lee, Emma McDermott, Lizel-Antoinette Bertie, Clinton Schultz, Jennifer L Hudson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JCPP advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Maddison O'Gradey-LeeThe Black Dog Institute University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia.
Emma McDermottThe Black Dog Institute University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia.
Lizel-Antoinette BertieThe Black Dog Institute University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia.
Clinton SchultzThe Black Dog Institute University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia.
Jennifer L HudsonThe Black Dog Institute University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5778-2670

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: There is a critical lack of reliable, high-quality epidemiological data on mental health and/or social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) outcomes for First Nations children, partly, due to the limited availability of culturally valid assessment tools. This review aims to assess the cultural validity of mental health and SEWB assessment tools used with First Nations children aged 4-12 years in Australia, and identify gaps, strengths, and opportunities for reform that enhance cultural safety, and self-determination in assessment practices. Methods: A systematic search of five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, Informit, and CINAHL) identified English-language studies (1980-2025) assessing mental health or SEWB in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children aged 4-12 years. Data on assessment tools were extracted and their cultural validity analysed using the First Nations Cultural Validity Assessment Tool. Tools were classified, as bespoke, culturally adapted or generic, using the CBSPATSISP definitions. Results: This review examined the cultural validity across 10 studies, including 11 unique tools and 16 assessments of cultural validity. Three tools were bespoke, eight culturally adapted, and five generic. Over three quarters of tools used to assess SEWB or mental health in First Nations children had poor or limited cultural validity. Two bespoke SEWB tools were identified, although none specifically targeted mental health. Conclusion: Culturally valid assessment tools for First Nations children remain limited, with research predominantly relying on inappropriate measures. Improving the measurement of mental health and SEWB outcomes requires a shift towards First Nations-led, co-designed tools grounded in Indigenous knowledges, strengths, and cultural frameworks. The evidence base was limited by reliance on published academic sources, which may have missed community-used assessment tools, a focus on cultural validity rather than broader study quality, and limited psychometric reporting for some First Nations-specific measures. Trial Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42024542866). 13 May 2024. www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024542866.

Indexed as

childfirst nationsmeasurementmental healthsocial and emotional wellbeing

Identifiers

PMID42491508
PMCPMC13376799

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.