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Child and adolescent forensic psychiatry and mental health

Edited by:
Cyril Boonmann, PhD, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Klaus Schmeck, MD, Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel, Switzerland

The European Association for Forensic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology and other involved Professions (EFCAP) collaborates with Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (CAPMH) to foster the publication of research focused on forensic psychiatric issues, such as etiology, phenomenology, course and treatment of impaired mental health and psychosocial functioning of juvenile offenders. As the situation of children and adolescents in contact with the justice system differs between countries in respect to for example criminal liability, placement or availability of prevention and intervention strategies, we should learn from different international perspectives. We invite forensic clinicians and researchers to share their knowledge about the origins of socially deviant behavior and the approaches regarding prevention and treatment. In addition, we would also like to include perspectives on early traumatic experiences due to victimization and maltreatment in both victims and perpetrators. Furthermore, research focusing on risk and protective factors is highly welcomed. Finally, we would like to stimulate publications with societal impact and influence on policy, an essential factor to improve forensic youth care.

Previous series: 2011 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018/19 


  1. Adolescents with callous unemotional (CU) traits are at risk for poor quality-of-life outcomes such as incarceration, suicide, and psychopathy. It is currently unknown which treatments are implemented with CU ...

    Authors: Pamela M. Waaler, Josefine Bergseth, Linda Vaskinn, Kristin Espenes, Thale Holtan, John Kjøbli and Gunnar Bjørnebekk
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2024 18:110
    Content type: Review Published on:

  2. Sexual offenses encompass a diverse array of behaviors across various contexts, affecting numerous individuals. Despite the prevalence of sexual offending among adolescents, there is still a limited understand...

    Authors: Mahdieh Pazhooyan, Fahimeh Fathali Lavasani, Zohreh Edalati Shateri and Komeil Zahedi Tajrishi
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2024 18:109
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Deviant behaviors are common during adolescence. Despite the diversity of juvenile delinquency, the patterns of deviant behaviors remain unclear in ethnic minorities. The present study aimed to evaluate the la...

    Authors: Kunjie Cui, Ted C. T. Fong and Paul Siu Fai Yip
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2024 18:93
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Since the introduction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5, a limited prosocial emotion (LPE) specifier has been added to the conduct disorder (CD) diagnosis in addition to the...

    Authors: Cyril Boonmann, David Bürgin, Nils Jenkel, Klaus Schmeck and Marc Schmid
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2023 17:132
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Given the developmental vulnerability of justice-involved youth, providing a safe environment in secure facilities is a paramount, yet challenging task. Within this complexity, a sound security framework is ke...

    Authors: Fleur Souverein, Eva Mulder, Lieke van Domburgh and Arne Popma
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2023 17:99
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-reported stability of psychopathic traits in adolescents in residential care (both child welfare and juvenile justice placed juveniles) and potential influenc...

    Authors: H. Hachtel, N. Jenkel, K. Schmeck, M. Graf, J. M. Fegert, M. Schmid and C. Boonmann
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2022 16:55
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Although child welfare youth and juvenile offenders in residential care have different judicial placement reasons, there seems to be overlap in their demographic and psychosocial backgrounds. This could raise ...

    Authors: Lena Jäggi, Marc Schmid, David Bürgin, Nadine Saladin, Alexander Grob and Cyril Boonmann
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2021 15:2
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  8. Adolescents in residential care are a vulnerable population with many problems in several life areas. For most of these adolescents, these problems persist after discharge and into adulthood. Since an accumula...

    Authors: E. A. W. Janssen-de Ruijter, E. A. Mulder, I. L. Bongers, L. Omlo and Ch. van Nieuwenhuizen
    Citation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2019 13:45
    Content type: Research article Published on: