Highlights in child mental health research: December 2025 to January 2026

The highlights for December 2025 to January 2026 include:

Hearing babies’ voices through participatory arts

This study explored how participatory arts can support babies’ right to be heard. Researchers observed seven arts sessions (interactive music, movement and sensory-based creative sessions) with babies from birth to three years, their caregivers and artists in Scotland. They found that flexible, welcoming spaces allowed babies to express preferences through movement, sound and interaction. Babies shaped how sessions unfolded. The study highlights the importance of adults listening carefully, slowing down and responding to babies’ non‑verbal communication.

A systematic review of swimming and aquatic therapy for mental health

This systematic review examined evidence from 16 studies published between 2010 and 2025 that explored swimming and water‑based activities and mental health outcomes for people aged three to 25 years. The review found participants in these activities experienced consistent improvements in wellbeing, mood and confidence as well as reductions in anxiety, depression and stress. Benefits varied by age and setting, with structured pool programs supporting younger people and open‑water swimming benefiting older youth.

Online abuse and mental health in young people

This study examined links between online abuse and mental health by analysing longitudinal data from 2,232 young people who were followed from childhood to age 18 years. One in five young people experienced moderate to severe online abuse, usually alongside offline victimisation. Online abuse was linked to poorer mental health, but most associations were explained by offline abuse. After accounting for these factors, online abuse remained linked to generalised anxiety.

Risky outdoor play and adventure education in nature for child and adolescent wellbeing

This scoping review examined 40 studies published between 2015 and 2025 that explored risky outdoor play and adventure activities in nature for children and adolescents. All studies reported positive links with wellbeing, including greater confidence, resilience and social skills as well as reduced anxiety. Benefits were strongest when young people had a choice of activities and responsibility. Despite this, opportunities for participation in such activities are commonly limited due to adult concerns about risk.

How refugee children and adolescents understand trauma and belonging

This review synthesised findings from 24 qualitative studies involving 870 refugee children and adolescents aged three to 19 years. It found that many young people experienced ongoing emotional distress but were hesitant to discuss their mental health due to fears about stigma. Young refugees often felt marked by their refugee status, reporting discrimination, social exclusion and anxiety about safety, education and their future. They also held a strong desire to belong, but this was frequently frustrated by separation from family, fear of deportation and experiences of racism or bullying. Family, relationships, religious practices and cultural continuity were commonly described as important coping strategies. Gender differences were clear, with girls facing heightened safety risks, pressure about early marriage and restricted freedom, while boys’ concerns focused more on employment and financial security.

Why is this important?

• Babies have the same participation rights as older children, including the right to be heard under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, but they are often overlooked because they do not communicate using spoken language.
• Most research on children’s participation focuses on older children and formal early childhood education settings, leaving a gap in understanding how babies’ voices can be recognised in other everyday and cultural contexts, such as the arts.

What did they do?

• The researchers reported on results of the Voice of the Baby project. This studied how babies’ (aged from birth to three years) participatory rights could be realised through arts programs – such as interactive music, movement and sensory‑based creative sessions led by artists – in different parts of Scotland.
• They observed seven arts sessions involving babies, caregivers and artists and took part in activities while recording detailed field notes.
• The observations were analysed to identify patterns in how babies expressed themselves and how adults responded to and supported their participation.
• The findings were used to develop a reflective guide for artists and practitioners working with babies.

What did they find?

• Participatory arts created welcoming, flexible spaces where babies could express their preferences through movement, sound, facial expression and interaction with materials.
• Babies’ voices were supported through sensitive relationships between artists, babies and caregivers, built over time and grounded in trust and familiarity.
• Artists recognised and responded to babies’ complex communication, including emotional, physical and sensory cues, rather than relying on spoken language.
• Unhurried time was essential, allowing babies to engage, withdraw, explore and shape activities at their own pace.
• Babies actively influenced how sessions unfolded, including what they engaged with, how long they participated and when they were ready to stop.

What does this mean for practice?

• Practitioners working with very young children should recognise babies as active participants whose views can be expressed in many non‑verbal ways.
• Participatory arts offer a valuable setting for supporting babies’ rights by creating respectful, relational and flexible environments.
• Adults play a crucial role in listening to babies by tuning into their communication, slowing down and responding thoughtfully, rather than directing activity.
• Models of participation designed for older children need adaptation to reflect babies’ different relational, sensory and developmental ways of being heard.

Why is this important?

• Mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and stress are common during adolescence and youth, yet many young people face barriers to accessing timely and acceptable support.
• Swimming and other water‑based activities may offer accessible, non‑stigmatising ways to support young people’s mental wellbeing. However, to date, evidence specific to this age group has not been well synthesised.

What did they do?

• The author conducted a systematic review of studies published between 2010 and 2025 that examined swimming and aquatic‑based activities and mental health outcomes among young people aged three to 25 years.
• Sixteen studies were included, comprising experimental, pre-post and qualitative research conducted in a range of settings such as pools, schools, community programs and open water environments.
• Findings were synthesised to examine mental health outcomes, intervention types, age‑related effects and research quality.

What did they find?

• Across the reviewed studies, swimming and aquatic activities were consistently linked to improvements in mental wellbeing, mood, resilience, self-confidence and quality of life. They were also linked to decreases in anxiety, depression, stress and behavioural difficulties.
• Structured pool‑based and therapeutic swimming programs were particularly effective for children and adolescents, including those with attention‑deficit or autism‑related challenges.
• Outdoor and open‑water swimming showed strong benefits for older adolescents and young adults, including improved mood, resilience, self‑confidence and overall wellbeing.
• Qualitative studies showed that young people experienced emotional relief, calm, empowerment and social connection through swimming, especially when activities were group‑based and took place in natural water environments.
• The mental health benefits varied by age and setting, with younger adolescents benefiting more from symptom reduction and older youth experiencing broader wellbeing gains.

What does this mean for practice?

• Swimming and aquatic programs can be used as effective mental health supports for young people, alongside or in addition to traditional services.
• Programs should be tailored to developmental stage, with structured pool‑based activities suited to younger adolescents and nature‑based or group swimming particularly beneficial for older youth.
• Practitioners and educators can consider incorporating swimming into school, community and youth wellbeing initiatives as a supportive, non‑stigmatising option.
• Careful planning is needed for outdoor and open‑water programs to ensure safety and to protect natural aquatic environments while expanding access.

Why is this important?

• Online abuse is common among young people and has been linked to poor mental health, but it is unclear whether online abuse itself contributes to mental health problems or whether other factors, such as offline abuse, explain this link.
• Stronger evidence is needed to inform digital safety policy and to guide effective mental health responses for young people who experience online abuse.

What did they do?

• The researchers analysed data from a nationally representative study of 2,232 British twins followed from childhood to age 18 years.
• Young people were interviewed about experiences of online abuse and multiple forms of offline victimisation (e.g. peer or sibling bullying, family violence, maltreatment, neglect, sexual victimisation and crime) between ages 12 and 18 years.
• Mental health conditions at age 18 years were assessed using structured clinical interviews.
• A twin‑comparison design was used to account for family, environmental and genetic factors by comparing twins who differed in their exposure to online abuse.

What did they find?

• One in five young people reported being moderately or severely abused online during adolescence; almost all of these young people also experienced offline victimisation.
• Young people who experienced online abuse were more likely to have anxiety, depression, self‑harm or suicide attempts, post‑traumatic stress, conduct problems and psychotic experiences at age 18 years than those who were not abused online.
• Much of the link between online abuse and poor mental health was explained by young people also experiencing offline victimisation, indicating that online abuse often occurs alongside other forms of harm that contribute to mental health difficulties.
• After accounting for family and genetic factors and offline victimisation, online abuse remained uniquely linked to generalised anxiety disorder, suggesting an independent association with anxiety beyond other forms of victimisation.
• Online abuse rarely occurred in isolation and appeared to be part of a broader pattern of multiple victimisation, with most affected young people also experiencing one or more forms of offline abuse.

What does this mean for practice?

• Mental health responses to online abuse should consider the wider context of young people’s lives, including their experiences of offline abuse or neglect.
• Practitioners should be alert to online abuse as a marker of broader victimisation rather than viewing it as a standalone issue.
• Efforts to reduce anxiety in young people may benefit from early identification and prevention of online and offline abuse.
• Policies and interventions aimed at improving young people’s mental health are likely to be most effective when they address both online and offline forms of victimisation together.

Why is this important?

• Opportunities for children and adolescents to engage in challenging outdoor play in nature have declined, alongside broader increases in anxiety, reduced physical activity, and growing concerns about mental wellbeing.
• There is growing recognition that safe but challenging outdoor experiences may support healthy development, yet uncertainty and risk‑avoidant attitudes can limit their use in practice.

What did they do?

• The authors conducted a scoping review of research published between 2015 and 2025 that examined the physical, mental health and psychosocial outcomes of nature‑based risky play and outdoor adventure activities for children and adolescents up to 18 years of age.
• They systematically searched multiple academic databases and included 40 empirical studies conducted mainly in Western countries.
• The review synthesised findings across a wide range of study designs, age groups and outdoor settings to map reported developmental outcomes linked to participation in these activities.

What did they find?

• All 40 studies reported positive associations between nature‑based risky play or outdoor adventure activities and children’s or adolescents’ development.
• Reported benefits included improved confidence, resilience, wellbeing, physical skills, social competence and indications of reduced anxiety, based largely on associative and observational evidence.
• Having choice, autonomy and the ability to assess and manage risk were central to how benefits were achieved across age groups.
• Most young people who engaged in risky outdoor activities did so safely, showing they could judge and manage challenges appropriately.
• Despite strong evidence of benefits, implementation remains limited due to parental anxiety, institutional liability concerns and cultural risk aversion.

What does this mean for practice?

• Practitioners should view managed risk in natural outdoor settings as a positive and important part of children’s and adolescents’ healthy development.
• Programs and environments that allow young people genuine choice and responsibility are more likely to support wellbeing and resilience.
• Educators and organisations may need support to move away from overly risk‑averse approaches and towards balanced benefit–risk decision‑making.
• Expanding access to nature‑based risky play and outdoor adventure opportunities could support more equitable developmental outcomes for children and adolescents.

Why is this important?

• Refugee children and adolescents are exposed to trauma before, during and after displacement, yet their perspectives on mental health, identity and daily stressors are often overlooked.
• Understanding how young refugees make sense of trauma and resettlement is essential for designing supports that are culturally appropriate and responsive to their lived experiences.

What did they do?

• The authors conducted a meta‑synthesis of 24 peer‑reviewed studies published between 2017 and 2025.
• The review included studies that totalled 870 refugee children and adolescents aged three to 19 years, living either in refugee camps or post‑resettlement settings.
• Studies were analysed using thematic synthesis to identify shared patterns in how young refugees perceive trauma, mental health and social experiences.

What did they find?

• Many refugee children and adolescents experienced ongoing emotional distress but were reluctant to talk about mental health due to fear of stigma, shame and being judged.
• Young refugees often felt marked by their refugee status, reporting discrimination, social exclusion and anxiety about safety, education and their future.
• A strong desire to belong was evident, but this was frequently frustrated by separation from family, fear of deportation and experiences of racism or bullying.
• Family relationships, religious practices and cultural continuity were commonly described as important coping strategies.
• Gender differences were clear, with girls facing heightened safety risks, pressure about early marriage and restricted freedom, while boys’ concerns focused more on employment and financial security.

What does this mean for practice?

• Greater inclusion of young refugees’ voices can help ensure support programs address what matters most to them in both camp and resettlement contexts.
• Services supporting refugee children and adolescents should be trauma‑informed, culturally sensitive and attentive to stigma around mental health.
• Interventions need to go beyond clinical therapy and include social support, family‑centred approaches and safe spaces that foster belonging.
• Practitioners should recognise gender‑specific risks and tailor supports accordingly, particularly for girls’ safety and psychosocial needs.