Highlights in child mental health research: February 2026

The highlights for February 2026 include:

Supporting children’s mental health in paediatric palliative care

This paper reviews evidence on psychological interventions for children with life‑limiting or life‑threatening conditions who are eligible for paediatric palliative care. Based on 30 studies, the review found that these interventions (especially those using cognitive and coping‑focused approaches) can reduce anxiety, depression, pain and distress, particularly for children with cancer. The findings support integrating psychological care into routine palliative services, while highlighting limited evidence for children with other conditions.

Effects of exercise on anxiety and mental health difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder

This paper reviews evidence on exercise programs for children with autism spectrum disorder who experience anxiety, attention difficulties and other mental health challenges. Based on 12 studies, the review found that exercise reduced anxiety and improved attention and core autism features (e.g. social communication and repetitive behaviours), with aerobic exercise showing the strongest benefits. Results for sleep were mixed. The findings support exercise as a helpful, non‑medication option that should be tailored to each child.

Suicide risk and prevention for young people in out-of-home care

This scoping review examined evidence on suicide risk, protective factors and interventions for young people living in out-of-home care. The review found that suicide risk is shaped by trauma, unstable placements, discrimination and weak relationships, with girls and gender-diverse young people at higher risk. Feeling emotionally safe and having consistent caregivers were protective factors, while promising interventions focused on relationship based and trauma informed support.

Unlocking youth creativity: The power of socioemotional skills

This study examined creativity among children and adolescents using national survey data from Portuguese schools. It found that creativity was similar for girls and boys but declined slightly during the middle years of schooling. Students with higher creativity showed stronger wellbeing, better relationships at school and more positive social and emotional skills. Socioemotional skills or attributes such as curiosity, cooperation and engagement were the strongest factors linked to creativity, outweighing demographic influences.

Why is this important?

• Children with life‑limiting or life‑threatening conditions often experience high levels of emotional distress, psychological burden and physical symptoms, which can affect their development, family life and overall wellbeing.
• While paediatric palliative care aims to provide holistic support from diagnosis, the role and effectiveness of psychological interventions for children in this context has not been clearly established.

What did they do?

• The authors conducted a systematic review and meta‑analysis of randomised controlled trials involving children under 18 years who were eligible for paediatric palliative care.
• Five electronic databases were searched to identify studies that evaluated psychological interventions and reported quantitative outcomes related to psychological symptoms.
• Thirty studies involving 1,657 children were included, most focusing on children with cancer, with a lower number of studies involving sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis.
• Meta‑analyses were conducted where outcomes were reported by at least two studies. Study quality was assessed using a standard risk of bias tool.

What did they find?

• Psychological interventions were associated with significant reductions in anxiety and depression in children, particularly those with cancer.
• Interventions also led to meaningful reductions in pain, distress and anxiety related to invasive medical procedures.
• Most interventions were based on cognitive and coping‑focused approaches, and these showed the most consistent benefits.
• Positive effects of the interventions were less clear for outcomes such as quality of life, behavioural problems, self‑esteem and social adjustment, with many studies showing no significant differences.
• No studies reported adverse effects associated with psychological interventions, although reporting of safety outcomes was limited.

What does this mean for practice?

• Psychological interventions, especially those using cognitive and coping‑based approaches, may help reduce emotional distress and physical symptom burden in children eligible for paediatric palliative care.
• Integrating psychological care into routine paediatric palliative services from diagnosis may strengthen holistic, child‑centred care.
• The evidence base is largely drawn from oncology settings, highlighting the need for greater attention to children with other life‑limiting conditions.

Why is this important?

• Many children with autism spectrum disorder experience anxiety, attention difficulties and sleep problems, which can worsen daily functioning and quality of life.
• Exercise is increasingly used as a non‑medication approach, but evidence on how well it improves anxiety and other mental health difficulties in this group has been unclear.

What did they do?

• The authors conducted a systematic review and meta‑analysis of randomised controlled trials involving children under 18 years with autism spectrum disorder and co‑occurring anxiety, attention difficulties or sleep problems.
• Twelve studies involving 482 children were included, covering a range of structured exercise programs such as aerobic exercise, mind–body activities, team sports and skill‑based activities.
• The researchers pooled results using advanced statistical models to account for differences between studies and examined whether exercise type, frequency or duration influenced outcomes.

What did they find?

• Exercise significantly reduced anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder, with moderate‑to‑large improvements overall.
• Aerobic exercise showed the strongest reduction in anxiety compared with other types of exercise.
• Exercise also led to moderate improvements in attention difficulties related to attention‑deficit hyperactivity disorder co-occurring with autism.
• Improvements were seen in core autism symptoms, such as social communication and repetitive behaviours.
• Findings for sleep outcomes were mixed and inconsistent, with large differences between studies.

What does this mean for practice?

• Exercise can be a helpful, non‑medication option for reducing anxiety and attention difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder.
• Aerobic activities and regular, frequent exercise sessions may be particularly useful for managing anxiety.

Why is this important?

• Young people living in out-of-home care experience much higher rates of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and self-harm than young people who are not in care, making suicide prevention a critical child protection issue.
• Suicide risk for this group is shaped not only by mental health difficulties, but also by trauma, placement instability, discrimination and systemic failures within care and support systems.

What did they do?

• The authors conducted a scoping review of international peer‑reviewed studies and relevant Australian grey literature published between 2014 and February 2025.
• Four academic databases were searched, alongside targeted searches of Australian reports, to identify evidence on suicide risk factors, protective factors and interventions for young people in out‑of‑home care.
• Seventeen studies using qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods were included and analysed using a narrative synthesis approach.

What did they find?

• Common risk factors included histories of trauma and abuse, frequent placement changes, mental health difficulties, feelings of loneliness and weak emotional connections with carers or staff.
• Girls and gender diverse young people were consistently identified as being at particularly high risk of suicidality, often due to compounded discrimination and victimisation.
• Protective factors were mainly relational and included feeling emotionally safe, having trusting and consistent caregivers, positive school relationships, and access to culturally affirming and identity‑safe support.
• Interventions that showed promise focused on trauma‑integrated therapeutic support, strengthening caregiver relationships, emotional skills development, animal‑assisted programs and long‑term, relationship‑based therapy.
• Very few studies meaningfully included the voices of young people with lived experience of out‑of‑home care, and suicide risk was often measured using limited assessment tools.

What does this mean for practice?

• Suicide prevention for young people in out‑of‑home care should prioritise stable, trusting relationships and emotionally safe care environments, not just individual clinical treatment.
• Carers and practitioners need ongoing training in trauma‑informed, relational and culturally safe approaches to better recognise and respond to suicide risk.
• Existing suicide prevention frameworks should be adapted to reflect the unique experiences of young people in out‑of‑home care, including placement instability and systemic barriers.
• Future policy, practice and research should be codesigned with care‑experienced young people to ensure interventions are relevant, respectful and effective.

Why is this important?

• Children and adolescents who score higher on creativity measures also tend to experience greater levels of wellbeing and be more resilient in new, stressful or otherwise challenging situations.
• This study sought to understand the demographic factors and socioemotional skills associated with creativity in children and adolescents.

What did they do?

• A national survey was conducted across Portuguese schools. Using self-report data, the students were divided into three groups based on their creativity score (low, medium, high).
• Creativity was assessed by items relating to the student’s self-perceived ability to generate new ideas, approach problems in original ways and use imaginative thinking in everyday situations.
• The sample included 3,011 students aged 9–20 years (average age: 13.62 years), across grades 5–12.

What did they find?

• Creativity was strongly linked with socioemotional skills, especially curiosity, energy, cooperation, sociability and persistence.
• Socioemotional skills were the strongest predictors of creativity, explaining much more variation than age, gender, wellbeing or positive development measures.
• Female and male students report equivalent levels of creativity (gender was assessed as a binary factor).
• Students with high creativity also scored significantly higher than the other two groups across positive socioemotional and wellbeing factors (e.g. stronger relationships, sociability and persistence), and significantly lower on negative socioemotional factors (e.g. experiencing bullying and test anxiety).
• Demographics such as grade level, gender and parents’ level of education accounted for approximately 3% of variance in students’ creativity.

What does this mean for practice?

• Creativity is not a fixed characteristic – it can be bolstered by practitioners and parents through teaching and supporting the practice of socioemotional skills, such as being curious, socialising with peers or working with others to reach a common goal.
• Creativity is also likely to be fostered through taking a child-led approach to practice, providing opportunities for choice and prioritising engagement.
• Practitioners and parents can consider the extent to which they can provide greater flexibility and be less prescriptive in sessions and at home. They can also consider providing varied opportunities for children and young people to engage in creative problem-solving and imaginative thinking.