Screened – then what? Improving the health system response to social-emotionally vulnerable preschool children.

RESEARCH PROBLEM AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS Young children’s social-emotional vulnerability is linked to mental health problems in school-age and later in life.

It is possible to stop this development by identifying vulnerable children early and offer targeted preventive, supportive and curative interventions.

However, barriers and gaps in today’s health system response to young children’s mental health vulnerability remain significant.

This project aims to illuminate and strengthen health system response to children identified as social-emotionally vulnerable through screening.

The project will be implemented in partnership and co-creation with stakeholders as children, their parents, professionals, and policy makers.

The research questions are the following:What is the current health system response to social-emotionally vulnerable 3-year-olds?What are the long-term consequences of social-emotional vulnerability at 3-years of age?How can the health system response to social-emotionally vulnerable 3-year-olds be improved?DATA AND METHOD This study will take place within the existing research infrastructure and follow-up of young children´s social-emotional development integrated into the routine visits to child health care.

Three sub-studies will be conducted: qualitative interviews with stakeholders (sub-study I), quantitative longitudinal data analysis with an epidemiologic approach (sub-study II), and concept mapping through a participatory research approach integrating the qualitative and quantitative findings (sub-study III).

SOCIETAL RELEVANCE AND UTILISATIONThe high and increasing prevalence of mental health problems is a significant public health problem.

There are evidence supporting that adverse early life-circumstances and social-emotional vulnerability during early childhood can prevent lifelong health and well-being.

This interdisciplinary research will generate knowledge in partnership with stakeholders for strengthening the health system response to mental health problems in early ages.We will make efforts to transfer findings to social and public health policies.

PLAN FOR PROJECT REALISATION The research group members have ample experience in the research methodologies used in the sub-studies, and a long-term collaboration that ensures the project’s realization.

The project will use existing infrastructure at the Department of Epidemiology and Global Health at Umeå University and the main cost is salaries for the research team.