Abstract

CARETTI GIANGASPRO, Eugenia; GURIDI GARITAONANDIA, Oihana  and  RIVAS CAMBRONERO, Eva. Prevention in childhood: not all interventions today will mean more health tomorrow. Rev. Asoc. Esp. Neuropsiq. [online]. 2019, vol.39, n.135, pp.241-259.  Epub Nov 11, 2019. ISSN 2340-2733.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/s0211-57352019000100013.

In this work, we investigate the benefits and problems of primary prevention interventions and mental health promotion in children and adolescents. Both issues are crucial to determine when and how to develop these activities. The results of a bibliographic review on the subject indicate that risk factors are linked to an impoverished, problematic environment and inappropriate nurturing methods. Whereas parenting becomes one of the elements most susceptible to preventive interventions, the latter do not appear to be effective in clinical settings. There is a growing consensus that useful strategies entail health-promoting policies that impact on problematic social environments by modifying social practices and norms to minimize families' exposure to stressful events. Further, we discuss primary prevention interventions in mental health services in the light of clinical experience. These interventions, either psychotherapeutic accompaniment or coordination of non-clinical partners that take part in risk factors control, are not always indicated. They can be potentially iatrogenic because they involve stigma, pathologization, overtreatment and disresponsabilization. Finally, we propose a guide to decision-making in preventive intervention based on five aspects: clinical manifestations, risk factors, children and family resources to deal with adversity, treatment request, and eventual harms.

Keywords : prevention; child; adolescent; mental health; iatrogenic.

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