Admission requirements
Required course(s):
- Succesful completion of a previous psychology course.
Description
Mental health problems in children and adolescents are common and are associated with substantial economic and societal costs. Children and adolescents have to deal with an increasingly complex and fast-moving world and safeguarding their healthy development, mentally as well as physically, should therefore be an important aim of (global) public health policy. Some mental health problems in youth are said to be on the rise (e.g., Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder), leading to questions about societal, cultural, and global factors that impact upon youth mental health.
This course will focus on a range of psychological problems during childhood and adolescence using the developmental psychopathology perspective as a theoretical framework. The framework provides a broad and developmentally orientated approach to understanding emotional and behavioral problems during the life span. It emphasizes the relationship between normality and pathology, the complex interplay of multiple risk and protective factors, and developmental pathways including continuity and change. Second, during the course we will critically analyze contemporary youth mental health issues and their potential implications for society and public health. Innovative research methods in the field of neurobiology and treatment will also be discussed.
The lectures will provide an introduction to the major mental health problems in youth, including internalizing (anxiety and depression), externalizing (ADHD and conduct problems) and neurobiological (autism spectrum and developmental language) disorders, from the developmental psychopathology perspective. Attention will be given to causes, prevention and treatment of these disorders. Students will learn about the world’s leading mental health classification systems, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychiatric Association) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD: World Health Organization) and the implications of these systems for youth mental health. Finally, students will learn about new approaches to the understanding and treatment of youth psychopathology.
Course Objectives
After successful completion of this course students will be able to:
Identify six standards used to differentiate between normal and abnormal development in young people.
Describe the main concepts of the developmental psychopathology approach to mental health problems and disorders in youth.
Compare and contrast the two major classification approaches (i.e., clinical and empirical).
Summarize the main mental health problems and disorders in youth discussed during the course.
Identify age and gender trends associated with psychopathology in young people.
Identify risk factors and processes associated with the cause and course of a range of problems experienced by young people.
Describe the main treatment approaches to youth mental health disorders.
Apply the developmental psychopathology perspective to cases of youth problem behavior.
Critically analyze a contemporary youth mental health issue using empirical research and present analysis in both written and oral form.
Reflect on innovative research in the field of developmental psychopathology.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
This course consists of two x two hour weekly online/on campus sessions which will be delivered through a combination of lectures, class discussions and group presentations. During weeks 4 to 7, groups of students will lead part of the session through a presentation and debate about a contemporary issue related to youth mental health. Week 7 will focus on the treatment of youth mental health problems.
Assessment Method
Assessment 1: In-class preparation and participation
Weight: 10%, deadline: weeks 1-7
Learning aim: Interactive engagement with course material and individual input to weekly theme.
Assessment 2: Three written assignments
Weight: 30%, deadline: weeks 2,4,6 (3 in total, each worth 10%)
Learning aim: Individual engagement with and analysis of course readings and material.
Assessment 3: Presentation in small groups
Weight: 20%, deadline: weeks 3 - 7
Learning aim: Critical analysis of a contemporary youth mental health issue.
Assessment 4: Final paper/essay
Weight: 40%, deadline: week 8
Learning aim: Understanding and integration of course content.
Reading list
Compulsory textbook
- Allen C. Israel, Jennifer Weil Malatras, and Rita Wicks-Nelson (2022). Abnormal child and adolescent psychology (ninth edition). Taylor & Francis, ISBN 9781032157207
Students must have access to this textbook, and read the compulsory chapters from the textbook prior to the relevant session (see weekly overview).
Approximate cost: 60 euro; 70% of the text is prescribed reading.
Compulsory articles
Topic specific compulsory and recommended readings are given in the weekly overview. These will be published on Brightspace.
A full reading list will be included in the course syllabus.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam, j.m.hoogendam@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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