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This study examines the relationship between perceived parent-child communication and four children well-being measures (depression, selfesteem, substance use and school adjustment). The participants consisted of 809 adolescents, mostly male (52.9%), and had a mean age of 16.8 years (SD = 1.58). The children completed a battery of instruments that measured perceived communication, depression symptoms, school adjustment problems, substance use and self-esteem. Correlations, regression and t-tests were used to address the objectives of the study. We found that female participants perceived the nature of communication with both parents as more open than boys did. We also found significant associations between children's perception of communication with both parents and their subjective well-being. Findings of this study point to the importance of open parent-child communication to adolescents' well-being.

A systematic literature review was conducted to explore worldwide prevalence studies on student suicide, the risks and protective factors related to student suicide, and university-based interventions to combat it. The search of four major databases identified 60 studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals between 2015 and 2020. Majority of these publications were from the United States, followed by China and the United Kingdom. Studies in South Africa and the African Continent as a whole were limited in terms of meeting the selection criteria of the review. The findings indicate that most of the publications ranged from describing suicide risk factors innate to students, such as their demographic and mental health features, to social and university stressors. Although the studies on protective factors were limited, several psychological, social, and behavioural elements to prevent student suicide were identified. I adopted the Three-Step Theory of suicide to discuss the implications of the findings by presenting several campus-based strategies to combat student suicides.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of vulnerable learners from child-headed households through an ecological systems model that includes their homes, community, and school. Special emphasis was given to the role of school psychologists as change agents within the context of schools. This qualitative study included a sample of 98 5th to 7th grade learners in a vulnerable school. Data were collected through individual interviews, focus groups, and a questionnaire with incomplete sentences. The findings provide a vivid description of their living conditions, changing roles, community fears, and school experiences which inevitably affect their psychological well-being and propagate the need for effective school psychological services. Against all odds, the vulnerable school in this study reflects how it can make a positive difference in the lives of the learners simply through the display of love, attention, and care. Based on the findings several lessons, transcending national boundaries, are presented for school psychologists to be successful in assisting learners from child-headed households in vulnerable schools.

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