Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century with far-reaching and enduring adverse consequences for health outcomes. Over 42 million children <5 years worldwide are estimated to be overweight (OW) or obese (OB), and if current trends continue, then an estimated 70 million children will be OW or OB by 2025. The purpose of this review was to focus on psychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial consequences of childhood obesity (OBy) to include a broad range of international studies. The aim was to establish what has recently changed in relation to the common psychological consequences associated with childhood OBy. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for articles presenting information on the identification or prevention of psychiatric morbidity in childhood obesity. Relevant data were extracted and narratively reviewed. Findings established childhood OW/OBy was negatively associated with psychological comorbidities, such as depression, poorer perceived lower scores on health-related quality of life, emotional and behavioral disorders, and self-esteem during childhood. Evidence related to the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and OBy remains unconvincing because of various findings from studies. OW children were more likely to experience multiple associated psychosocial problems than their healthy-weight peers, which may be adversely influenced by OBy stigma, teasing, and bullying. OBy stigma, teasing, and bullying are pervasive and can have serious consequences for emotional and physical health and performance. It remains unclear as to whether psychiatric disorders and psychological problems are a cause or a consequence of childhood obesity or whether common factors promote both obesity and psychiatric disturbances in susceptible children and adolescents. A cohesive and strategic approach to tackle this current obesity epidemic is necessary to combat this increasing trend which is compromising the health and well-being of the young generation and seriously impinging on resources and economic costs.

Contemporary reports of individuals experiencing severe adversity have led to renewed debate regarding the processes that mediate a person's ability to withstand extremes of both psychological and physical abuse. The capacity to recover from extremes of trauma and stress is termed resilience. This important concept is of key relevance to health professionals as resilience and also defines a more general concept of responding to challenges that affect the individual in terms of their health behaviour. The evidence base in this area is noteworthy in that much research is based on historical case studies that, although rich in both content and appeal, also fall short of contemporary rigour in terms of validity. This review will describe the evidence for the salience of the concept of the resilience to health and mental health and the implications of the domain to the healthcare professional.

Despite insufficient evidence to directly inform the selection and implementation of a framework, the limited available evidence can inform the design of a new model of clinical supervision for UK-based midwives.

Aims To explore the experiences of senior charge nurses provided with ‘increased supervisory hours’. Background Designated supervisory time is essential for senior charge nurses to provide effective clinical leadership. It is important to explore the impact arises of such an increase. Methods An online questionnaire collected exploratory data from senior charge nurses (n = 60). Semi‐structured interviews gathered in‐depth qualitative data (n = 12). Findings were analysed for common themes associated with implementation of the increased senior charge nurse supervisory role. Results The majority of senior charge nurses were unable to use their full allocation of supervisory time. They struggled to accomplish leadership goals because of managing staffing levels, increased workload, time constraints and limited support. Factors that facilitated the role included preparation and support, adequate staff capacity, effective leadership skills and availability of supervisory time. The senior charge nurses took pride in providing clinical leadership, promoting staff development and delivering patient care. Support, in terms of preparation, capacity building and ongoing mentoring, was a key factor for achieving senior charge nurse goals. Conclusion Senior charge nurses should be supported to maximise supervisory time through the provision of an induction programme, formal coaching and ongoing training and development. Implications for nursing management Preparation and support is essential for senior charge nurses to deliver enhanced clinical leadership through increased supervisory time.

No abstract