Project Details
Supervisor
Project area or title
The mental health needs of children and young people with neurodisability and their families
Description
The number of children and young people up to 19 years of age in the UK with neurodisability has substantially increased over the last 10 years. Having a neurodisability significantly impacts on mental health of the child or young person as their development is significantly different from that of a neurotypical child. Equally, this can have profound impact on parental or main carer mental health. Having a child with neurodisability significantly impacts on parental/main carer mental health as their child’s development is significantly different from that of a neurotypical child.
Many of these children and young people cannot safely manage adequate food and fluid by mouth hence rely on artificial nutrition. Feeding, mealtimes and feeding relationships are a key social norms and roles in families. Consequently, the use of enteral or support feeding is ‘altered’ from these expected norms and can have immense impact on mental health of the child or young person and parental/carers. However, currently no assessment of mental health needs is undertaken on this group in terms of meeting nutritional needs.
This project would focus on the mental health needs of children and young people with neurodisability and their nutritional needs and the impact on family well-being and health. Exploratory data could inform a complex intervention development to address the impact of this unmet need for children and young people and their families.
Theme
Children, Young People & Perinatal Mental Health
University
University of Nottingham
Specific Project Eligibility
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/course/research/health-studies-phd