May, Smeeth, McEwen 2024

As a supplement to child-report mental health issues, caregivers were asked to gauge their child’s mental wellbeing through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) [51, 52]. The SDQ is a 25-item instrument designed to capture psychological attributes of children aged between 3 and 16 years, and has been previously translated and used in research on Syrian refugees [53].

In addition to the child-report mental health issues, the parents of the children were asked to use Strength and difficulties questionnaire to gather more information about their psychological attributes for children between ages 3 and 16 years. This questionnaire has also been used in previous researches across Syria.

Mental health is increasingly prioritised on the global agenda given its integral role in advancing sustainable development worldwide [1]. Despite efforts to strengthen mental healthcare, guided by the Comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2030 [2], mental illness remains a considerable burden affecting over 970 million people [3].

Mental health has recently become a major global priority as it’s very important for sustainable development. Even with strategies aimed at improving mental health awareness, it continues to affect a larger part of the world’s population (over 970 million people). This figure shows that mental health remains a serious public health issue.

LST played a significant role in anxiety and depression, whilst AES appeared to predict anxiety, although the lower bound of the credible interval included 0. Few other sensitivity markers predicted mental health outcomes. Elevated DHEA appeared to predict more symptoms of depression and anxiety.

From the findings, LST (Low sensory threshold) was found to have an association with both anxiety and depression, although AES (Aesthetic Sensitivity) seems to have a link to anxiety, even lower limit of 0. There were also some sensitivity indicators which were attributed to mental health outcomes High levels of DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) showed to be related to the increased cause of depression and anxiety.

Environmental sensitivity significantly informs the effects of both trauma and support on children and adults, marking the trait as an important interindividual difference with practical implications for mental health [79–81].

Generally, the Environmental sensitivity makers/indicators play a key role in shaping both how trauma and support could affect young and older people, which therefore highlights the important individual differences with a meaningful implication for their mental health.

In future research, the parent and caregivers should be examined on their behaviours or family environments on how it impacts the sensitivity of the children’s mental health.

The complexity of some terminologies used were the challenging part of this research. I also did not know some of the environmental sensitivity indicators or makers used. Examples were the LST, DHEA.