Cognition and Mental Health Study

Recent research has suggested that as well as impacting our heart and lungs, air pollution may also affect our brains, particularly as we are developing in childhood. We have therefore expanded our data collection activities to include the CHILL: cognition study, which will further investigate the links between air pollution, cognitive development and mental health.

These activities include the children completing some puzzle-type games on tablet computers to measure brain functions such as memory, motor skills, and information processing.

We will also ask children to complete a questionnaire about their thoughts and feelings. The questionnaire is called the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression questionnaire and it is used routinely in research and clinical settings.

This questionnaire is not a diagnostic tool as it only gives a “snapshot” view of how a child is feeling. It can however be used to monitor mood over a period of time.

If you have any concerns about mental health, or our activities raise any questions from you or your child, please contact us at chill@qmul.ac.uk.

We also recommend the following websites and apps which may be helpful for managing mental health.

 

NHS: Every Mind Matters		The NHS offers a range of mental health advice as well as a dedicated Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Click here for a page on the Young Minds website which provides a guide to CAMHS and how to access its services.
Samaritans		The Samaritans is a charity that offers mental health advice and support for everyone. Click here for their website.
Mental Health Foundation		The Mental Health Foundation offers an online A-Z guide on mental health issues and a range of publications. Click here for their website.
Young Minds		Young Minds is a mental health charity that gives help and support to young people, and those supporting young people experiencing mental health problems. Click here for their website.
Kooth		The Kooth website offers a free sign up service that has resources including discussion boards, helpful tips/articles written by young people and an option for them to write mood journals & set positive goals. Click here for their website.
Stem4		Stem4 is a charity that promotes positive mental health in teenagers and encourages them to build resilience and manage difficult emotions via online resources. Click here for their website.
Calm Harm (App)		This app aims to help teenagers manage and resist the urge to self-harm by providing a wide range of distraction techniques.
Calm Fear (App)		This app aims to help children and teenagers manage anxiety through distraction techniques and helpful activities.
Cove (App)		This app helps people to capture their moods and express them by making music within the program – you don’t need to know how to play an instrument to use this app!