Child and adolescent mental health is an urgent global concern, with increasing prevalence of anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, neurodevelopmental disorders, and self-harm. Rapid social changes, academic pressures, digital and social media influences, and the lingering psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have intensified vulnerabilities in this age group. Persistent gaps remain in early detection, equitable access to care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the safe integration of evidence-based innovations into clinical and community settings.

This Collection aims to provide a comprehensive platform for emerging research, critical reviews, and practice-based insights that advance understanding of mental health challenges among children and adolescents—while highlighting transformative innovations. We especially welcome studies on digital health and artificial intelligence (AI), including AI-assisted screening, machine learning–driven predictive models, tele-mental health, virtual reality therapies, and mobile applications designed for youth and families.

Recognizing that digital and AI-driven approaches carry unique risks for young populations, this Collection places strong and explicit emphasis on addressing the ethical, access, and data-privacy challenges embedded in these technologies. We actively encourage submissions that explore:

• Ethical safeguards and governance models for responsible AI use in youth mental health, including algorithmic transparency, bias mitigation, informed consent, and child-safeguarding principles;

• Data-privacy and security frameworks that protect sensitive behavioral, emotional, and biometric data collected through digital platforms;

• Equitable access challenges, including digital divides, disparities in device/internet availability, structural inequities, and cultural or linguistic barriers that limit benefit from digital innovations;

• Evaluation of risks, such as data misuse, surveillance, stigmatization, or unintended harms resulting from automated decision-making;

• Policy, regulatory, and implementation guidelines that ensure digital and AI tools are safe, trustworthy, and centered on the rights and well-being of children and adolescents.

By elevating these critical concerns, the Collection seeks to promote innovations that are not only technologically advanced but also ethically responsible, privacy-protective, culturally sensitive, and accessible across diverse global contexts.

In addition to digital innovations, the Collection welcomes scholarship on school-based programs, family-centered care, trauma-informed interventions, and community-level strategies. Bringing together perspectives from nursing, psychiatry, psychology, public health, data science, social sciences, and education, this Collection aims to stimulate global dialogue, strengthen evidence-based practice, and support the development of safe, scalable, and person-centered mental health solutions. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance resilience, reduce stigma, expand equitable access to quality care, and shape the future of child and adolescent mental health worldwide.

Keywords:

• Child mental health

• adolescent mental health

• Pediatric psychiatry

• cytogenetics

• neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Behavioral disorders

• Anxiety and depression

• Self-harm and suicide prevention

• Early identification and prevention

• Community-based mental health care

• Mental health nursing

• Artificial intelligence in mental health

• Tele-mental health

• mHealth applications

• Virtual reality–based interventions

• Ethical AI in youth mental health

Healthcare professionals operate in complex, high-pressure environments where heavy workloads, role conflicts, emotional labor, ethical challenges, and adverse occupational experiences—including workplace violence, harassment, racisme, discrimination, inadequate recognition and reward, and feeling undervalued—place substantial strain on mental health and psychological well-being. These conditions are associated with burnout, moral injury, psychological distress, trauma-related symptoms, low job satisfaction, increased intention to leave, workforce attrition, and long-term mental health consequences. This Collection focuses on mental health outcomes; structural and organizational determinants; inequities and intersectional vulnerabilities; and rigorously evaluated individual-, organizational-, and system-level interventions that promote well-being, resilience, equity, and workforce sustainability among healthcare professionals across roles, settings, and global regions. The Collection particularly welcomes studies that address structural determinants, intersectional inequities, and the implementation of evidence-based interventions in real-world healthcare systems.

Keywords: Healthcare professionals; Mental health; Psychological well-being; Occupational stress; Burnout; Moral injury; Workplace violence; Harassment; Racism; Discrimination; Organizational culture; Structural inequities; Job satisfaction; Intention to leave; Workforce attrition; Resilience; Interventions; Healthcare work environment