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Prioritizing infant mental health: a research-driven pathway for action

Nature Medicine volume 31, pages 28–30 (2025)Cite this article

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A comprehensive research agenda is needed to identify gaps and actionable steps to prioritize infant and early life mental health care globally.

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Fig. 1: Systems considerations of a comprehensive research agenda for global infant mental health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Anusha Lachman & Astrid Berg

  2. Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Berna Gerber, Marlette Burger, Juan Bornman & Tracey Smythe

  3. Anthropology Department, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Fiona Ross

  4. International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Tracey Smythe

  5. Child Language Development Node of South African Centre for Digital Language Resources, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Heather Brookes & Frenette Southwood

  6. School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Graeme Hoddinott

  7. Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Graeme Hoddinott

  8. Division Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Helena Kruger

  9. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ziyanda Majombozi

  10. Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Michelle Pentecost

Authors
  1. Anusha Lachman
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  2. Berna Gerber
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  3. Marlette Burger
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  4. Fiona Ross
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  5. Juan Bornman
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  6. Tracey Smythe
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Consortia

on behalf of the Early Intervention and Child Mental Health ‘public square’

  • Astrid Berg
  • , Heather Brookes
  • , Graeme Hoddinott
  • , Helena Kruger
  • , Ziyanda Majombozi
  • , Michelle Pentecost
  •  & Frenette Southwood

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anusha Lachman.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Lachman, A., Gerber, B., Burger, M. et al. Prioritizing infant mental health: a research-driven pathway for action. Nat Med 31, 28–30 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03338-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03338-3

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