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Child and adolescent psychoanalysis in a changing world: children on the edge grew out of the 2019 British Psychoanalytic Association conference on child and adolescent psychoanalysis. Looking back, much has changed since then, and while the book addresses issues that remain relevant – such as the impact of Covid-19 and the role of the internet and technology in patients’ lives – the sense of being ‘on the edge’ is now a world-wide phenomenon. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (2025), there are currently 130 armed conflicts around the world – most recently President Trump’s lethal war against Iran – that have led to death and displacement for countless children and families. However, despite the passage of time, the 11 contributions to this book – from the UK, northern Europe, Israel and South America – describe the anxieties of children, families and young people reflecting the enduring connection between inner conflicts and external terror and uncertainty.
Most of the subjects in Child and adolescent psychoanalysis in a changing world are portrayed compassionately in impressive theoretical and clinical detail. However, I found some of the discussions of sexuality, gender identity and the accepted notion of the parental couple unsettling. Only recently have some societies granted people with different sexual and gender identities to emerge into the light and live ordinary lives without excessive persecution. Other societies have withdrawn these freedoms. The psychoanalytic profession in the UK has taken a long time to engage with these issues in an open-minded way, showing the need to examine our own self-definitions.
Bronstein and Flanders’ book is divided into three sections, each with a thorough introduction summarising the chapters. The first, ‘New frontiers and technical challenges’, looks at early development and parent–child relationships; developments in psychoanalytic and psychological thinking about autism; and assisted reproduction