[Prevention and child mental health: the ethical issues raised by targeted approaches]

The details of the implementation of early prevention in child mental health in France have been at the heart of a debate between the defenders of a universal approach and the proponents of an approach targeting specific populations. The universal approach draws on various aspects of mother and child care and early childhood care offering considerate and expressive prevention based on a relationship of trust developed over time between professionals, parents and children. The targeted approach is based on the development of programs aimed at identifying vulnerable or at-risk populations. The ethical issues raised by targeted strategies are presented and discussed. The study highlights the difficulty of distinguishing between the social, educational, medical and psychological issues raised by early prevention.