Almost half (47.5 percent) of first-time mothers in the UK with infants aged six months or younger were diagnosed with post-natal depression during the first Covid-19 lockdown — more than double the average rate for Europe — reveals a recent study conducted by University College London (UCL). Researchers surveyed 162 new mums in London between […]
From complaints of loneliness to dealing with anxiety after parents contracted the virus during the past eight months, over 1,000 children have reached out to a government helpline seeking aid and advice. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ recently introduced tele-counselling SAMVEDNA (Sensitising Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and […]
Teens spanked as children, likely to suffer mental health problems
Adolescents who were spanked as children are likely to suffer mental and physical health problems, and display defiant behaviour, says a study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (April). For the study, University of Manitoba researchers interviewed 1,883 adolescents aged 14- 17 years. They […]
A recent study conducted by Rice University, USA, which could be surprising and revealing for parents fretting about the time their children spend on the Internet, indicates that more time spent on the Internet improves academic performance of students, especially in math, reading, writing, and social studies.
Increasing students’ sense of ‘belongingness’ in school is critical for motivating them academically, says an Ohio State University study which surveyed more than 1,600 students over two years. The study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (March) found that students’ motivation to learn improved in the second year. For example, the percentage of students […]
Parents who micromanage and over-regulate children’s activities do more harm than good, says a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology (March). Lead researcher, Jelena Obradović, associate professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and her team studied a group of 102 children aged four-six years and their primary caregivers over the course […]
Children who are exposed to air pollution are likely to develop heart disease and other ailments in adulthood, says a study published in Nature Scientific Reports (February). The study conducted by Stanford University, USA contends that even brief exposure (as little as one day) to air pollution such as smoke and car exhaust, can change […]
Providing students positive encouragement reduces disruptive classroom behaviour and improves learning outcomes, says a new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (February). For the study, University of Missouri researchers implemented CHAMPS, a classroom behaviour management training intervention, in a school classroom over the period of five years. According to lead researcher Keith Herman […]
Arecent study conducted by the University of South Australia (UniSA) has found that insufficient sleep negatively affects the mental health of adolescents. In a research paper published in February, UniSA sleep researchers Dr. Alex Agostini and Dr. Stephanie Centofanti write that it’s imperative that parents and medical practitioners become aware of the bi-directional relationship […]
Adolescents who experience loneliness are more likely to compulsively use the Internet, says a new study conducted by the University of Helsinki and published in Child Development (February). The study which surveyed 1,750 Finnish teenage children at three points in time: at 16, 17 and 18 years of age, found that adolescents’ Internet use is […]
The use of antibiotics in the first 14 days after birth is linked to reduced height and weight in boys in early childhood, says a study published in Nature Communications (January). A research team comprising scientists from Finland and Israel analysed the impact of neonatal antibiotic use in infants and found that male infants exposed […]
Post-natal depression is more common in men who are insecure about their relationship with their partner, says a recent study conducted by Lund University, Sweden. The researchers found that “affected men often have a negative view of themselves and are worried about being inadequate in their intimate relationships”.
“Low self-confidence in close relationships seems to trigger […]
Adolescents with happy childhood memories are at a lower risk of alcohol abuse, binge drinking and marijuana consumption, says a study published in Addiction Research and Theory (January). For the study, researchers of Purdue University, USA, surveyed 1,961 high school students who rated how nostalgic they were about their childhood, current happiness quotient and the […]
Good quality sleep, exercise, and a diet of raw fruits and vegetables — in that order — lead to better mental health and well-being in young adults, says a recent study conducted by the University of Otago, New Zealand. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology (December) interviewed 1,100 young adults from New Zealand […]
Pregnant women’s exposure to some metals can cause pre-term birth and low birth weight in infants, and pre-eclampsia in women, reveals a study published in Environment International (December). Conducted by Rutgers University, USA, this new research indicates that exposure to nickel, arsenic, cobalt and lead could disrupt the endocrine system by altering […]
Young children who have experienced compassionate love and empathy from their mothers are more likely to be generous to others, says a study published in Frontiers in Psychology: Emotion Science (November). The study conducted by the University of California, Davis, surveyed 74 preschool-age children and their mothers. While mothers completed surveys that […]
Men and women with higher levels of body fat are better parents compared to those who are skinnier, says a study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science (December). Researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi surveyed 831 participants who were asked to view four male and four female computer-generated bodies that were dimensionally […]
Adults who were children when their parents were divorced, showed lower levels of oxytocin — the ‘love hormone‘ — than those whose parents remained married, says a study conducted by Baylor University, USA and published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology (December). Oxytocin is a hormone released by the brain during bonding […]
Three of every four children in India reported increase in negative sentiments since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, reveals a report A Generation at Stake: Protecting India’s Children from the Impact of COVID-19 released by the well-reputed NGO Save the Children in November. The study which surveyed 11-17-year old children highlights that a majority […]
An infant’s brain development may be impaired by stress levels experienced by the mother during pregnancy, says a study conducted by the University of Edinburgh and published in eLife (November). Researchers found that high stress levels in pregnant women — measured by a hormone (cortisol) linked to anxiety and other health problems — are […]
Every 100 seconds, a child or young person under 20 years of age, was infected with the HIV/AIDS virus in 2019, reveals a report — Reimagining a Resilient HIV Response for Children, Adolescents and Pregnant Women Living with HIV — released by UNICEF in November. Nearly 320,000 children and adolescents were newly infected with […]
Adolescent children who have good, supportive relationships with their teachers enjoy better health as adults, says a study published in School Psychology (October). Jinho Kim, assistant professor in the faculty of health policy and management at Korea University, analysed data from the Add Health Study, a nationally representative longitudinal research study conducted in the […]
Adolescents who perceive their parents to be loving and supportive are less likely to engage in cyberbullying, according to a new study conducted by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (September). The conclusions published in the International Journal of Bullying Prevention, are especially relevant given the shift to online learning necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Antenatal steroids such as dexamethasone can boost the survival of premature infants when administered to pregnant women in developing countries such as India, say researchers at the World Health Organisation (WHO). Although dexamethasone and similar drugs have long been shown to be effective in saving preterm infants in high-income countries, this is the first time […]
Kid influencers on YouTube are racking up billions of page views, marketing junk food and sugary beverages to children, says a new study published in Pediatrics (October). Researchers analysed videos posted by the five most-watched kid influencers aged 3-14 years on YouTube in 2019 and found 179 of the 419 videos studied featured foods and […]
In an innovative experiment conducted in Finland recently, child daycare workers rolled out a lawn, planted forest undergrowth such as dwarf heather and blueberries, and encouraged children to tend to plants in planter boxes over a one-month period. The results indicated that the children showed vastly improved immunity measured in terms of diversity of microbes […]
Male parents who are more involved in caring for their infant children shortly after birth, are less likely to suffer depression years later, says a recent study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. Researchers at California State University, Long Beach conducted home interviews with 881 low-income, ethnically and racially diverse male parents in […]
The top-ranked Yale University, USA is offering a free online course on parenting titled Everyday Parenting. Designed by Dr. Alan E Kazdin, professor of psychology and child psychiatry and director, Yale Parenting Center, the online programme has been specially designed for parents and caregivers of children of any age (preteens to teenage). The course covers […]
Parents and/or guardians are substantially less likely to detect or suspect their children’s use of tobacco if they smoke electronic-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, compared to traditional cigarettes, says a study published in Pediatrics (October). Moreover the study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, indicates that when parents impose strict household rules about […]
The death of a family pet can cause profound and prolonged grief in children and could lead to mental health problems, says a study published in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (September). Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found some children and adolescents suffer sustained psychological distress that could lead to […]
Children displaying social anxiety symptoms may be at a higher risk of suffering depression in the future, warn researchers of Binghamton University, USA, in a study published in the Journal of Adolescence (September).
Study co-author Holly Kobezak says the study takes off from previous research which indicated that children with social anxiety symptoms are at high […]
Prolonged confinement at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted behavioural changes in many children, indicates a recent survey conducted by S.P. Robotic Works, a Chennai-based edtech company. The survey conducted with 3,600 sample parents and an equal number of children in the age group of 7-17 years in major Indian cities found that […]
Early identification and treatment of Covid-19-related health anxiety is vital to avoiding long-term mental health problems in children and young adults, reveals a study published in Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (September). Researchers at the University of Bath (UK) say that health anxieties can be triggered by lifestyle changes like returning to school. They say that […]
Deficiency of vitamin D increases the likelihood of being infected with the Covid-19 virus, say researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine. The research team evaluated 489 UChicago Medicine patients whose vitamin D levels were measured within a year before being tested for Covid-19. Patients with untreated vitamin D deficiency were almost twice as likely […]
Sleep disturbance at any age during childhood is associated with diminished well-being by the time children are 10-11 years old, reveals a recent study conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “Our study shows that although children with persistent sleep problems have the greatest impairments, when it comes to well-being, even those […]
Paying greater attention to internal bodily sensations can increase our appreciation of our own physical bodies, says a study published in Body Image (July) in the UK. The study led by Jennifer Todd, a doctoral student at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, studied ‘gastric interoception’ i.e, feelings of hunger or bloating that originate in the gut. […]
School-based mindfulness programmes improve decision-making skills of children with autism and also improve their attention spans and reduce anxiety levels, says a study published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities (August). According to researchers at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, mindfulness practice in neurotypical children improves decision-making skills and reduces anxiety, a common […]
A recent research study conducted with 640 adolescents aged 10-14 years in India, has found that teens who promise to be truthful are less likely to ‘cheat’ than those who do not, even when they are sure they won’t be found out. Researchers led by Dr Patricia Kanngiesser, associate professor of psychology at the University […]
Unsupportive parenting has several negative health implications for children, says a study conducted by Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center, USA. The study found that the telomeres — protective caps on the ends of the strands of DNA — of subjects who considered their mothers’ parenting style as ‘cold’ were on average 25 percent […]
Women have an innate ability to increase levels of anti-inflammatory T cells which keep blood pressure down, says a recent research study conducted by the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, USA and published by Hypertension (June). Known as Tregs, the cells are naturally associated with lower blood pressure levels and minimal organ damage. […]
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