Media

Today’s youngsters are spending less time playing together away from adult care and more time under parental supervision.

Slightly higher levels of depressive symptoms reported by fathers when their partner was pregnant were associated with fewer behavioural and emotional difficulties in their child at about six to eight years of age.

Research also saw no measurable benefits from video games that claim to help kids’ development.

During the holidays, kids often spend more time on screens, leaving parents to wonder: Is it causing harm? Possibly.

At what age does an adolescent start thinking as an adult? A new study presents some of the first definitive evidence that executive function usually matures by the time an individual turns 18 years old.

This study examined the associations of physical fitness with grey matter volume of cerebellar lobules related to cognition in adolescents.

One researcher explores how external supports offset the risks to children’s health posed by maternal depression.

Despite the many changes in school culture since the 1960s, a new study reveals that some things never change: life is harder for middle school students who are not attractive or athletic.

The children of parents who experienced adverse childhood experiences – such as abuse, neglect, violence in the home, or loss of a parent — are at increased risk of arrests and convictions by young adulthood.

In a mouse study designed to explore the impact of marijuana’s major psychoactive compound, THC, on teenage brains, researchers say they found changes that may worsen a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia.

The slowdown of physical activity during adolescence is not likely caused by lifestyle and environment but by energy demands placed on the body as it grows and sexually matures.

Family mealtimes are important for parents and children as a space to communicate, socialize, and build attachment relationships. But it can be difficult for busy parents to balance family and work life.

Men who are overweight or obese at age 18 have a higher risk of 17 different cancers later in life.

“Children who have older brothers or sisters in their households are less likely to develop problems,” explains Gunda Herberth (UFZ), coordinator of the LINA study.

The researchers followed over 170 young children in Sweden who had received treatment for diagnosed obesity.

Being suspended from school or sent to the office is tied to a big drop in grade point average (GPA), especially for Black and Latinx children.

The way parents, especially fathers, deal with marital conflict can make a difference to kids, according to a new study.

Children’s eating behaviour is shaped by their genetics, temperament, and a range of other factors, including the feeding practices they experience.

They also found that as the number of traumatic childhood events increased, the odds of having headaches also increased.

While online gaming can improve wellbeing and foster social relations, privacy and awareness issues could potentially offset these benefits and cause real harm to gamers.

Avoidance and inhibition in particular create problems for the painfully shy and for those around them.

Providing time management tools and addressing barriers to an earlier bedtime, like limiting certain after-school activities, could help teens.

Perfectionist parents may see their children’s success as a reflection on them and they may engage in over-parenting to achieve “perfect” results.

There might be a gap between what parents say about fostering children’s independence and what tasks they let their kids do without them.

A simple and timeworn solution yields solid results: a clear bedtime that parents consistently adhere to.

When adolescents start to explore dating, romance, and sex, a troubling number fall victim to violence.

The study may provide some reassurance to parents and clinicians who may be hesitant to prescribe ADHD stimulant medications.

Depending on the level of social interaction required to complete the test, shyness can influence a child’s performance in language assessments.

he first experimental study examining multiple platforms shows a causal link between time spent on social media and increased depression and loneliness.

New research shows a connection between social media use and impaired risky decision-making, commonly deficient in substance addiction.

Losing a beloved family member is never easy, but a new study suggests the loss of a grandmother may have repercussions for the loved ones she leaves behind.

Adolescents who sleep less than eight hours a night are more likely to be overweight or obese compared to their peers with sufficient sleep.

New research has found that depression and the risk of depression are linked to different inflammatory proteins in boys and girls.

Encouraging adolescents to feel capable and purposeful — rather than just happy — could improve their academic results and mental health, according to new research that recommends changing how wellbeing is supported in schools.

New research shows that harsh discipline from parents puts young children at greater risk of developing lasting mental health problems.

Children fall broadly into four eating categories, according to new research, and parents feed their children differently depending on those categories. 

A study involving more than 745,000 adolescents from 41 countries across Europe and North America identified an increase in teenagers who underestimate their body weight.

Researchers found college students who tried to cut their social media use to 30 minutes per day scored significantly lower for anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear of missing out at the end of the two-week experiment and when compared to the control group.

As psychologists learn more about the factors that determine where a child falls along the shyness spectrum, they’re also finding ways to prevent bashfulness from becoming a setback.

“There have been enormous advancements in the last 50 years in terms of recognizing anxiety disorders and developing evidence-based, first-line treatments for them,” says David H. Barlow, PhD.

Adults in the United States believe children should be almost 5 years old before talking with them about race, even though some infants are aware of race and preschoolers may have already developed racist beliefs.

There is growing recognition that what was previously seen as immaturity is actually a cognitive, behavioral, and neurological flexibility that allows teens to explore and adapt to their shifting inner and outer worlds.

People who are organized, with high levels of self-discipline, may be less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment as they age, while people who are moody or emotionally unstable are more likely to experience cognitive decline late in life.

In this roundup, read 5 studies that give practical implications for youth with anxiety disorders, their parents, and those providing treatment.

A special issue of American Psychologist® provides a comprehensive review of over 40 years of research on bullying among school age youth, documenting the current understanding of the complexity of the issue and suggesting directions for future research.

Research on the link between the arts, creativity, and mental health reveal new findings. This includes that drawing improves children’s moods by helping to distract them, and more.

The study, which examined the relationship between pregnancy length and different measures of anxiety, could help doctors understand when and how best to screen for anxiety during pregnancy to help prevent preterm birth.

When the task at hand requires some imagination, taking a walk may lead to more creative thinking than sitting, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Children who suffer trauma from abuse or violence early in life show biological signs of aging faster than children who have never experienced adversity, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

While both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have long known that both are unavoidable — and that they often play a helpful, not harmful, role in our daily lives.

How much is adequate screen time for a child? A recent cohort study has found that the amount of screen time spent by one-year-olds is associated with developmental delays.

24 percent of the children in a recent study suffered chronic bullying throughout their school years, which was consistently related to lower academic achievement and less engagement in school.

Of the nearly 11,000 articles on bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, more than 90% have been published in the last 15 years—after most practitioners were trained and licensed.

Teaching children how to be more resilient along with regular classroom instruction can improve children’s outlook on life, curb depression and boost grades.

Children who receive high-quality child care as babies, toddlers and preschoolers do better in science, technology, engineering and math through high school, and that link is stronger among children from low-income backgrounds.

When adolescents perceive religion as important in their lives, it may lower rates of cigarette smoking, heavy drinking and marijuana use, according to a study that tracked urban adolescents from middle school through high school.

Adolescents who attend religious services with one or both of their parents are more likely to feel greater well-being while romantic partners who pray for their “significant others” experience greater relationship commitment.

People consistently underestimate how much they would enjoy spending time alone with their own thoughts, without anything to distract them, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

High schoolers who take music courses score significantly better on exams in certain other subjects, including math and science, than their nonmusical peers.

Adolescents who are bullied about their weight or body shape may be more likely to use alcohol or marijuana than those who are not bullied, according to new research

A multipronged approach to social media management, including time limits, parental monitoring and supervision, and ongoing discussions about social media can help parents protect teens’ brain development.

Research has long linked more screen time with lower psychological well-being, including higher rates of anxiety and depression. The risk of harm is higher when kids and teens are victimized by cyberbullying.

Lucas Denault, a high school senior from Littlestown, Pennsylvania, woke up one day in January 2021 with a stuffy nose. He tested positive for COVID-19, but felt better by dinnertime. Then, 10 weeks later, everything changed.

Psychologists are studying how early deprivation harms children — and how best to help those who have suffered from neglect.

The science of mindset has revolutionized education. Decades of research have shown that when students believe they can get smarter with effort, they work harder and achieve more. But it isn’t always that simple.

New psychological research points the way toward boosting resilience in children at risk, particularly the importance of supporting parents and early interventions for children and adolescents.

Students who are better able to understand and manage their emotions effectively, a skill known as emotional intelligence, do better at school than their less skilled peers.

Today single parent families have become even more common than the so-called “nuclear family” consisting of a mother, father, and children. Today we see all sorts of single parent families: headed by mothers, fathers, and even by a grandparent raising their grandchildren.

When it comes to the potential risks or benefits of social media for children, we should not look at social media as a whole but instead focus on specific features and behaviors that are built into social platforms.

Rising parental expectations and criticism are linked to an increase in perfectionism among college students, which can have damaging mental health consequences, according to new research.

Body fat and an unhealthy diet may impair brain function and lead to cognitive problems in children.

Though most siblings have somewhat similar temperaments, parents often perceive their children as different as night and day, suggests a new study.

Parents of a blended family face plenty of challenges, but there are things you can do to make communication easier and help children adjust to their new reality.

Children who attend preschool enter kindergarten with greater skills than those who don’t, but that advantage is nearly halved by the end of the year as their counterparts quickly begin to catch up, according to new research.

In adults, sleep is key for memory consolidation, mood regulation and general well-being. In children, it’s also critical for developing healthy cognitive, behavioral and physical functioning.

By the time toddlers are forming two-word sentences, they are already aware that they may be judged by others, behavior that previously wasn’t believed to emerge until years later, according to new research.

Spending time with a grandparent is linked with better social skills and fewer behavior problems among adolescents, especially those living in single-parent or stepfamily households, according to a new study.

Years ago, if you gave a kid a lump of Play-Doh, she might roll it around in her hands and shape it into a ball, a lion or some other figment of her imagination. These days, kids are more likely to look at that lump, scratch their heads and say, “What does it do?”

Whether from a recent job loss, the added costs of inflation, or longer-term challenges, families dealing with financial strain might find themselves faced with worries: What’s the best way to discuss financial limits as a family without stressing out children?

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure/Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Young people whose mothers drank when pregnant may be more likely to abuse alcohol because, in the womb, their developing senses came to prefer its taste and smell.

Creating a pro-social school environment increases the frequency of children’s positive behavior, develops their social skills, and may limit future aggressive behaviors.

Infants and toddlers first interactions with their parents. Newborn babies are often placed naked on their mother’s bare chest immediately after birth. This “skin to skin” experience has been shown to promote greater infant respiratory, temperature, and glucose stability, and to reduce crying (an indicator of decreased stress).

The number of children diagnosed with and treated for disruptive disorders including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has markedly increased over the last decade. Concurrent with this trend is a growing debate about the best way to treat such problems in children.

Emotionally intelligent students get better grades and higher test scores. Students who are better able to understand and manage their emotions effectively, a skill known as emotional intelligence, do better at school than their less skilled peers, as measured by grades and standardized test scores, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Pitt Parents and Children Lab at the University of Pittsburgh have found that providing parents with one positive parenting intervention can lead to fewer destructive behaviors even a decade later.

New research debunks Tourette’s syndrome myths and lays the groundwork for a behavioral intervention. It is agreed by most researchers, Tourette’s syndrome is mainly biological.

In the first successful experiment with humans using a treatment known as sensory-motor or environmental enrichment, researchers documented marked improvement in young autistic boys when compared to boys treated with traditional behavioral therapies, according to research published by APA.

The controversial subject of medicating children with ADHD was the focus of several APA 2001 Annual Convention sessions. Among the experts in the area is Gretchen LeFever, PhD, of Eastern Virginia Medical School–one of the few researchers systematically collecting epidemiological data on the extent of medication use for ADHD.

Deborah Fein, PhD, was a psychologist in the 1970’s and became fascinated that a few of her patients with autism spectrum disorder had become symptom free by age 7. Since then, it has become clearer that a small subset of children do, clinically speaking, lose the ASD diagnosis.

While the nation has made substantial progress in responding to poverty and poverty-related conditions, some of its most devastating and destructive impacts remain most prevalent in children and are too often passed down from one generation to the next.

Although, there are many medications to help with some symptoms of autism–the major treatment for autism is early and ongoing educational intervention.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects behavior, communication and social functioning. According to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1 in 68 children in the U.S. have ASD.

Children, adolescents and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) don’t necessarily need psychotherapy, says psychologist Abigail Levrini, PhD. What they often do need is help getting themselves organized and reaching their goals—coaching, in short.

Nutritional supplement given after birth improves learning and behavior in rats exposed to alcohol during development. Giving choline to infants who were exposed in the womb to alcohol may mitigate some of the resulting problems. Prenatal alcohol exposure affects physical and central nervous system development, putting children at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders that at their worst include full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome.

One in 88 children is the number of U.S. children with autism. Psychologists need to understand how mental disorders manifest in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Mothering a child with autism may be more stressful than mothering one with developmental delays, concludes a July study published online in Autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a class of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by difficulties with communication and social interactions, as well as restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior. Although not considered in the core diagnostic criteria, attention problems are also common in ASD.

ADHD has three subtypes, which include hyperactive impulsive, primarily inattentive, and combined. With inattentive type, the restlessness is internal.

Data show that children are more likely to have mental health disorders than physical ailments, yet most children never receive the care they need because of stigma, cost and a shortage of mental health specialists, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Both behavioral therapy, such as parent education and classroom interventions and pharmacological treatments such as central nervous system stimulants can be effective in acute cases, said the group. Combining them can yield better short-term outcomes than using either alone and also enables the use of lower doses of medication.

Since alcohol use has increased since the pandemic, researchers have found this pattern to also be among pregnant women as well. “Experts estimate that 2% to 5% of U.S. schoolchildren—as many as 1 in 20—may be affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, which can cause complications with growth, behavior, and learning. The effects on individuals and families, as well as the economic costs, are substantial.”

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System have found that children with autism differ from other children in two specific memory capabilities.

The share of children nationwide diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the most recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is an increase of about 30 percent since 2012.

After six years of study, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has expanded its guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to cover both preschoolers and adolescents.

Researchers have reported that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) believe they are coping better socially and in school than they actually are, but Erika Swanson, PhD, has found this to be untrue in girls.

Researchers have additional evidence that reading problems are linked to abnormal sound processing, thanks to high-precision pictures of the brain at work. In a recent study, when children without reading problems tried to distinguish between similar spoken syllables, speech areas in the left brain worked much harder than corresponding areas in the right brain, whose function is still unknown.

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability and is often severe enough to make it difficult for children to succeed academically. Treatment for language and reading impairments by speech therapists and reading specialists is often a slow, long, expensive, and frustrating experience for professionals, parents, and children.

Psychologists are using research-based behavioral interventions that effectively treat children with ADHD. These interventions focus on teaching parents strategies for helping their children succeed. One such approach is to catch children being good.

The first-ever device to treat pediatric attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April. The external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) system offers an alternative treatment option for more than 6 million American children with an ADHD diagnosis.

There are numerous existing therapies and supports that have been successful in helping kids with autism reach their potential, but there are also barriers. Pediatricians sometimes fail to use common screening measures according to the standardized instructions, says Diana Robins, PhD.

Autism, a developmental disability largely shrouded in mystery since its identification in 1941, typically manifests itself in the first three years of life and affects one in 500 individuals.

Psychological research informs every decision around autism policy—from which interventions are covered by insurance, to how the educational system teaches children with autism, to what systems should be created to support adults.

In research published in Behavioral Neuroscience, Soncin and colleagues (2016) compared executive functioning in ADHD and BD relative to controls using an oculomotor task, in which participants were cued to either look toward or away from a visual target.

Perhaps the most glaring gap for people with autism is the evaporation of support when they reach adulthood. Regional studies suggest unemployment is high among adults with autism. Cognitive abilities are not protective: a study by developmental psychologist Julie Taylor, PhD, of Vanderbilt University, found that autistic adults with no intellectual disabilities were three times more likely than those with autism and an intellectual disability to have no regular daytime activities.

A first-of-its-kind study indicates that stimulant medication, combined with behavioral interventions, improves academic achievement in adolescents with ADHD. Ritalin and other stimulants have long been used as treatments for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in elementary-age children.

Behavioral therapy is recommended as the first line of treatment for very young children. So why is medication use rising among this group?

The number of U.S. preschoolers diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) jumped 56 percent between 2007–08 and 2011–12, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. The number of children ages 2 to 5 taking a psychoactive medication to treat ADHD doubled, the survey found.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are more common than thought, say researchers at congressional briefing. Many women aren’t fully aware of the risks associated with drinking while pregnant, and the public needs more information on the symptoms and severity of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Approximately, 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with autism in the United States and each year more than 60,000 teenagers with autism age out of the school system and launch into adulthood. Though the behavioral symptoms of autism start to emerge at about 18 months of age, children’s median age at diagnosis remains stubbornly stuck at around ages 4 to 5. Even after diagnosis, many children don’t receive the services they need because of long waitlists for treatment or inadequate insurance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging health care providers to refer parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for behavior therapy before prescribing medicine. According to the CDC’s latest Vital Signs report, about 75 percent of young children being treated for ADHD receive medicine, and only about half receive any form of psychological services.

There is such a large population of children with incarcerated parents in the United States that even “Sesame Street” is addressing the issue. In 2013, the program introduced Alex, a character whose father is in jail, to highlight the stigma and coping difficulties experienced by children of incarcerated parents.

While children are growing up and living with their parents, they are constantly observing every move their parents make. They observe so much that they want to be like their parents and that is who they learn the most from. Children learn things that their parents try to teach them, like counting or how to use the bathroom. They also learn from just watching what their parents do and trying to copy them.

Teenagers, dealing with hormone changes and issues of identity, sexuality, and alcohol, may feel that no one can understand their feelings, especially parents. The teen years pose some of the most difficult challenges for families. Teenagers, dealing with hormone changes and an ever-complex world, may feel that no one can understand their feelings, especially parents.

There are several effective evidence-based practices designed to help children or teens who are grieving or experiencing trauma and grief. They include: Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Multidimensional grief therapy, and Resilient Parenting for Bereaved Families, etc.

An online survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), conducted by Harris Interactive in August 2010, found that 73% of parents report family responsibilities as a significant source of stress. The survey also found that more than two-thirds of parents think their stress level has slight to no impact on their child’s stress level. However, only 14% of tweens and teens reported that they are not bothered when their parents are stressed.

Behavior in young children and what is considered normal for that age Parents may think a 3-year-old frequent tantrums are normal in early childhood. But new research shows daily tantrums only occur in less than 10 percent of preschool children, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status or ethnicity (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2012).

“The purpose of our study was to understand, document, and report conservative Christian parents’ perceptions of the effectiveness of an intensive 5-week filial therapy program, Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT).” As our society continues to grow, it is to be realized how much of a role religion plays in our everyday life.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an effective form of treatment for PTSD that has developed after experiencing any traumatic event, such as, child abuse, combat, rape, and natural disasters. CPT is generally done over 12 sessions and helps patients learn how to challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma. In doing so, the patient creates a new understanding and conceptualization of the traumatic event so that it reduces its ongoing negative effects on current life.

The pandemic left mental illness at an all time high, especially among children and teens. “In fact, 71% of parents said the pandemic had taken a toll on their child’s mental health, and 69% said the pandemic was the worst thing to happen to their child, according to a 2020 national survey of 1,000 parents facilitated by the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.”

Using only the power of their imaginations, children can transform a box into a boat, or a living room into a peril-fraught jungle. But while many famous theorists, including Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, have posited that pretending fuels children’s intellectual and creative development, that may not be the case, suggests University of Virginia psychology professor Angeline Lillard, PhD, online in Psychological Bulletin.

“Human trafficking is a global and domestic human rights issue that is characterized by economic exploitation through force, fraud and coercion.” Human trafficking can be to anybody of any age, however, young girls and women are the majority of individuals who are trafficked.

There is no single cause of child maltreatment and it can come from any type of family, of all incomes, and of all religions. Along with many other consequences, child abuse and neglect can result in physical and psychological harm. A physically abused child may develop aggressive behaviors that lead to recurring maltreatment.

“Too many children and teens are experiencing mental health concerns. This has been going on for many years and the COVID-19 pandemic has simply escalated the problem,” said clinical psychologist Lori Pbert, PhD. Therefore, the USPSTF is recommending that children 8 to 18 should have regular anxiety screenings.

It is no surprise that losing a parent, loved one, or caregiver can be traumatic and understanding grief can be difficult for any age but specifically, children. This has been magnified through COVID-19.

Our nation’s economic status has tremendously affected the lives of millions of Americans. “U.S. Census data reveals that from 2009 to 2010, the total number of children under age 18 living in poverty increased to 16.4 million from 15.5 million.” On that account there has been psychological research to show how poverty negatively impacts children at home, school, and in their communities.

Exercise can feel like one more daunting item on the family to-do list. But encouraging children to move their bodies is important, not only for physical health, but for mental health and cognitive development, too.