A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Children whose mothers are depressed are themselves at increased risk for depression, anxiety disorder, or other mental-health problems during childhood. New research shows that treating the depression of mothers can significantly alleviate children's depression. There is a lot of evidence that if a mother suffers from clinical depression that her children are at increased risk [...]
A recent study has found that positive parenting is related to certain characteristics of both the mother and the child; and when controlling for maternal factors, only child’s affection (e.g., infant sharing positive feelings and expressions with mother), and general cognitive abilities (e.g., basic problem solving, language abilities) are related to positive parenting. The study also found that girls received more positive [...]
What if I am wrong? A common question. Should I report or not report? A common misstep. When there is reasonable suspicion of child sexual abuse, you must report your suspicions to the police or child protective services or both. But why do many adults fail to act —fail to do what is in the [...]
New research from York University's Faculty of Health shows cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help children with autism manage not only anxiety but other emotional challenges, such as sadness and anger. Led by Jonathan Weiss, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and CIHR Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders Treatment and Care [...]
Parents who endured “toxic stress” during childhood may be more likely to have kids with developmental delays and have a harder time coping with their children’s health issues, new research suggests. Adverse childhood experiences, commonly called ACEs, can include witnessing parents fight or go through a divorce, having a parent with a mental illness or [...]
A children's charity has criticised the UK government for failing to implement proposals to make young people safer online - 10 years after they were made in a government-commissioned report. The NSPCC says 11 of the 38 proposals were ignored and seven were partially implemented - four are now out of date. It says a [...]
A program that focuses on strengthening parenting skills also improves symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in 3-8 year-olds, according to researchers at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. FPG scientists completed a rigorous review of evidence that demonstrated the effectiveness of the “Incredible [...]
It’s perfectly normal for someone to feel anxious or depressed after receiving a diagnosis of a serious illness. But what if the reverse occurs and symptoms of anxiety or depression masquerade as an as-yet undiagnosed physical disorder? Or what if someone’s physical symptoms stem from a psychological problem? How long might it take before the [...]
The loss of a pet is often a child’s first experience with death. Understanding the unique ways that children view pets and respond to their passing can help parents to ease the grieving process. Joshua Russell, an assistant professor of environmental science at Canisius College in Buffalo, who has studied the effects of pet loss [...]
New international guidelines have been developed to tackle the problem of sports-related concussion (SRC) in children and adolescents, but medical researchers admit they do not know enough about the long-term damage it may do to young people. Every week across Australia, hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents descend on sporting fields, tracks and courts [...]
