Publications - Parenting/Caregiver Advice and Support
Teens are smoking, vaping and eating cannabis, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Oct 3 2018.
“Adolescents who try marijuana are not just smoking it. Many are also vaping or eating cannabis, a U.S. study suggests. Almost one in three teens have smoked cannabis at least once, the survey of 3,177 Los Angeles high school students found. More than one in five adolescents have consumed edible cannabis, and more than one in 10 have vaped it. In the study of 10th-graders, two-thirds of teen cannabis users had tried at least two forms of the drug, and about 8 percent had tried all three methods of consuming cannabis. 'This raises the question whether teens who have traditionally been at lower risk for use of cannabis and other drugs in traditional smoked forms may be drawn into cannabis in alternative forms that may lack some of the deterrents . . . like the smell, taste, and harshness of inhaling cannabis smoke and difficulty concealing use of smoked cannabis to authority figures,' said senior study author Adam Leventhal, director of the University of Southern California’s Health, Emotion, and Addiction Laboratory in Los Angeles. ”
Absence of Daylight Linked to Postnatal Depression, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Sep 29 2018.
“New research suggests women in late pregnancy during darker months of the year may have a greater risk of developing postpartum depression once their babies are born. The analysis suggested that the number of daylight hours a woman was exposed to during her final month of pregnancy and just after birth had a major influence on the likelihood that she developed depressive symptoms. Investigators discovered the lowest risk for depression (26 per cent) occurred among women whose final trimester coincided with seasons with longer daylight hours. ”
Breastfeeding might benefit babies by reducing stress, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Sep 26 2018.
“Mothers have long been told that “breast is best” when it comes to feeding newborn babies, but a small experiment suggests at least some of the benefits may have nothing to do with the milk itself...While the current study in humans is small, and doesn’t span multiple generations, the results do suggest that nurturing behavior by human mothers can make their babies less reactive to stress...Bonding during breastfeeding may be a different experience than the nurturing babies get from bottle feedings, Wright said. It’s possible that the increased maternal bonding that occurs with breastfeeding may alter babies’ stress response and make infants more resilient when they have stressful experiences, Wright added. ”
How to Help Teenagers Embrace Stress, by Lisa Damour, New York Times, Sep 19 2018.
“Now that the school year is in full swing, many young people are feeling the weight of academic demands. But how much strain students experience may depend less on their workloads and more on how they think about the very nature of stress. Stress doesn’t deserve its bad rap. Psychologists agree that while chronic or traumatic stress can be toxic, garden-variety stress — such as the kind that comes with taking a big test — is typically a normal and healthy part of life...According to Jeremy P. Jamieson, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Rochester who studies how stress impacts emotions and performance, 'Avoiding stress doesn’t work and is often not possible. To achieve and grow, we have to get outside our comfort zones and approach challenges.' ”
Maternal depression can impact baby's physical and mental health, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Aug 24 2018.
“Children with depressed mothers may end up with altered immune responses and at greater risk for psychological disorders, a new study suggests. Maternal depression may have a significant effect on the way children’s brains work, the researchers write in the journal Depression & Anxiety...Feldman and her colleagues determined that depressed moms had higher levels of cortisol and secretory immunoglobulin. Moreover, the depressed moms also displayed more negative parenting. 'Depressed mothers are less engaged, less empathetic,' Feldman said. They 'show more negative and inconsistent (mood). They are more critical and hostile and are less sensitive to the child’s non-verbal and verbal social communication.' ”
Frequent Home Moves May Increase a Child’s Risk of Psychosis, by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, Aug 22 2018.
“Children whose families move homes frequently may be at increased risk for serious psychiatric illness. Researchers followed 1,440,383 children from birth to age 29, including data on residential moves. They found 4,537 cases of psychosis, symptoms of which can include hallucinations and delusions. ”
Treating Teen Depression Might Improve Mental Health Of Parents, Too, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Aug 12 2018.
“An estimated 12.8 percent of adolescents in the U.S. experience at least one episode of major depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. According to previous studies, many of those teens' mental health is linked to depression in their parents. But new research suggests there's a flipside to that parental effect: When teens are treated for depression, their parents' mental health improves, too...When a parent sees their child struggle, it might affect their mood; when the child feels better, their spirits lift as well. Improvement in the child's mental health might also improve communication between parent and child, which might also help improve the parents' depression. The findings may help health care providers deal with the high rates of depression and suicidal thoughts among teenagers, notes Howard. ”
Families Choose Empathy Over 'Tough Love' To Rescue Loved Ones From Opioids, by Martha Bebinger, NPR, Aug 10 2018.
“It was Bea Duncan who answered the phone at 2 a.m. on a January morning. Her son Jeff had been caught using drugs in a New Hampshire sober home and was being kicked out. Bea and her husband, Doug Duncan, drove north that night nine years ago to pick Jeff up. On the ride back home, to Natick, Mass., the parents delivered an ultimatum: Their son had to go back to rehab, or leave home...Doug Duncan says many parents had told him to expect this moment. He remembers them saying their son would have to 'hit rock bottom; you're going to have to kick him out of the house...'Many drug users say, in hindsight, they've appreciated being forced into treatment. But studies show that a compassionate approach and voluntary treatment are the more effective ways to engage drug users in recovery and keep them alive. That's a critical consideration for families in this era of fentanyl, a powerful opioid that can shut down breathing in seconds. ”
Parents' spirituality or religion tied to lower suicide risk in kids, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Aug 9 2018.
“Kids are less likely to think about suicide or attempt to kill themselves if religion or spirituality is important to their parents, a small study suggests. And that is true even if the kids themselves didn’t think religion was important, according to the results published in JAMA Psychiatry...More parents than children reported that religion/spirituality was of high importance to them, 45 percent versus 25 percent. More children than parents reported that it was of no importance, 15 percent versus 4 percent...For both girls and boys...higher importance of religion/spirituality in parents was associated with a 39 percent lower risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts. The same was not true when it came to parents’ attendance at spiritual services. ”
Pot smoking by parents tied to risk of psychotic episodes in kids, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Aug 2 2018.
“Cannabis use by mothers or fathers during pregnancy, or even only before pregnancy, is associated with an increased risk of psychotic-like episodes in their children, a Dutch study suggests. Because pot use by mothers and fathers carried similar risk, and a mother’s use before pregnancy had the same effect as use during pregnancy, the study team speculates that parental pot use is likely a marker for genetic and environmental vulnerability to psychotic experiences rather than a cause, and could be useful for screening kids at risk for psychosis later in life. ”
Protect Your Children from Health Risks by Building Family Resilience, by Benjamin Samuel Telsey, Military One Source, Jul 30 2018.
“Research has shown that childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a significant impact on lifelong health and well-being. A major study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente surveyed more than 17,000 Americans to gain a better understanding of how adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, such as divorce, child abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction, might impact individuals as adults. The researchers found that adverse childhood experiences are very common in the general population. Fortunately, a positive figure in a child’s life can help to provide stability and security while also reducing the destructive effects of toxic stress. One of the critical roles of the military community is to raise healthy, resilient children despite the stressors and challenges they face. Service members and their families can take advantage of several support systems in place for parents and children alike. ”
Mind-Body Therapies May Reduce Anxiety in Teens, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 27 2018.
“Anxiety affects approximately one in three American teens, with more than eight percent experiencing severe impairment in daily functioning. But according to a new review published in The Nurse Practitioner, mind-body therapies, such as mindfulness, yoga and hypnosis, can play a vital role in reducing the very common problem of adolescent anxiety...The researchers also emphasize the role of pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) in integrating screening and treatment for adolescents with anxiety. NPs can screen young patients for anxiety at every health visit and help create a personalized plan to treat it. ”
New dads need depression screening, too, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Jul 23 2018.
“Fathers of young children may be almost as likely as new mothers to experience symptoms of depression, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined results from depression screenings done for parents during more than 9,500 visits to pediatrics clinics with their children. Overall, 4.4 percent of fathers and five percent of mothers screened positive for depression...Because parental depression can have lasting physical and mental health affects for young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all parents - both mothers and fathers - get screened for depression during well-baby and well-child checkups. ”
App, Brief Intervention May be Lifesaver for Suicidal Teens, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 20 2018.
“The first few weeks after a hospital discharge are the most critical for teens who were admitted for suicidal thoughts. A new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, reveals that participating in an intervention program followed by the use of a personalized app, called BRITE, can significantly reduce suicide attempts in teens after they return home...'This approach merits further study,' Kennard said. 'Focusing on stress tolerance and giving access to positive emotion could be a lifesaving difference for so many patients.' ”
ADHD study links teens' symptoms with digital media use, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Jul 17 2018.
“The more teens check social media and stream video, the more likely they might develop symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a new study suggests. The study, published in the medical journal JAMA on Tuesday, sheds light on how more research is needed to determine whether symptoms of the disorder, commonly called ADHD, are possibly caused by digital media use...After analyzing the self-reported symptoms and digital media survey responses, the researchers found that each additional high-frequency engagement in a digital media activity was associated with higher odds of having ADHD symptoms at each follow-up point. ”
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