Publications - Parenting/Caregiver Advice and Support

Physician burnout takes a toll on U.S. patients, by Marilynn Larkin, Reuters, Jan 17 2018.

“Nearly two-thirds of U.S. doctors feel burned out, depressed, or both – and those feelings affect how they relate to patients, according to a survey conducted by Medscape...What’s more, nearly 15 percent of depressed doctors said their depression might cause them to make errors they wouldn’t ordinarily make, while 5 percent said depression led them to make errors that might have harmed patients. More than 15,000 doctors across 29 specialties responded to survey questions about depression and burnout, which was defined as feelings of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion; frustration or cynicism about work; and doubts about the value of their work. Critical care doctors and neurologists had the highest rates of burnout (48 percent), followed by family doctors (47 percent) and ob/gyns and internists (46 percent). ”

Perfectionism May Undermine Mental Health of Youth, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Jan 3 2018.

“New research suggests the desire to be perfect in body, mind, and career may be taking a toll on college students’ mental health...This study is the first to examine group generational differences in perfectionism, according to lead author Thomas Curran, Ph.D., of the University of Bath. He and his co-author Andrew Hill, Ph.D., of York St. John University suggest that perfectionism entails 'an irrational desire to achieve along with being overly critical of oneself and others...'The rise in perfectionism among millennials is being driven by a number of factors, according to Curran. One relatively new factor involves exposure to social media; data suggests social media may pressure young adult to excessively compare themselves to others, which makes them dissatisfied with their bodies and increases social isolation.   ”

Teen sexual identity, childhood trauma linked to suicidal behaviors, by Shereen Lehman, Reuters, Dec 18 2017.

“Both LGBQ sexual identity and traumatic experiences in childhood are linked to a heightened risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, U.S. researchers say. Teens who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or are questioning their sexual identity are also more likely than their heterosexual peers to have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in childhood, the study team reports in Journal of Adolescent Health...'Furthermore, cumulative exposure to ACEs greatly increased suicide risk behaviors among sexual minority adolescents. For example, compared with heterosexual students with no exposure to ACEs, LGB/not sure students with two or more ACEs had approximately 13 times higher odds of attempting suicide in the past year,' Clements-Nolle said. ”

ADHD drug use in pregnancy increases risk of heart defects, study finds, by Susan Scutti, CNN, Dec 13 2017.

“The attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drug methylphenidate is associated with an increased risk of heart defects in infants whose mothers take the medication during pregnancy, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Jama Psychiatry. Specifically, the researchers found a 28% increased prevalence of cardiac malformations after first-trimester exposure to the stimulant, which is the active ingredient in Ritalin, Concerta, Daytrana, Methylin and other ADHD medications. ”

Caring Parenting Can Influence Teen Suicide Risk, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Dec 6 2017.

“In a new review, University of Cincinnati investigators finds that parents’ caring words and deeds are linked to thoughts of suicide among adolescents...The findings showed that children between the ages of 12 and 17 are significantly more likely to contemplate, plan, and attempt suicide when their parents do not engage in certain behaviors that demonstrate to their children that they care about them. 'Kids need to know that someone’s got their back, and unfortunately, many of them do not. That’s a major problem,' King said. ”

Some mothers may not seek early help for kids with developmental delays, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Oct 16 2017.

“When mothers trust their friends and neighbors more than doctors or struggle to access or afford care, they may be less likely to seek out medical help for young kids with developmental delays, a small U.S. study suggests...The study team interviewed 22 low-income mothers of African-American and Latino children up to 36 months old who qualified for Early Intervention...'Many mothers in our study experienced challenges accessing early intervention services due to logistical challenges or competing social and financial stressors that resulted in delayed or forgone care,' Magnusson said by email. 'These findings highlight the importance of supporting families throughout the referral process and helping to address their social and financial needs.'   ”

Postpartum Depression: Signs and Resources for Help, by Nursing@Georgetown, Georgetown University, Oct 2 2017.

“'I was so excited I decorated the nursery months before the baby arrived. But when she came, it was not a dream. I had no energy to smile or even to cry. I didn’t even want to pick her up. This was not how I thought it was going to be, and I was ashamed of how I felt.'  Such sentiments are often expressed by women with postpartum depression (PPD), a serious condition that affects 10 to 15 percent External link  of new mothers, according to the Office on Women’s Health (OWH). The crippling sadness and overwhelming fatigue associated with PPD can disrupt a woman’s ability to care for herself and her child. By recognizing the symptoms and getting the right help from health care providers — such as Nurse-Midwives — PPD can be treated so a new mom can better enjoy her baby and this special time in her life. ”

Many Young Adults With Autism Also Have Mental Health Issues, by Tara Haelle , NPR, Oct 1 2017.

“Young adults on the autism spectrum are more likely to also have been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition, such as depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than are typically developing people or those with other developmental disabilities, a study finds. And managing those multiple conditions can make the transition to young adulthood especially difficult. ”

Dads Can Develop Postpartum Depression if ‘T’ Drops, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Sep 7 2017.

“Postpartum depression is a relatively common occurrence among females. Now, a new study finds that an elevation or a decline in a father’s testosterone level after childbirth may play a significant role in emotional health and relationship satisfaction...fathers whose testosterone levels spiked faced a greater risk of experiencing stress due to parenting and experienced a greater risk of acting hostile. Characteristics of hostile behaviors include showing emotional, verbal, or physical aggression toward their partners.  ”

Maximizing children's resilience, by Kirsten Weir , American Psychological Association , Sep 2017.

“They call them "the formative years" for a reason. A wealth of research has shown that stress and hardship in childhood—such as that caused by abuse, neglect, exposure to violence and mental illness in caregivers—can alter the brain architecture of a developing child. Those physiological changes, in turn, raise the risk of cognitive and developmental delays, physical health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, and behavioral and mental health problems such as substance abuse and depression. Yet some people flourish despite those long odds, and psychologists are homing in on the factors that boost resilience...Researchers agree that, of all the factors that boost resilience, good parenting is often the most significant. 'The thing that makes the biggest difference, over and above one's genetic blueprint, is the relationship a child has with a primary caregiver,' says Philip Fisher, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon who studies early childhood interventions to improve the functioning of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. 'The presence of a supportive, consistent and protective primary caregiver—especially when the underlying stress systems are activated—is the factor that makes the biggest difference in healthy development.' ”

Witnessing Parental Psychological Abuse May Do More Harm Than Physical Abuse, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Aug 28 2017.

“Childhood exposure to parental psychological abuse — name-calling, intimidation, isolation, manipulation, and control — appears to be more damaging to children’s future mental health than witnessing physical violence between parents, according to a new study conducted at the University of Limerick (UL), Ireland...The findings, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, show that young people who grew up in homes with psychological abuse only tended to have poorer long-term mental health than those exposed to both psychological and physical violence. The long-term effects of children seeing one parent being psychologically cruel to the other include anxiety, low mood, and low social functioning. ”

Experts Answer Reddit Questions About Transgender People, by Brittney McNamara, Teen Vogue , Jul 28 2017.

“Transgender people have fought a long and hard battle to be recognized as exactly what they are: human beings. While some strides were made in recent years, this fight was shoved back into the spotlight after President Trump took office, reversing certain civil rights for transgender people, particularly young people in schools. Again, that battle has been spotlighted this week, after Trump seemingly reversed a right won just a year ago for transgender people to serve openly in the military. ”

The children most likely to be bullied by their own friends, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Jul 7 2017.

“'I definitely got bullied by people who I cared about and I definitely had people I thought were my friends that weren't,' said Averill, now 39, as she reflected on her middle school friendships. She added that her weight was often the target of the teasing...Two separate studies published in June support Averill's idea that overweight or obese children are more likely to have "frenemies" than non-overweight children...The researchers found that overweight children not only were less likely overall to be nominated than their non-overweight classmates, they were 1.65 times more likely to be disliked...'This negative social environment is important to address because it can have a negative impact on overweight children's mental health and because it is a barrier to overweight kids adopting healthy habits,' she said, adding that stigmatizing obesity does not motivate children to lose weight. 'Overweight kids who experience peer rejection and social isolation are likely to exercise less, have greater food intake and have fewer positive role models for healthy habits and a healthy weight.' ”

Positive parenting may offset brain effects of poverty, by Carolyn Crist, Reuters, Jun 29 2017.

“A positive parenting style might protect kids from the negative effect that growing up in poverty is thought to have on their brain development, Australian researchers say...The research team found that neighborhood, but not family-level, economic measures were associated with differences in brain development between early adolescence and the late teen years. The most disadvantaged kids showed differences from others in the brain’s temporal lobes in particular, which could affect stress, memory and language, the study authors write in JAMA Psychiatry...Positive parenting behaviors, however, seemed to moderate the negative effects of the poor environment, especially in the brain region known as the amygdala, which has a central role in regulating emotions. ”

Exercise may stave off postpartum depression, by Carolyn Crist, Reuters, Jun 16 2017.

“Physical activity during and after pregnancy improves psychological wellbeing and may protect against postpartum depression, according to a new analysis of existing research. Even low-intensity exercise, such as walking with a baby stroller, was linked to a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms in new mothers, researchers found...Compared to women who didn’t exercise, those who did had lower scores on depression symptom tests during the postpartum period, the researchers found. The apparent benefit of having fewer depression symptoms was seen even among women who did not meet the cutoff for a depression diagnosis. ”