October 28, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Children from less wealthy families are likely to have found COVID-19 lockdowns more difficult due to less time spent in nature than their more affluent peers.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that children who spent more time in nature during lockdown had less emotional and behavioural problems.
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October 14, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Excess deaths among those with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A UK study of more than 160 thousand patients found that deaths from COVID-19 among people with learning disabilities were nine times higher than among the general population during the first UK lockdown and were five times higher among those with eating disorders.
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September 7, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Research looked at family environment and development in children adopted from institutionalized care. “This prospective study followed children recently adopted from institutionalized care over two years to investigate the relationship between family environment, executive function, and behavioral outcomes,” study author Constantine A. Stratakis told us. “My research interest is how early life stress effects development.”
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August 30, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
The majority of children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) won’t outgrow the disorder.
A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that just 10 percent of children with ADHD will completely outgrow it.
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August 3, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Occupational Health looked at physical relaxation for occupational stress in healthcare workers in a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. "Our study evaluates various physical methods of relaxation (yoga, massage therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, and stretching exercises) on their effectiveness in reducing work-related stress in healthcare workers,” study author Michael Zhang told us.
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July 30, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Parents experiencing financial hardship may talk less with their kids.
Recent research from the University of California Berkeley found that economic context may be to blame for the “word gap”, where children from lower income households have heard millions of fewer words than their more affluent peers by kindergarten.
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July 21, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Strong family relationships gives teenagers greater empathy for their friends.
Research published in Child Development found that teenagers who had supportive and secure family relationships had greater empathy for their peers.
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June 26, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Women at increased risk of postpartum psychosis show altered connectivity in networks of the brain responsible for planning, organisation and the completion of short and long-term tasks. Currently, there are no biological markers that identify who will develop postpartum psychosis. But researchers from King’s College London have identified altered connectivity in the brain networks of women with postpartum psychosis, which could pave the way for better identifying women at risk of the condition.
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June 22, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked at formal and informal social participation and elder mistreatment. “Our study examined patterns of social participation as well as abuse or mistreatment in older adults living in the community,” study author Emmy Yang told us.
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May 31, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
COVID-19 has had a significant mental health impact on both residents and staff members in aged care facilities.
Research published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found those working or residing in aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing high levels of stress and negative mental health impacts.
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