Theravive Home

A recent study examined whether extreme adversity early in life can have a long-lasting impact on brain development. Previous research shows that early childhood adversity is linked to a higher risk for a wide range of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric problems later in life. This study examined whether early adversity is also linked to changes in brain structure and whether these brain changes can partly explain why some individuals develop persisting neurodevelopmental problems, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), following adversity while others do not [More]

If you’re wondering what new year’s resolutions to make, you might want to consider adding another spouse or two. According to a recent study of 2000 participants over two decades living in Tanzania, multiple husbands can be advantageous to women and children when times are difficult. While this scenario might not exactly play well in most relationships today, it seems that in that remote village in East Africa where the study took place, having an extra spouse can be a buffer in economic and social crises and help children live longer. [More]

After Ivana Poku became a mom, she was astonished and shocked by the reality of motherhood. “It was nothing like I had expected,” Poku told us. “I remember I could not wait to meet my twin boys and experience this immediate rush of love people were talking about. However, when that moment came, I felt nothing. I was glad they were ok. I was glad to have them, but there was no rush of love, no pure happiness, no fireworks. Immediately, I felt like a complete failure. And it didn’t get better from there.” [More]

Students with a higher level of emotional intelligence perform better in school than their peers with lower emotional intelligence. Research published in the Psychological Bulletin found that differences in the emotional intelligence of students is reflected in their results. [More]

A mother picks up her baby and shows her a stuffed giraffe toy. She tells her baby that giraffes have long necks and spots. The child feels her mother’s arms around her, hears her voice, and looks at the giraffe. The mother has provided tactile, auditory, and visual input, otherwise known as sensory signals. A new study has shown that when infants or young children experience unpredictable sensory signals from their parents, their brains, in particular their executive functioning, doesn’t develop properly and can contribute to mental health problems as they grow. [More]

A recent study published in the Journal of Early Intervention looked at the feasibility and effectiveness of Responsive Teaching (RT) with Saudi Arabian mothers and their children diagnosed with autism. RT is a relationship-based early intervention curriculum that was developed by study author, Gerald Mahoney. [More]

A new study, titled, Associations between parenting stress, parent mental health and child sleep problems for children with ADHD and ASD, looked at whether sleep problems experienced by children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were connected to parenting stress. About one in 59 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with ASD and like ADHD, and it’s more common in boys than girls, about four times more common. One in 37 boys and one in 151 girls were diagnosed with ASD in 2018. [More]

Bipolar disorder is a neuroprogressive illness and early detection is vital. One of the most potent triggers for a bipolar episode is childbirth. Unfortunately, research on postpartum bipolar disorder (PPBD) is scarce, however, a new study published in Psychiatry Research found that nearly 50 per cent of postpartum women had hypomanic symptoms. [More]

The average age of women giving birth is on the rise. Most countries participating in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) experienced a two to four-year increase in the mean age of women giving birth. At the same time, adolescent fertility rates remain high in low and middle-income countries. A new study published in the Journal of Psychiatry Investigation examined the impact of age at childbirth on the maternal mental health of premenopausal women in Korea. [More]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children is 1 in 59 and boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. Research has shown that early intervention can help improve communication skills and the most well known autism therapy is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). A new study looked at a type of ABA which is showing great promise in helping children with autism. [More]