A study of 4254 Canadian schoolchildren has shown a direct association between BMI and satisfaction with their body shape. The research, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, shows a linear response for girls, who were happiest when thinnest, and a U-shaped response for boys, who were unhappy when they were too skinny or too fat. [continue reading…]
Adolescent Health
Parents of teenagers are doing a good job, and poor parenting is not the reason for the increase in problem behaviour amongst teenagers, a new briefing paper published today by the Nuffield Foundation reveals.Â
 Research undertaken by a team led by Professor Frances Gardner from the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Oxford found no evidence of a general decline in parenting.Â
The findings show that differences in parenting according to family structure and income have narrowed over the last 25 years. However, the task of parenting is changing and could be getting increasingly stressful, particularly for some groups. [continue reading…]
Teenagers whose mothers have mental health impairments are likely to suffer behavioural problems, UQ research has found.
Using data from the Mater-University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), recent PhD graduate Belinda Lloyd studied maternal mental health and its impact on children.
The MUSP is a longitudinal study of more than 7000 mothers and their children born at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital between 1981-83.
“Children whose mothers experienced mental health problems as their children grew older (during adolescence) had substantially elevated rates of the behavioural and mental health problems measured in the study,” Dr Lloyd said.
“Also, children whose mothers experienced recurrent mental health problems were significantly more likely to display behavioural and mental health problems.
Around one in five young people in the U.S. have a current mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder. About half of all adults with mental disorders recalled that their disorders began by their mid-teens and three-quarters by their mid-20s. Early onset of mental health problems have been associated with poor outcomes such as failure to complete high school, increased risk for psychiatric and substance problems, and teen pregnancy. A new article by Mary E. Evans, RN, PhD, FAAN, published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing assesses the recently released government report on preventing these disorders among young people. Dr. Evans’ paper concludes that using certain interventional programs in schools, communities and health care settings, risk for mental illness can be better identified and treated.
