Almost 15 percent of preschoolers have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety, according to a new study published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The five-year investigation also found that children with atypically high depression and anxiety levels are more likely to have mothers with a history of depression.
The study was conducted in Canada by an international team of researchers from the Université de Montréal, the Université Laval and McGill University, as well as Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) in France, Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. and University College Dublin in Ireland. [continue reading…]
Childrens Health
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.
For most parents, soothing a child’s anxiety is just part of the job. But for a parent whose child has obsessive-compulsive disorder, soothing anxiety and helping with behaviors linked to the disease could lead to more severe symptoms, University of Florida researchers say. [continue reading…]
How well I remember with my own children their reluctance to use school toilets! Now a new Swedish study(Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg) has found that disgusting toilets and feeling uncomfortable when using them make children hesitant to go during the school day, and teachers’ rules also matter. Almost 400 children at eight primary and lower secondary schools in Gothenburg, Sweden, responded to a survey on how they feel about their school toilets and on their toilet habits during school hours. Although this was a local study, the geographical spread of reports on the standards and cleanliness of school toilets hints that they may be a concern to children around the world. Many children reported that there may be urine and faeces splattered on the toilet ring and that the floor is often wet and soiled. As if that was not enough, toilet paper, soap and paper towels are often missing. [continue reading…]
