Every child experiences anxiety, and usually a caring parent can help make it pass. But in 5 to 10 percent of cases, the problem goes deeper — panic attacks, obsessive behavior, depression — and the child can benefit from professional help. Link to read more
New York Times
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Published: July 20, 2008
Moving house or the separation of parents can significantly increase the risk of children developing allergies later on. These are the results from a long-term study correlating life-style, immune system development and allergies, led by the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig (UFZ), the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the “Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung” (IUF) in Duesseldorf. The researchers had examined blood samples taken from 234 six-year old children and discovered increased blood concentrations of the stress-related peptide VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide) in connection with moving house or the separation of parents. The neuropeptide VIP could take on a mediator role between stress events in life and the regulation of immune responses, researchers write in the scientific journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. The fact that stress events can have an influence on the development of allergies has been known for a while. The mechanisms behind this however remained unexplained for a long time. In the study that has now been published, stress events were investigated for the first time during early childhood within a large epidemiological study using immune and stress markers. [continue reading…]
A group of Swiss investigators reports on a randomized controlled trial comparing psychotherapeutic strategies involving the mothers of obese children in the fourth 2008 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Parent-child treatments have been shown to be superior to child-focused treatments of childhood obesity. Yet until now, the comparative effectiveness of parent-only and parent-child approaches has been little studied. Fifty-six obese children and their families were randomly assigned to a 16-session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the parents only or for a combined treatment of parents and children. Children’s percent overweight, the body mass index of their mothers, and behavioral and psychological problems of children and mothers were assessed. [continue reading…]
This article discusses personality traits and patterns in children. Whether you have your own children, look after nieces and nephews, or find yourself a good example of a highly active ‘inner child’; this content is certainly worth reflecting upon.
Source: Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors
