Study finds links between early screen exposure, sleep disruption and EBD in kids

November 13, 2019

SingHealth

A new study has found that first exposure earlier than 18 months of age to screen devices -- such as smartphones, tablets, videogame consoles, television etc -- and the presence of multiple screen devices in the bedroom are associated with elevated sleep disruption and emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) in preschool children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs)

Digital media have become an integral part of lifestyles in recent years, and the ubiquity of digital devices coupled with poor screen use habits can have a detrimental effect on the developmental and psychosocial well-being of children.

A new study by KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), together with National University of Singapore, has found that first exposure earlier than 18 months of age to screen devices -- such as smartphones, tablets, videogame consoles, television etc -- and the presence of multiple screen devices in the bedroom are associated with elevated sleep disruption and emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) in preschool children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

"Although this study was conducted in children with NDDs, the results from this study are applicable to the general population, and aligned with existing evidence from studies that have been done on typically developing children," said Dr Mae Wong, Senior Consultant, Department of Child Development, KKH, who led the study.

Conducted from 2015 to 2017, the study looked at 367 preschool children in Singapore aged two to five years old with NDDs such as autism, language delay, global developmental delay, and learning disorders. Using caregiver-reported information, the researchers explored the relationships between the children's screen use and sleep habits, and emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD).

The study has been published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.

Key study findings are outlined below, with further details in Annex A:

- Age of screen exposure -- More than half (52%) were exposed to screens / commenced screen usage at the age of 18 months or earlier.

- Screen devices in the bedroom -- More than half (57.7%) had at least one screen device in their bedrooms.

- Screen time -- Majority (93.9%) of the children exceeded the 1 hour limit of daily average screen time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

- Sleep problems -- A majority (72.3%) of children had parent-reported elevated sleep problems.

- Emotional / behavioural difficulties -- Nearly 60% (59.9%) of children had parentreported clinically elevated emotional/behavioural difficulties.

- Parental/Caregiver screen use -- Increased screen use in preschool children was associated with parents who have higher screen use themselves, and who are less likely to have house rules about screen use.

To ascertain that the sleep problems and EBDs reported did not arise from the children's ownNDDs, but were fully mediated by screen use, statistical analysis was used to control for levels of functional impairment. "Despite controlling for this, there was still a clear association between first screen exposure earlier than 18 months of age and the presence of one or more screen devices in the bedroom, with sleep problems, poorer sleep quality and more EBDs. Furthermore, children who experienced both lifestyle factors had more sleep and EBD problems than those who experienced only one lifestyle factor," said Dr Wong. Compared with typically developing children, children with NDDs are at overall higher risk for sleep problems, EBDs and poorer developmental outcomes.

"As this group of children also have more difficulties disengaging from screen use -- possibly due to the attractive and repetitive nature of the screen content -- increased screen use may possibly further exacerbate these problems," adds Dr Wong.

HOME AND FAMILY LIFESTYLE FACTORS

Earlier introduction to screen use may be related to:

- The home environment -- where shared living or study spaces where media is consumed may also function as the infant or child's sleeping area; and household lifestyle behaviours -- such as the practice of co-sleeping with family members.

- Reliance on screen devices as tools for infant or child engagement, calming or management -- while there are intermittent times (e.g., medical procedures, airplane flights) when screen devices may be useful as a soothing strategy, the continued use of screen devices to calm children may over time displace the development of the child's internal self-regulation mechanisms, perpetuating difficulties with emotional/ behavioural self-regulation and increasing reliance on screen use.

-The study found that increased screen use in preschool children was associated with parents who have higher screen use themselves, and who are less likely to have house rules about screen use.

- While there can be educational benefits from selected, age-appropriate high-quality screen use on child development and skills learning, studies have reported associations between early and sustained increased screen use, poorer language and cognitive development, and EBDs in typically developing children worldwide.

- Increased screen use over time may also further interfere with the child's sleep quality and development in a negative trajectory.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS

-Be alert to possible or detrimental health associations between poor screen use habits, sleep quality and EBDs in young children

- Make modifications to the home environment and family lifestyle to encourage regulated, interactive screen use with caregiver involvement for learning and play.

- Delay the child's first exposure to screen devices to later than 18 months of age

- Adhere to established guidelines on healthy screen use (Annex A) to mitigate the negative effects on children's sleep quality, and emotional and behavioural function and development.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191113092608.htm

Trauma and kids: The role of the early childhood teacher

November 12, 2019

Science Daily/University of South Australia

New research has explored the growing uncertainty faced by children aged 0-8 years in disaster zones, such as bushfires, finding that early childhood teachers hold a vital role in supporting children dealing with trauma.

As catastrophic bushfires continue to rage across New South Wales and Queensland, thousands of people are reeling from the devastation. It's a shocking start to Australia's fire season, but beyond the physical damage, the emotional scars persist, especially for Australia's youngest citizens.

Now, in new research from the University of South Australia, researchers have explored the growing uncertainty faced by children aged 0-8 years in disaster zones, finding that early childhood teachers hold a vital role in supporting children dealing with trauma.

Globally, nearly 535 million children -- nearly one in four -- live in countries that affected by conflict or disaster, with hundreds more displaced as they seek safe refuge overseas. Today, many families and children are integrated into Australian schools, bringing with them many experiences of personal trauma.

Lead researcher, Professor Marjory Ebbeck, says we must not underestimate the role that an early childhood teacher plays in securing the emotional development of a child.

"Teachers hold a unique place for a young child. Outside their family, they're one of the most trusted and familiar faces who, in their role as a teacher, provide a welcoming and secure environment for the child to learn and develop," Prof Ebbeck says.

"When young children are confronted by trauma -- whether through natural disasters such as Australia's bushfires, or humanmade disasters such as conflicts in the Middle East ¬¬- they carry all their worries, confusion and emotions with them, and that's where teachers need to be prepared.

"Unfortunately, despite the push from international agencies to include the needs of children in disaster preparation and risk reduction strategies, few have filtered down into education programs, which means there are still large gaps in the system."

Right now, many early childhood teachers will be caring for young children who have lost their homes and precious possessions due to the fires across NSW and Queensland. No doubt, these teachers are doing everything they can to support their students, but as Prof Ebbeck says, they may not have the the right training to be successful.

In lieu of a child-specific national disaster strategy, Prof Ebbeck says there are many things teachers in childcare, preschool or early primary school can do to prepare.

"Helping a child through an emergency or trauma requires a holistic approach that not only encompasses socio-emotional development but also practical strategies, both pre, during and post emergency," Prof Ebbeck says.

"Educating children about emergencies is essential and teachers should involve their class in practice sessions so that in the event of a real emergency, children will know what to do. It's important for children to have confidence in their teachers' ability to keep them safe.

"Part of this is about being aware of what's happening in the world -- teachers can use current events to educate children in their environmental studies classes.

"Safety of children and teachers is always paramount. It's critical that teachers know their school's emergency plan, evacuation procedures, and understand how they should respond in specific events, such as bushfires.

"Of course, communication is vital. Keeping parents informed about what their children are learning is important, especially in the case of a real emergency. It also helps create a circle of trust between parents, children and teachers."

Today, with more than 600 schools and colleges closing their doors today due to bushfires in NSW and Queensland, Prof Ebbeck says teachers should be prepared to support children who may have suffered.

"There are several strategies teachers can use to help children reintegrate into the school environment," Prof Ebbeck says.

"We recommend:

·      Checking in with the child's parents -- make sure they have enough of the essentials -- food, clothing, and somewhere to stay.

·      Making sure your classroom is safe, both physically and emotionally -- familiar and welcoming surroundings create a sense of security and belonging for children.

·      Listening to children -- don't avoid difficult questions. Children are curious and need to work through their worries and concerns.

·      Delivering consistent and predictable routines -- children love routines. Having a safe, predictable environment creates stability and security.

·      Checking in on friendships -- make sure the child is still engaging with their peers and friendships helps them build confidence, and well-being.

·      Providing opportunities for expression -- dramatic play and artwork enable children to freely express and explore their feelings.

·      Maintaining trust- building secure relationships are essential. A trusting, caring environment provides the best basis to build self-esteem and resilience.

"There's no doubt the role of the teacher is complex, especially when their students and community are confronted by trauma or disaster.

"And, while we cannot prevent disasters from happening, understanding more about what teachers can do to prepare for and respond to an emergency situation, can certainly help."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191112110229.htm

Associations between childhood maltreatment and offending behaviors later in life

November 11, 2019

Science Daily/BMC (BioMed Central)

Children who experience maltreatment, such as neglect or physical or sexual abuse, are more likely to engage in delinquent and offending behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

Corresponding author Hannah Lantos, a youth development expert at Child Trends, a non-profit research organization in Bethesda, Maryland, USA said: "Maltreatment and experiences of violence have been shown to impact children's wellbeing long into the future, and there is a risk of a link between experiences of maltreatment and engagement in delinquent behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Our research suggests that many young people involved in the juvenile justice system are struggling with the effects of trauma and earlier maltreatment, and that we should provide support for youth who have experienced maltreatment to engage in more pro-social behaviors."

'Delinquent behavior' refers to behaviors in young people under the age of 18 that would constitute criminal offenses if committed by adults, such as damaging another person's property or stealing, shooting or stabbing someone, using a threatening weapon to get something from someone or being in a fight.

To examine if and how the relationship between these behaviors and childhood maltreatment varied by sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, the authors used data on 10,613 participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Add Health includes a nationally representative sample of US adolescents who were in grades 7-12 in the 1994-95 school year who have been followed for the two and a half decades since then.

Dr. Lantos' co-author Andra Wilkinson, a youth health expert at Child Trends and the principal investigator on the project, said: "Most of the previous research in this space used child welfare or juvenile justice data, involvement in both systems is patterned by race/ethnicity. By using a large, nationally representative sample, we are getting a more objective look at the association, among a more diverse sample, over a longer developmental period of time."

The authors found that over three-fourths of the included participants (77%) reported experiencing at least one type of maltreatment in childhood. Nearly one-third of all included participants (32.5%) reported committing nonviolent offenses and 30% had committed violent offenses during adolescence.

Compared to those who did not report experiencing maltreatment, adolescents who experienced maltreatment were more likely to engage in violent behaviors and showed a faster increase in the amount of non-violent offending during early adolescence. Non-violent offending peaked in the later teenage years for all teenagers but the increase was steeper and the peak higher when the frequency of maltreatment was higher.

Among children who experienced maltreatment, males showed a significantly higher frequency of non-violent offending behaviors than females. The authors found no differences in association between maltreatment and violent or nonviolent offending behaviors by either race/ethnicity or sexual orientation.

The authors noted: "This lack of difference indicates that there is not one particular race or sexual orientation for whom maltreatment is associated with more subsequent offending, violent or nonviolent, a finding that contradicts previous research that found a linkage by race. That the association is stronger for males also challenges the notion that boys are inherently more prone to risk behaviors. This may suggest that boys are more prone to externalize following experiences of maltreatment and that appropriate supports could decrease the risk of negative behaviors."

The authors caution that, because the respondents included in this study are now in their late 30s and early 40s, their experiences of maltreatment happened some time ago. Relationships between maltreatment and offending behaviors may differ in young people who experience maltreatment today. Exploring links between specific types and frequencies of maltreatment and subsequent offending, which was not done in this study, may be an important next step in understanding whether certain types of maltreatment have a stronger relationship with certain types of offending.

Hannah Lantos said: "Our findings reinforce the need to reexamine areas where inequalities in the trajectory from maltreatment to juvenile delinquency and offending persist. Adding to our knowledge of the relationship between maltreatment and offending behaviors may help identify opportunities to support young people and may inform improvements in juvenile and adult justice systems."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191111204732.htm

Late talkers twice as likely to have severe, frequent temper tantrums

Important to intervene early in toddlers' development to mitigate later mental health, language disorder risk

November 11, 2019

Science Daily/Northwestern University

Toddler speech delays and temper tantrums have long been assumed to go hand in hand, but no large-scale research had successfully backed up that assumption with data.

Until now.

A new, 2,000-participant study from Northwestern University found that toddlers with fewer spoken words have more frequent and severe temper tantrums than their peers with typical language skills.

It is the first study to link toddlers' delayed vocabulary with severe temper tantrums, including children as young as 12 months old, which is much younger than many clinicians typically believe problematic behavior can be identified.

"We totally expect toddlers to have temper tantrums if they're tired or frustrated, and most parents know a tantrum when they see it," said co-principal investigator Elizabeth Norton, an assistant professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern. "But not many parents know that certain kinds of frequent or severe tantrums can indicate risk for later mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression ADHD and behavior problems."

Similarly, both irritability and language delays are risk factors for later language and learning disorders, Norton said. About 40% of delayed talkers will go on to have persistent language problems that can affect their academic performance, Norton said. This is why assessing both language and mental health risk in tandem may accelerate earlier identification and intervention for early childhood disorders because children with this "double whammy" are likely to be higher risk.

The study was published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

"We knew from many other studies in older children that language problems and mental health problems occur together more frequently than would be expected, but we didn't know how early this relationship began," said Norton, also the director of the Language, Education and Reading Neuroscience (LEARN) Lab and a leader in the Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (DevSci) at Northwestern.

The study surveyed more than 2,000 nationally representative parents who had a toddler between the ages of 12 and 38 months. Parents answered questions about their children's number of spoken words and their tantrum behaviors, such as how often their child has a tantrum when they are tired versus when they are having fun.

In the study, a toddler is considered to be a "late talker" if they have fewer than 50 words or aren't putting words together by age 2. Late talkers are predisposed to have severe and/or frequent temper tantrums at nearly double the rate of their peers with typical language skills, the study found. The scientists categorize tantrums as "severe" if the toddler is regularly doing things like holding their breath, hitting or kicking during a tantrum. Toddlers who have these kinds of tantrums on a daily basis or more may need help promoting their self-control skills.

"All these behaviors must be understood within developmental context," said co-principal investigator Lauren Wakschlag, professor and vice chair in the department of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the DevSci director.

"Parents should not overreact just because the child next door has more words or because their child had a day from 'The Wild Things' with many out-of-control tantrums," Wakschlag said. "The key reliable indicators of concern in both these domains is a persistent pattern of problems and/or delays. When these go hand in hand, they exacerbate each other and increase risk, partly because these problems interfere with healthy interactions with those around them."

The survey is the first phase of a bigger ongoing research project at Northwestern University called "When to Worry," which is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The next phase, currently in progress, includes a follow-up study of approximately 500 toddlers in Chicagoland who are typically developing and also those who are exhibiting irritable behavior and/or speech delays. The study will examine brain and behavioral development to pinpoint those indicators that will help distinguish transient delays from the onset of problems.

Parents and their toddlers will meet with the Northwestern scientists annually until children are 4.5 years old. It is unusual for these different disciplines (e.g. speech pathology and mental health) to come together like this to focus on the "whole child," Wakschlag said.

"Our DevSci Institute is specifically designed to push academics out of their traditional silos so that they can work most effectively to solve real-world problems using all the tools at hand," Wakschlag said.

"We want to take all the pieces of information we get about development and put them together to form a toolkit that pediatricians or even parents can use to understand when to worry about a given child, and know what is developmentally expected versus not, so that children can get intervention early, when it is most effective," Norton said. Brittany Manning, a Ph.D. student in Norton's lab, is the paper's first author. The study question came in part from Manning's work as a speech-language pathologist.

"I've had many conversations with parents and clinicians about concerning temper tantrums and late talking, but there was no research data on the topic I could point them to," Manning said.

Parents who have a toddler between the ages of 21 and 29 months old who is exhibiting speech delays may be eligible to be part of the When to Worry study. Read more information at the When to Worry study website.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191111133322.htm

Brains of girls and boys are similar, producing equal math ability

November 8, 2019

Science Daily/Carnegie Mellon University

New research comprehensively examined the brain development of young boys and girls. Their research shows no gender difference in brain function or math ability.

In 1992, Teen Talk Barbie was released with the controversial voice fragment, "Math class is hard." While the toy's release met with public backlash, this underlying assumption persists, propagating the myth that women do not thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) fields due to biological deficiencies in math aptitude.

Jessica Cantlon at Carnegie Mellon University led a research team that comprehensively examined the brain development of young boys and girls. Their research shows no gender difference in brain function or math ability. The results of this research are available online in the November 8 issue of the journal Science of Learning.

"Science doesn't align with folk beliefs," said Cantlon, the Ronald J. and Mary Ann Zdrojkowski Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and senior author on the paper. "We see that children's brains function similarly regardless of their gender so hopefully we can recalibrate expectations of what children can achieve in mathematics."

Cantlon and her team conducted the first neuroimaging study to evaluate biological gender differences in math aptitude of young children.

Her team used functional MRI to measure the brain activity in 104 young children (3- to 10-years-old; 55 girls) while watching an educational video covering early math topics, like counting and addition. The researchers compared scans from the boys and girls to evaluate brain similarity. In addition, the team examined brain maturity by comparing the children's scans to those taken from a group of adults (63 adults; 25 women) who watched the same math videos.

After numerous statistical comparisons, Cantlon and her team found no difference in the brain development of girls and boys. In addition, the researchers found no difference in how boys and girls processed math skills and were equally engaged while watching the educational videos. Finally, boys' and girls' brain maturity were statistically equivalent when compared to either men or women in the adult group.

"It's not just that boys and girls are using the math network in the same ways but that similarities were evident across the entire brain," said Alyssa Kersey, postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Psychology, University of Chicago and first author on the paper. "This is an important reminder that humans are more similar to each other than we are different."

The researchers also compared the results of the Test of Early Mathematics Ability, a standardized test for 3- to 8-year-old children, from 97 participants (50 girls) to gauge the rate of math development. They found that math ability was equivalent among the children and did not show a difference in gender or with age. Nor did the team find a gender difference between math ability and brain maturity.

This study builds on the team's previous work that found equivalent behavioral performance on a range of mathematics tests between young boys and girls.

Cantlon said she thinks society and culture likely are steering girls and young women away from math and STEM fields. Previous studies show that families spend more time with young boys in play that involves spatial cognition. Many teachers also preferentially spend more time with boys during math class, predicting later math achievement. Finally, children often pick up on cues from their parent's expectations for math abilities.

"Typical socialization can exacerbate small differences between boys and girls that can snowball into how we treat them in science and math," Cantlon said. "We need to be cognizant of these origins to ensure we aren't the ones causing the gender inequities."

This project is focused on early childhood development using a limited set of math tasks. Cantlon wants to continue this work using a broader array of math skills, such as spatial processing and memory, and follow the children over many years.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191108074852.htm

School-based sleep program may benefit adolescents

November 6, 2019

Science Daily/Wiley

A recent study uncovered potential long-term benefits of a school-based sleep education program for adolescents.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Sleep Research, included 3,622 adolescents, 286 in the intervention group and 3336 in the control group. Data were collected before the intervention and at a one-year follow-up.

The intervention consisted of five sessions, 50-60 minutes, once per week for six to seven weeks and was scheduled as part of students' school curriculum. Investigators divided participants into three groups according to baseline sleep duration: insufficient (less than seven hours), borderline (seven to eight hours) and adequate (more than eight hours). Adolescents in the intervention group were approximately two times less likely to report insufficient sleep at follow-up compared with controls. Sleep knowledge improved significantly in the intervention group but there were no changes in emotional sleep hygiene (such as bedtime worry) and perceived stress. Surprisingly, technology use increased and behavioral sleep hygiene worsened (for example, performing activities in bed that keep you awake) in the intervention group.

"These results are promising and mean that we might be able to prevent the development of sleep problems in youths," said lead author Serena V. Bauducco, PhD, of Örebro University, in Sweden. "More work needs to be done, however: we need to replicate these results and to understand what works. Therefore, we encourage future sleep intervention studies to investigate long-term outcomes -- after one year or even longer -- and to look for mechanisms of change."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191106085433.htm

Only half of US children get enough sleep during the week

October 25, 2019

Science Daily/American Academy of Pediatrics

Only 48% of school age children in the United States get 9 hours of sleep most weeknights, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans. Those who do, the study suggests, are significantly more likely to show a positive outlook toward school and other signs of "childhood flourishing," a measure of behavioral and social well-being.

An abstract of the study, "Sounding the Alarm on the Importance of Sleep: The Positive Impact of Sufficient Sleep on Childhood Flourishing," will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

"Chronic sleep loss is a serious public health problem among children," said abstract author Hoi See Tsao, MD, FAAP. "Insufficient sleep among adolescent, for example, is associated with physical and mental health consequences including increased risk of depression and obesity and negative effects on mood, attention and academic performance."

"As healthcare providers, we want every child to reach his or her full potential, Dr. Tsao said. "Our research shows that children who get enough sleep are more likely to demonstrate measures of childhood flourishing in comparison to children with insufficient sleep."

Researchers analyzed responses from parents and caregivers of 49,050 children ranging in age from 6-17 years old in the combined 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health. They answered questions on how many hours of sleep a randomly selected child in their household slept on an average weeknight. For the study, sufficient sleep was defined as sleeping greater than or equal to 9 hours on an average weeknight.

For individual flourishing markers, the caregiver was asked if the child showed interest and curiosity in learning new things; cared about doing well in school; did required homework; worked to finish tasks started and stayed calm and in control when faced with a challenge. Prior research suggests that the more flourishing markers children have, the more likely they are to have healthy behaviors and fewer risky behaviors. A combined flourishing measure was created to identify children for whom caregivers felt met all five individual flourishing markers.

The researchers found that sufficient sleep, reported in 47.6% of the 6 to 17-year-old children, was positively associated with several individual flourishing markers, as well as the combined childhood flourishing measure. Compared with children who did not get 9 hours of sleep most weeknights, those who did had 44% increased odds of showing interest and curiosity in learning new things, 33% increased odds of doing all required homework; 28% increased odds of caring about doing well in school; 14% increased odds of working to finish tasks started, and 12% increased odds of demonstrating the combined flourishing measure.

The analysis adjusted for age, federal poverty level, time spent in front of a television, time spent with computers, cell phones, video games and other electronic devices, adverse childhood experiences (including abuse, neglect and other potentially traumatic experiences) and mental health conditions.

The researchers also identified risk factors associated with insufficient sleep, which included lower levels of parental or caregiver education, children living in families at lower federal poverty levels, increased duration of digital media usage, increased number of adverse childhood experiences and the presence of mental health conditions.

Dr. Tsao said the study reinforces the importance of increasing efforts to help children get the recommended amount of sleep for their age. She said efforts should especially focus on digital media usage, bedtime routines, the length of the school day and school start times.

"Interventions like these may help children demonstrate more measures of childhood flourishing, enhance their development and give them brighter futures," she said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191025075604.htm

Young moms more likely to have kids with ADHD

Genetic links confirmed

October 24, 2019

Science Daily/University of South Australia

Young mothers have a greater chance of having a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to new research from the University of South Australia.

Published in Nature's Scientific Reports, the research explored the genetic relationship between female reproductive traits and key psychiatric disorders, finding that the genetic risk of ADHD in children was strongly associated with early maternal age at first birth, particular for women younger than 20.

In Australia, ADHD affects one in 20 people. ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder which impacts a person's ability to exert age-appropriate self-control. Characterised by persistent patterns of inattentive, impulsive, and sometimes hyperactive behaviour, individuals find it hard to focus, concentrate, and regulate their emotions.

Using genetic data of 220,685 women via the UK Biobank, the study examined genetic correlations between five female reproductive traits (age at first birth, age at first sexual intercourse, age at first occurrence of menstruation, age at menopause, and number of live births) and six common psychiatric disorders (ADHD, autism, eating disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia).

UniSA researcher, Associate Professor Hong Lee says the findings could help improve reproductive health in women and deliver better outcomes for their children.

"Young mums can have it tough, especially as they're adjusting to becoming a parent while they're still young themselves," Assoc Prof Lee says.

"By understanding the links between becoming a mother at a young age and having a child with ADHD, we're able to better educate and support families sooner.

"The approach is twofold. Firstly, we're able to inform young women about the high genetic risk of having a child with ADHD if they give birth at a young age. This may caution and prevent them from giving birth at an immature age, which not only improves their reproductive health but also the maternal environment for their baby.

"Secondly, we're able to educate young mothers about the features of ADHD, such as impulsivity and inattentive behaviours, which may help mothers better recognise the condition in their child and seek treatment sooner than later.

"ADHD is treatable, but early diagnosis and interventions are key to a successful outcome."

Assoc Prof Lee says while the findings are significant, there are some latent complexities.

"It's important to understand that while there is a clear genetic link between ADHD and young mothers, this is not necessarily a causal relationship.

"ADHD is a highly heritable disorder which means that a young mother may also have the genes affecting ADHD risk which is then inherited by her child.

"Knowing a woman has a genetic predisposition for ADHD can be recorded in her family medical history then used to monitor her health and the health of her offspring. In this way, we're able to ensure both mother and baby receive the support and help they need."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024115020.htm

Schools have critical role to play in supporting adolescents fleeing armed conflict

October 24, 2019

Science Daily/Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Education is known to be highly important for migrant children, yet relatively little is known about the diversity of associated school-based programs and their likely value in supporting the mental health of children. A scoping review was conducted of 20 school-based programs aimed at improving the mental health of adolescent forced migrants in high-income countries. Findings showed school-based interventions have great potential for preventing adverse mental health outcomes among children affected by conflict and displacement.

Communities in high income countries around the world continue to receive record-setting numbers of newcomers fleeing armed conflict. Although education is known to be highly important for refugee and migrant children, relatively little is known about the diversity of associated school-based programs and their likely value in supporting the mental health and psychosocial well-being of the children living in high income countries. A scoping review co-authored by Michael Wessells, PhD, Mailman School professor in Population and Family Health's Program on Forced Migration and Health, reviewed 20 school-based programs aimed at improving the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of adolescent forced migrants in high-income countries from 2000 to 2019. Wessells and colleagues found school-based interventions have great potential for preventing adverse mental health outcomes among girls and boys affected by armed conflict and displacement.

The findings are published online in Social Science & Medicine.

 "Our review showed that despite recurring challenges, many girls and boys manage to adjust to their new lives," noted Wessells. "Up to now, there was little discussion in the literature on how school-based programs for refugees and immigrants actually achieve holistic support for refugee and migrant children and how they enable educators, children, and families to navigate the social and cultural complexities associated with children's and families' movement to high income countries."

The review was conducted to provide a more comprehensive picture of current school-based approaches to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescent forced migrants.

Among the findings:

·      Four programs (20%) offered educational and career supports, including mentoring and tutoring.

·      Nine programs (45%) used group activities to build social skills and support.

·      Seven programs (35%) reportedly included specialized therapy.

·      Although the reviewed programs focused centrally on serving students, 40% also engaged parents in program activities.

"These programs showcase the abilities of schools to identify and monitor student needs, provide or connect with holistic supports for refugee and migrant adolescents, and contribute to continuity of care," said Wessells, who noted that partnerships were central to most elements of the programs reviewed.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024115024.htm

Babies understand counting years earlier than believed

October 24, 2019

Science Daily/Johns Hopkins University

Babies who are years away from being able to say "one," "two," and "three" actually already have a sense of what counting means, Johns Hopkins University researchers have discovered.

The findings reveal that very early on, years earlier than previously believed, babies who hear counting realize that it's about quantity.

"Although they are years away from understanding the exact meanings of number words, babies are already in the business of recognizing that counting is about number," said senior author Lisa Feigenson, a cognitive scientist at Johns Hopkins who specializes in the development of numeric ability in children. "Research like ours shows that babies actually have a pretty sophisticated understanding of the world -- they're already trying to make sense of what adults around them are saying, and that includes this domain of counting and numbers."

The findings are newly published in Developmental Science.

Most children don't understand the full meaning of number words until they're about four years old. That's surprising, Feigenson said, considering how much counting young children are exposed to.

"We buy counting books for babies and we count aloud with toddlers. All of that raises the question: Are kids really clueless about what counting means until they're in the preschool years?"

To find out, Feigenson and first author Jenny Wang, a former graduate student at Johns Hopkins who is slated to become an assistant professor at Rutgers University, worked with 14 and 18-month-old infants. The babies watched as toys, little dogs or cars, were hidden in a box that they couldn't see inside of, but could reach into.

Sometimes the researchers counted each toy aloud as they dropped them into the box, saying, "Look! One, two, three, four -- four dogs!" Other times the researchers simply dropped each toy into the box, saying, "This, this, this and this -- these dogs."

Without counting, the babies had a hard time remembering that the box held four things. They tended to become distracted after the researchers pulled just one out -- as if there was nothing else to see. But when the toys were counted, the babies clearly expected more than one to be pulled from the box. They didn't remember the exact but they did remember the approximate number.

"When we counted the toys for the babies before we hid them, the babies were much better at remembering how many toys there were," Wang said. "As a researcher these results were really surprising. And our results are the first to show that very young infants have a sense that when other people are counting it is tied to the rough dimension of quantity in the world."

The team is now conducting several follow-up studies, trying to determine if early counting practice leads to later number skills land if English-speaking babies react to counting in a foreign language.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024075018.htm

Overall time on social media is not related to teen anxiety and depression

Eight-year study shows screen time isn't the problem

October 22, 2019

Science Daily/Brigham Young University

The amount of time teenagers spend on social networking sites has risen 62.5 percent since 2012 and continues to grow. Just last year, the average time teenagers spent on social media was estimated as 2.6 hours per day. Critics have claimed that more screen time is increasing depression and anxiety in teenagers.

However, new research led by Sarah Coyne, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University, found that the amount of time spent on social media is not directly increasing anxiety or depression in teenagers.

"We spent eight years trying to really understand the relationship between time spent on social media and depression for developing teenagers," Coyne said about her study published in Computers in Human Behavior. "If they increased their social media time, would it make them more depressed? Also, if they decreased their social media time, were they less depressed? The answer is no. We found that time spent on social media was not what was impacting anxiety or depression."

Mental health is a multi-process syndrome where no one stressor is likely the cause of depression or anxiety. This study shows that it is not merely the amount of time spent on social media that's leading to an increase in depression or anxiety among adolescents.

"It's not just the amount of time that is important for most kids. For example, two teenagers could use social media for exactly the same amount of time but may have vastly different outcomes as a result of the way they are using it," Coyne said.

The goal of this study is to help society as a whole move beyond the screen time debate and instead to examine the context and content surrounding social media use.

Coyne has three suggestions to use social media in healthier ways.

Be an active user instead of a passive user. Instead of just scrolling, actively comment, post and like other content.

Limit social media use at least an hour before falling asleep. Getting enough sleep is one of the most protective factors for mental health.

Be intentional. Look at your motivations for engaging with social media in the first place.

"If you get on specifically to seek out information or to connect with others, that can have a more positive effect than getting on just because you're bored," Coyne said.

In an effort to understand teenagers' mental health and their social media use, researchers worked with 500 youth between the ages of 13 and 20 who completed once-yearly questionnaires over an eight-year span. Social media use was measured by asking participants how much time they spent on social networking sites on a typical day. To measure depression and anxiety, participants responded to questions with different scales to indicate depressive symptoms and anxiety levels. These results were then analyzed on an individual level to see if there was a strong correlation between the two variables.

At age 13, adolescents reported an average social networking use of 31-60 minutes per day. These average levels increased steadily so that by young adulthood, they were reporting upwards of two hours per day. This increase of social networking, though, did not predict future mental health. That is, adolescents' increases in social networking beyond their typical levels did not predict changes in anxiety or depression one year later.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191022174406.htm

Factors that predict obesity by adolescence revealed

October 16, 2019

Science Daily/Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

Three simple factors that predict whether a healthy weight child will be overweight or obese by adolescence have been revealed in a new study led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI).

The research shows three factors -- a child's and mother's Body Mass Index (BMI) and the mother's education level -- predict the onset or resolution of weight problems by adolescence, especially from age 6-7 years onwards.

Each one-unit higher BMI when the child is aged 6-7 years increased the odds at 14-15 years of developing weight problems by three-fold and halved the odds of resolution.

Similarly, every one-unit increase in the mother's BMI when the child is aged 6-7 years increased the odds at 14-15 years of developing weight problems by 5 per cent and decreased the odds of resolution by about 10 per cent.

Mothers having a university degree was associated with lower odds of a child being overweight and obese at ages 2-5 years and higher odds of resolving obesity issues by adolescence.

Study author MCRI's Dr Kate Lycett said the prevalence of being overweight/obese at the age of 14-15 years was 13 per cent among children with none of these three risk factors at age 6-7 years, compared with 71 per cent among those with all risk factors.

Dr Lycett said identifying these three factors may help clinicians predict which children will develop and resolve excess weight with about 70 per cent accuracy.

"In the case of BMI, it is an objective measure that is easily measured and reflects diet and exercise choices, but is free from the challenges of assessing physical activity and diet in a standard clinical appointment such as recall bias," she said.

The findings, published in the latest edition of the International Journal of Obesity, also found children who are overweight or obese at 2-5 years have a low chance of resolving their weight problems by adolescence when these three risk factors are present.

Data was sourced from 3469 participants at birth and 3276 participants at kinder from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The child's height and weight were measured every two years.

Dr Lycett said until now most studies have overlooked the important questions around which children are likely to become overweight/obese and how it be resolved.

"Because clinicians haven't been able to tell which children will grow up to become teens with excess weight, it's been hard to target interventions for those most at risk," she said.

"The consequences of this are dire, with childhood obesity predicting premature death and being implicated in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer."

The study examined how combinations of 25 potential short clinical markers such as time breastfeeding and amount of outdoor activity at various ages predict weight issues, as well as resolution, by ages 10-11 and 14-15 years.

Intriguingly, short questions about poor diet, low physical activity and other common lifestyle factors were not predictive of weight outcomes.

Lead author Professor Markus Juonala, from the University of Turku in Finland, said a simple risk score, which would be easily available to child health clinicians, could help target treatment or prevention.

"Combining data on these three easily obtainable risk factors may help clinicians make appropriate decisions targeting care to those most at risk of adolescent obesity," he said.

"The benefits of removing a focus on those unlikely to need clinical interventions for obesity has largely been ignored, despite an increasing policy emphasis on avoiding wasteful or unnecessary health care."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191016094911.htm

Early reading in Spanish helps children learn to read English

October 15, 2019

Science Daily/University of Delaware

A new study has found that children who had strong early reading skills in their native Spanish language when they entered kindergarten experienced greater growth in their ability to read English from kindergarten through fourth grade.

Importantly, when the researchers factored in how well the students spoke English, it turned out that native language reading skills mattered more -- even at kindergarten entry -- to the students' growth across time. Plainly stated: children who had stronger Spanish reading skills upon entering kindergarten did better across time, even than their Spanish-speaking peers who were more fluent in speaking English but less proficient in reading Spanish.

In teasing apart the data, the University of Delaware's Steven Amendum and his fellow researchers discovered a telling detail when they compared students who had strong Spanish reading skills but spoke less English to their bilingual peers who had fewer Spanish reading skills but spoke more English. The data showed that the students who entered kindergarten with weaker Spanish reading skills increasingly lagged behind their peers in their ability to read English. And, this finding held true across time, even though these students initially exhibited a stronger ability to speak English.

"This suggests that well-developed Spanish reading proficiency early on likely plays a greater role in English reading development than a student's proficiency in speaking English," said Amendum, an associate professor of literacy education in UD's College of Education and Human Development.

For parents, the message is simple: read to your children in whatever is your best language. The skills they learn from reading with you will translate in the classroom no matter what language you use.

While much research exists on the English reading achievements of Spanish-speaking bilingual students, few studies have explored what contributes to these outcomes.

Latino children from Spanish-speaking homes are the most rapidly expanding segment of school-age population in the United States, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Today, students of Latino descent constitute nearly 78% of English learners enrolled in U.S. schools.

For bilingual students in the early elementary grades, learning to read in a new language involves processing the language twice, in both the native and the new language. According to Amendum, the researchers' findings support the idea that knowledge students have in a first language can help them learn a second language. This is known as cross-language transfer.

Since 2014, Amendum has worked with Delaware teachers on instructional techniques to leverage Spanish to assist children in learning English. One way to do this is by helping these young students understand English-Spanish cognates -- words that look similar or have similar meaning across both languages, such as family and familia, elephant and elefante, or ocean and océano.

Similarly, he said, fostering a child's decoding skills can help them make connections and understand the similarities and differences in the sounds different letters make in each language, leading to greater reading fluency and growth later on.

"Even early skills like being able to hear sounds in words transfer easily across languages, so, if a child can segment the sounds in the word 'sol,' then the process is the same if someone asks what sounds the child hears in the word 'top,'" said Amendum.

For the sample of children studied, Amendum said he was surprised by how clear the importance of native Spanish reading was, and that it showed up so early -- developmentally -- at kindergarten entry. "Many studies have shown cross-language transfer but not necessarily at such an early age, and we are not aware of any studies that have shown how that influence lasts across such a long learning spectrum," he said.

Further, while Amendum agrees that measuring students' English language proficiency is vital, he believes it should be done as in concert with, not at the expense of, children and families growing in their native language.

"We can't ignore native language," Amendum said. "Helping kids become bilingual and biliterate is always a great long-term outcome for kids. We want to support a child's native early reading and language skills, and to help teachers and families understand how they can use a first language to help students learn a second language, while continuing to develop their native language."

The data set used in the study was part of a nationally representative sample from the National Center for Education Statistics that followed a cohort of children from kindergarten through fourth grade. Results from the study are particularly compelling, Amendum said, because while smaller study results can be unique to a particular region, this study shows that the findings can apply across the country, regardless of geography.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015131430.htm

Physical activity in lessons improves students' attainment

October 15, 2019

Science Daily/University College London

Students who take part in physical exercises like star jumps or running on the spot during school lessons do better in tests than peers who stick to sedentary learning, according to a UCL-led study.

The meta-analysis of 42 studies around the world, published in British Journal of Sports Medicine, aimed to assess the benefits of incorporating physical activity in academic lessons. This approach has been adopted by schools seeking to increase activity levels among students without reducing academic teaching time.

Typical activities include using movement to signify whether a fact is true or false, or jumping on the spot a certain number of times to answer a maths question.

The study concluded that incorporating physical activity had a large, significant effect on educational outcomes during the lesson, assessed through tests or by observing pupils' attention to a given task, and a smaller effect on overall educational outcomes, as well as increasing the students' overall levels of physical activity.

Lead author Dr Emma Norris (UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) said: "Physical activity is good for children's health, and the biggest contributor of sedentary time in children's lives is the seven or eight hours a day they spend in classrooms.

"Our study shows that physically active lessons are a useful addition to the curriculum. They can create a memorable learning experience, helping children to learn more effectively."

Co-author Dr Tommy van Steen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), added: "These improvements in physical activity levels and educational outcomes are the result of quite basic physical exercises. Teachers can easily incorporate these physical active lessons in the existing curriculum to improve the learning experience of students."

Researchers looked at data from 12,663 students aged between three and 14. Nearly half of the studies took place in the United States, with seven conducted in Australia, five in the UK, four in the Netherlands and one in China, Croatia, Ireland, Israel, Portugal and Sweden.

In one of the 42 studies analysed, eight- and nine-year-olds simulated travelling the world by running on the spot in between answering questions relating to different countries. The research team, also led by Dr Norris at UCL, concluded that the children were more active and more focused on the task than peers in a control group, following teachers' instructions more closely.

In another study in the Netherlands, primary school children who took part in physically active lessons three times a week over two years made significantly better progress in spelling and mathematics than their peers -- equating to four months of extra learning gains.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015192938.htm

How babies integrate new events into their knowledge

October 15, 2019

Science Daily/Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Babies seek to understand the world around them and learn many new things every day. Unexpected events -- for example when a ball falls through a table -- provide researchers with the unique opportunity to understand infants' learning processes. What happens in their brains as they learn and integrate new information?

Miriam Langeloh from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Moritz Köster from the Freie Universität Berlin, and Stefanie Höhl from the University of Vienna address that question in a new study with nine-month-old babies, published in Psychological Science.

The research team invited parents, with their nine-month-olds, to the lab to look at short picture stories with either expected or unexpected physical and social outcomes. For example, infants saw a man who was holding a pretzel. In the expected outcome condition, he led the pretzel to his mouth. In the unexpected outcome condition, to violate infants' expectations, he led the pretzel to his ear.

Importantly, observing new or unexpected events allows researchers to investigate infants' processing of novel information. Scientists have already shown that the theta rhythm is important for the integration of novel events in adults. In their current project, the scientists ask whether the theta rhythm also supports the integration of novel information when observing unexpected events in young babies.

"In order to find out how infants integrate new information into their existing knowledge, we looked at the electroencephalogram (EEG) during the presentation of the images," explains Miriam Langeloh. EEG measures the electrical signals underlying information transfer between nerve cells. The signal can fluctuate at different frequencies that are associated with different ongoing cognitive processes.

Miriam Langeloh further describes, "The babies were shown the picture stories very quickly, flickering at a 4 Hz (theta) or a 6 Hz (alpha) frequency. For example, in the theta condition, the events were presented at a flickering rate of four images per second. The brain areas that are responsible for seeing, the visual cortex, synchronized their activity to the speed of the presented images. We were able to show that the brains of the babies, like in adults, respond to the rhythmic presentation of the events."

In the next step, the research team looked at how the brain reacted for expected and unexpected outcomes. "Only the theta rhythm was sensitive to the unexpected compared to the expected actions. This shows us that the theta rhythm is responsible for the encoding of novel information in the infant brain. Importantly, in the alpha rhythm, which we looked at for comparison, there was no difference between expected and unexpected outcomes," says Moritz Köster.

Thus, the theta rhythm seems to play a fundamental role in the integration of new events into existing knowledge already in nine-month-old infants. In future studies, the scientists will investigate whether learning processes in babies can be actively promoted by visual stimulation of the theta rhythm.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015131406.htm

Children bullied by friends and siblings are more likely to think about suicide in their early 20s

October 9, 2019

Science Daily/University of Warwick

Depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation are more prominent in adults in their early twenties if they were bullied at home and at school, a study by researchers at the University of Warwick have found. Researchers stress that intervention is needed to educate people in bullying to reduce it.

Previous studies have identified that sibling bullying has an effect on mental health in adolescence, however researchers Professor Dieter Wolke and Dr. Slava Dantchev have now found children who were bullied by siblings and friends are more likely to harm themselves.

In the paper 'The Independent and Cumulative Effects of Sibling and Peer Bullying in Childhood on Depression, Anxiety, Suicidal Ideation, and Self-Harm in Adulthood' published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, researchers show there is a long shadow thrown by sibling bullying on self-harm, suicide attempts and depression at 24 years of age.

Using the Children of the 90s study, they were able to show that children who were bullied by siblings had more mental health issues in adulthood. If they were also bullied by peers this risk increased further.

The participants were asked to self-report bullying when they were 12 years old, whilst depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and self-harm were assessed at 24 years old.

Of 3,881 youths studied it was found that 31.2% experienced bullying by a sibling. Of those who both became victims and bullied siblings 15.1% were diagnosed with clinical depression, 35.7% experienced suicidal ideation and 16.1% self-harmed with a further 4.9% with the intent of suicide.

Those who experienced sibling bullying and peer bullying had double the odds of developing clinical depression and consider suicide.

Dr Slava Dantchev of the University of Warwick and the University of Vienna said: "This is the first study to show that being bullied by siblings has adverse effects on mental health into adulthood, when the siblings are not living together anymore. Those bullied at home are also more likely to be bullied by peers and have no save space at school or at home. This further increased their torment and affected their mental health"

Professor Dieter Wolke of the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick comments: "As sibling bullying often starts when children are young it will be important to educate and help parents to deal and reduce bullying between siblings in early childhood. This is an area which has been completely overlooked in mental health provision and parent support"

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191009093938.htm

Screening kindergarten readiness

Children with poor academic readiness are 9 to 10 times more likely to have low reading scores 18 months later

October 8, 2019

Science Daily/University of Missouri-Columbia

Starting kindergarten can be a challenging time for children as many are leaving home and learning to interact with others for the first time. As such, it is important for kindergartners to receive proper support from their teachers.

Now, University of Missouri College of Education researchers have found that a readiness test can predict kindergarteners' success in school after 18 months. Melissa Stormont, a professor of special education, says identifying students early in the academic year who may need additional support can allow teachers and parents more time to build essential academic and social behavioral skills.

"Kindergarteners come to school from varying backgrounds and have different abilities," Stormont said. "This is a critical time to assess student academic and social readiness, so that teachers can provide support as early as possible before issues worsen and become harder to change. This screening tool is a simple first step that can help children in the long run."

The researchers distributed the screening tool to 19 teachers in six elementary schools. Early in the school year, those teachers used the screener to rate 350 students. The MU researchers then compared the students' scores from the screener to their performances on a math and reading achievement test and to teacher ratings of their social and emotional skills 18 months later. Children who rated poor in academic readiness were nine to 10 times more likely to have low reading scores at the end of first grade. In addition, children who rated poor in behavior readiness were six times more likely to be rated as having displayed disruptive behavior and poor social skills by their first-grade teachers.

"Using this tool could help teachers in developing lessons and interventions to help their students who are having difficulties," Stormont said. "This study highlights the need to support children more when they transition to kindergarten and these positive results definitely merit further study."

Stormont recommends that parents support children entering kindergarten by talking with their child about social behavior expectations in kindergarten and have them practice doing things like taking turns and following directions. In addition, parents and their children can meet with teachers to discuss what those expectations are. Parents also can explore summer programs before school starts that can help acclimate children to the classroom and learn routines. The study results also support efforts to help children with reading and math, as initial poor academic readiness predicted problems 18 months later.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191008155708.htm

Children's language skills may be harmed by social hardship

October 8, 2019

Science Daily/University of Edinburgh

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are three times more likely to develop difficulties with language than those from more affluent areas, research suggests.

Researchers say the findings highlight the need for policies to address the social factors that can hamper speech, language and communication (SLC) development.

Failing to do so means children might not fully develop the language skills that are critical for emotional development, wellbeing and educational and employment opportunities.

A team from the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian looked at more than 26,000 records of children who had a routine health review between 27 and 30 months between April 2013 and April 2016.

It showed that pre-school children living in the most economically deprived neighbourhoods were three times more likely to have SLC concern than those brought up in better-off areas.

It is believed growing up in neighbourhoods with low income and unemployment -- which experience problems with education, health, access to services, crime and housing -- can increase the risk of setbacks.

Researchers also discovered that each week a child spent in the womb from 23 to 36 weeks was associated with an 8.8 per cent decrease in the likelihood of them having an SLC concern reported at 27 months.

The study used birth data from children born in the Lothians but experts say similar results might be expected across the UK.

Professor of Neonatal Medicine at the University of Edinburgh's MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, James Boardman, said: "Growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood where there is poverty and reduced access to services is closely associated with problems with pre-school language development. These results suggest that policies designed to lessen deprivation could reduce language and communication difficulties among pre-school children."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191008094254.htm

Teens taking oral contraceptives may be at increased risk for depressive symptoms

October 2, 2019

Science Daily/Brigham and Women's Hospital

Investigators report that there was no association between oral contraceptive use and depressive symptom severity in the entire population they studied (ages 16 through 25). However, they found that 16-year-old girls reported higher depressive symptom severity compared with 16-year-old girls not using oral contraceptives.

Ever since birth control pills first became available, researchers have been trying to understand the connection between oral contraceptive use and mood. A new study led by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital and University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands adds important, new information by surveying young women about depressive symptoms.

Depressive symptoms -- such as crying, sleeping excessively, and eating issues -- can be far subtler than diagnosed clinical depression. But by surveying a cohort of more than 1,000 women every three years, investigators have amassed a unique trove of data about these subclinical symptoms. In a study published in JAMA Psychiatry, investigators report that there was no association between oral contraceptive use and depressive symptom severity in the entire population they studied (ages 16 through 25). However, they found that 16-year-old girls reported higher depressive symptom severity compared with 16-year-old girls not using oral contraceptives.

"One of the most common concerns women have when starting the pill, and teens and their parents have when an adolescent is considering taking the pill, is about immediate depressive risks," said corresponding author Anouk de Wit, MD, PhD, MPH, in training, formerly of the Brigham's Department of Psychiatry. De Wit is now a trainee in the Department of Psychiatry at UMCG. "Most women first take an oral contraceptive pill as a teen. Teens have lots of challenging emotional issues to deal with so it's especially important to monitor how they are doing."

"Depressive symptoms are more prevalent than clinical depression and can have a profound impact on quality of life," said co-author Hadine Joffe, MD, MSc, vice chair for Psychiatry Research for the Brigham's Department of Psychiatry and executive director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology. "Ours is the first study of this scale to dive deep into the more subtle mood symptoms that occur much more commonly than a depression episode but impact quality of life and are worrying to girls, women and their families."

To conduct their study, de Wit, Joffe and colleagues analyzed data from female participants in the prospective cohort study, Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a longitudinal study of teens and young adults from the Netherlands. Each participant filled out a survey with questions about depressive symptoms, such as crying, eating, sleeping, suicidal ideation, self-harm, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, energy, sadness, and lack of pleasure. Their responses were used to generate a depressive symptom severity score.

Across the entire cohort of 1,010 participants ages 16 to 25 analyzed, the team found no association between oral contraceptive use and depressive symptom severity. However, they did find that, on average, 16-year-old participants who were using oral contraceptives had depressive symptom severity scores that were 21 percent higher than those who were not taking oral contraceptives. They reported more crying, more sleeping and more eating problems than their counterparts.

The authors note that the association between oral contraceptive use and depressive symptoms may be bidirectional: oral contraceptive use may contribute to symptom severity, more severe symptoms may prompt teens to begin taking oral contraceptives, or both. Observational studies, such as this one, cannot determine the direction of causality.

"Because of the study design, we can't say that the pills cause mood changes, but we do have evidence suggesting that sometimes the mood changes preceded the use of the pill and sometimes the pill was started before the mood changes occurred," said de Wit.

Another limitation that the authors note is that the Dutch are a relatively homogenous population -- it remains to be seen if these results would be the same in a more diverse population. The authors also point out several strengths to the study, including its large size and established, well-characterized cohort. In addition, the research focuses on symptoms that may be of concerns to teens, parents and clinicians.

"The magnitude of the association was small, and these depressive symptoms are mild enough that they did not constitute clinical or major depression. However, these mood changes were seen in oral contraceptive-using adolescents, who are a vulnerable population," said Joffe. "These concerns much be weighed against the bigger risk of lack of contraception leading to unintended pregnancies in teenagers and pregnancy complications including a potential postpartum depression."

Other forms of birth control known as long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), deliver hormone exposure to the local uterine. The investigators are interested in following up to determine if hormone exposure that does not go throughout the whole body and brain is less associated with depressive symptoms.

"Oral contraceptive users, parents and health care providers should be aware of the increased likelihood of presence of depressive symptoms as it may affect quality of life and adherence to oral contraceptive use," said de Wit.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191002110426.htm

Children told lies by parents subsequently lie more as adults, face adjustment difficulty

October 2, 2019

Science Daily/Nanyang Technological University

"If you don't behave, I'll call the police," is a lie that parents might use to get their young children to behave. Parents' lies elicit compliance in the short term, but a new psychology study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) suggests that they are associated with detrimental effects when the child becomes an adult.

The research team asked 379 Singaporean young adults whether their parents lied to them when they were children, how much they lie to their parents now, and how well they adjust to adulthood challenges.

Adults who reported being lied to more as children, were more likely to report lying to their parents in their adulthood. They also said they faced greater difficulty in meeting psychological and social challenges. Adjustment difficulties include disruptiveness, conduct problems, experience of guilt and shame, as well as selfish and manipulative character.

The research, done in collaboration with Canada's University of Toronto, the United States' University of California, San Diego, and China's Zhejiang Normal University, was published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology in September.

Lead author Assistant Professor Setoh Peipei from NTU Singapore's School of Social Sciences said, "Parenting by lying can seem to save time especially when the real reasons behind why parents want children to do something is complicated to explain. When parents tell children that 'honesty is the best policy', but display dishonesty by lying, such behaviour can send conflicting messages to their children. Parents' dishonesty may eventually erode trust and promote dishonesty in children."

"Our research suggests that parenting by lying is a practice that has negative consequences for children when they grow up. Parents should be aware of these potential downstream implications and consider alternatives to lying, such as acknowledging children's feelings, giving information so children know what to expect, offering choices and problem-solving together, to elicit good behaviour from children."

How the study was done

379 Singaporean young adults completed four online questionnaires.

The first questionnaire asked participants to recall if their parents told them lies that related to eating; leaving and/or staying; children's misbehaviour; and spending money. Some examples of such lies are "If you don't come with me now, I will leave you here by yourself" and "I did not bring money with me today, we can come back another day."

The second questionnaire asked participants to indicate how frequently as adults they lied to their parents. It asked about lies in relation to their activities and actions; prosocial lies (or lies intended to benefit others); and exaggerations about events.

Lastly, participants filled in two questionnaires that measured their self-reported psychosocial maladjustment and tendency to behave selfishly and impulsively.

The analysis found that parenting by lying could place children at a greater risk of developing problems that the society frowns upon, such as aggression, rule-breaking and intrusive behaviours.

Some limitations of the study include relying on what young adults report about their retrospective experience of parents' lying. "Future research can explore using multiple informants, such as parents, to report on the same variables," suggested Asst Prof Setoh.

The authors also pointed out that as the study is correlational in design, which aims to find out the naturally occurring relationships between variables, they are unable to draw causal inferences.

Another area yet to be investigated would be the nature of the lies or goals of the parent. Asst Prof Setoh said, "It is possible that a lie to assert the parents' power, such as saying 'If you don't behave, we will throw you into the ocean to feed the fish', may be more related to children's adjustment difficulties as adults, compared to lies that target children's compliance, e.g. 'there is no more candy in the house'.

"Authority assertion over children is a form of psychological intrusiveness, which may undermine children's sense of autonomy and convey rejection, ultimately undermining children's emotional well-being. Future research should examine the nature of the lies and goals of the parents so that researchers can suggest what kind of lies to avoid, and what kind of truth-telling parents should engage in."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191002102759.htm