Healthy development thanks to older siblings
If expectant mothers are exposed to stress their child can develop behavioral problems -- but this is less often the case for children with siblings
May 31, 2022
Science Daily/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
During the first years of their lives, children develop the cognitive, social and emotional skills that will provide the foundations for their lifelong health and achievements. However, exposure to environmental stressors during critical periods of life can have negative long-term consequences for their development. One of the most critical stressors for children is maternal stress, which is known to have a detrimental effect on children's health and well-being, already in utero.
In a new study, a Leipzig-based team of researchers including scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig University (UL), the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) used longitudinal data from the LINA (Lifestyle and environmental factors and their Influence on the Newborn Allergy risk) cohort to test 373 German mother-child pairs, from pregnancy until 10 years of age.
Mothers were asked to fill in three validated questionnaires, to assess their stress levels and their child's behavioural problems. First, the researchers assessed which social and environmental factors were linked to an increase in maternal stress levels during pregnancy, and the long-term consequences of maternal stress on the occurrence of child behavioural problems. Second, the researchers assessed whether the presence of siblings had a positive effect on the occurrence of child behavioural problems, by directly reducing stress levels and increasing children's psychological well-being, or by indirectly buffering the negative consequences of maternal stress.
Prenatal stress can cause behavioural problems in the child
The results of the study demonstrated that socio-environmental stressors, like the lack of sufficient social areas in the neighbourhood, were clearly linked to an increase in maternal stress levels during pregnancy. Moreover, mothers who had experienced high stress levels, like worries, loss of joy or tension, during pregnancy were also more likely to report the occurrence of behavioural problems when their children were 7, 8 or 10 years old. "These results confirm previous findings about the negative impact that even mild forms of prenatal stress might have on child behaviour, even after several years, and highlight the importance of early intervention policies that increase maternal wellbeing and reduce the risks of maternal stress already during pregnancy," explains Federica Amici (UL, MPI-EVA), one of the researchers involved in the project.
On a more positive note, the study also found a lower occurrence of behavioural problems in children with older siblings. "Children who have older brothers or sisters in their households are less likely to develop problems, which suggests that siblings are crucial to promote a healthy child development," explains Gunda Herberth (UFZ), coordinator of the LINA study.
Higher social competence thanks to older siblings?
This study further suggests that the presence of older siblings directly reduced the likelihood of developing behavioral problems, but did not modulate the negative effects of maternal stress on child behaviour. How could older siblings reduce the occurrence of behavioural problems in children? By interacting with their older siblings, children may develop better emotional, perspective taking and problem solving skills, which are linked to higher social competence and emotional understanding. Moreover, the presence of older siblings may provide learning opportunities for parents, who might thus develop different expectations and better parental skills.
"We were especially impressed by the important role that siblings appear to play for a healthy child development," concludes Anja Widdig (UL, MPI-EVA, iDiv). "We hope that our findings will draw attention to the importance of public health policies that directly target children and their siblings, and promote a healthy environment for their well-being and the development of high-quality sibling relationships."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220531102708.htm
Pregnant moms and depression: Study links rising symptoms to kids' behavioral issues
May 31, 2022
Science Daily/University of California - Los Angeles
Children whose mothers experience rising levels of depression from the period before pregnancy until the months just after giving birth are at greater risk of developing emotional, social and academic problems during their youth, UCLA psychology researchers and colleagues report.
Their recently published seven-year study, which tracked mothers and their offspring from preconception until the children were 5 years old, is the first to demonstrate how changes in mothers' level of depression over time may impact early childhood behavior and emotional well-being, the authors said.
"Our findings suggest that increases in mother's symptoms of depression from preconception to postpartum contribute to children's lower attention and behavioral control, which can raise the risk of problems across the life span," said lead author Gabrielle Rinne, a UCLA psychology graduate student. "Parents should know, however, that this can be addressed through early childhood intervention."
For the two-part study, the researchers first analyzed data on 362 women -- most of whom were Black or Hispanic and from low-income backgrounds -- collected as part of a study by the Community Child Health Network, a collaboration among health scientists from UCLA and other institutions, along with community partners, that investigated disparities in maternal and child health among poor and minority families.
The women, all of whom already had a young child, were followed through a subsequent pregnancy and were interviewed on four occasions about their symptoms of depression -- once before becoming pregnant, twice during pregnancy and again approximately three months after their baby's birth -- with researchers tracking how these symptoms changed over time.
Just under 75% of the women reported low symptoms of depression that didn't change over the study period, while 12% had low symptoms that significantly increased and 7% had persistently high symptoms.
For the second part of the study, the researchers followed 125 of these women several years later. When their children were 4, or preschool age, the mothers were asked to describe in detail their child's temperament and behavior -- particularly their experiences of emotional distress and their ability to regulate their emotions.
Then, at age 5, the children performed a task requiring focused attention. Looking at an iPad screen showing a series of fish, they were asked to identify the direction the fish in the middle was facing while ignoring the direction of all the other fish. Higher scores on this task reflect a greater ability to concentrate and inhibit attention to surrounding stimuli, Rinne said.
Children of mothers whose depression had increased from preconception through the postpartum period performed significantly worse on the computer task than those whose mothers had reported consistently low symptoms of depression. Interestingly, there were no differences in performance between kids whose mothers had experienced consistently high depression and those whose mothers had consistently low depression.
The findings are published in the Journal of Affective Disorders(free access through June 15).
"This study suggests that a pattern of increasing depression may adversely affect children," said senior author Christine Dunkel Schetter, a distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry at UCLA who had a lead role in study design and in interview development. She noted that not all of these kids are destined to experience problems but emphasized that "they are at higher risk of socio-emotional and behavioral issues and problems at school."
Children whose mothers consistently reported low symptoms of depression, she said, are not at risk.
"Moms who experience depression or stress at multiple times should know the effects this can have on young children," Dunkel Schetter added. "They can seek evaluation and treatment from a doctor or mental health professional for their children and themselves."
The importance of getting treatment for maternal depression
"The addition of a child to the family is a significant emotional and psychological adjustment that can involve both joy and distress," Rinne said. "Maternal depression is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and postpartum."
In Los Angeles County, she pointed out, estimates of depression during pregnancy and in new mothers range as high as 25%.
The study's findings, Rinne said, support "the importance of comprehensive mental health care at multiple periods of the reproductive life course," beginning even before pregnancy and continuing afterward -- especially for mothers who are feeling elevated level of distress at any point.
Los Angeles County resources for maternal mental health care in pregnancy are available here. If a mother is depressed but too busy to see a doctor or therapist, she may be able to find help through evidence-based apps online. Newer forms of digital mental health treatment can also be effective, Dunkel Schetter said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220531151954.htm
Reducing air pollution can support healthy brain development
June 22, 2022
Science Daily/Simon Fraser University
A new study finds that having a portable air cleaner in the home can reduce the negative impacts of air pollution on brain development in children.
Simon Fraser University researchers collaborated with U.S. and Mongolian scientists to study the benefits of using air filters to reduce exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, and assessed the impact on children's intelligence.
The researchers note that their randomized controlled trial is the first study of its kind to document the impacts of air pollution reduction on cognition in children.
Beginning in 2014, the team recruited 540 pregnant women in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to participate in the Ulaanbaatar Gestation and Air Pollution Research (UGAAR) study. Ulaanbaatar has some of the worst air quality in the world, well exceeding guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The women were less than 18 weeks into their pregnancies and non-smokers who had not previously used air filtering devices in their homes. They were randomly assigned to either the control or intervention group. The intervention group was provided with one or two HEPA filter air cleaners and encouraged to run the air cleaners continuously for the duration of their pregnancies. The air cleaners were removed from the home once the child was born.
The researchers later measured the children's full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) at four years of age using the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence.
They found that the children born to mothers who had used the air cleaners had an average FSIQ that was 2.8-points higher than the group that did not use an air cleaner during pregnancy.
"These results, combined with evidence from previous studies, strongly implicate air pollution as a threat to brain development," says Ryan Allen, professor of environmental health in SFU's Faculty of Health Sciences. "But the good news is that reducing exposure had clear benefits."
Children in the intervention group also had significantly greater average verbal comprehension index scores, which is consistent with results from previous observational studies. The research suggests that a child's verbal skills may be particularly sensitive to air pollution exposure.
More than 90 per cent of the world's population breathes air with particulate matter concentrations above the WHO guidelines. The researchers suggest the population-level impact of air pollution on brain development could be substantive even if the individual-level effects are modest.
Their study results indicate that reducing exposure to air pollution during pregnancy could improve children's cognitive development around the world.
"Air pollution is everywhere, and it is preventing children from reaching their full potential," adds Allen. "Air cleaners may provide some protection, but ultimately the only way to protect all children is to reduce emissions."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220622100735.htm
30-year study links childhood obesity and fitness to midlife cognition
June 16, 2022
Science Daily/Monash University
A new study of the impact of childhood fitness and obesity on cognition in middle age, followed over 1200 people who were children in 1985 for over 30 years, has found that better performance on physical tests is related to better cognition later in life and may protect against dementia in later years. Importantly these findings are not impacted by academic ability and socioeconomic status at childhood, or by smoking and alcohol consumption at midlife
The world's first study of the impact of childhood fitness and obesity on cognition in middle age, followed over 1200 people who were children in 1985 for over 30 years, has found that better performance on physical tests is related to better cognition later in life and may protect against dementia in later years.
Importantly these findings are not impacted by academic ability and socioeconomic status at childhood, or by smoking and alcohol consumption at midlife.
Led by Dr Jamie Tait and Associate Professor Michele Callisaya from the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, based at Peninsula Health and Monash University in Melbourne, along with investigators from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania, the landmark study is published today (TBC) in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
It is known that children who develop muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance due to sport and activity have better health outcomes later in life. Higher adult fitness is also associated with better cognition and reduced risk of dementia later in life.
Following over 1200 people from 1985 when they were between 7 and 15 years old all the way to 2017-19, this is the first significant study to look for links between objectively measured fitness and obesity in childhood with cognition in middle age, with the idea that early activity levels, fitness and metabolic health may protect against dementia in our older years.
In 1985, 1244 participants aged 7-15 years from the Australian Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study were assessed for fitness (cardiorespiratory, muscular power, muscular endurance) and anthropometry (waist-to-hip ratio).
These participants were followed up between 2017 and 2019 (aged 39-50, average age 44) in respect to their cognitive function using a series of computerised tests.
According to Associate Professor Callisaya this is the first study demonstrating a relationship between phenotypic profiles of objectively measured fitness and obesity measures at childhood, with midlife cognition.
The researchers found that children with the highest levels of cardio-respiratory and muscular fitness and lower average waist-to-hip ratio had higher midlife scores in tests of processing speed and attention, as well as in global cognitive function.
Because a decline in cognitive performance can begin as early as middle-age, and lower midlife cognition has been associated with a greater likelihood of developing mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older age, Associate Professor Callisaya states that it is important to identify factors in early life that may protect against cognitive decline during later life.
"Developing strategies that improve low fitness and decrease obesity levels in childhood are important because it could contribute to improvements in cognitive performance in midlife," she said.
"Importantly the study also indicates that protective strategies against future cognitive decline may need to start as far back as early childhood, so that the brain can develop sufficient reserve against developing conditions such as dementia in older life."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220616121556.htm
Dog-assisted interventions lead to lower stress levels in children
The new study compared cortisol levels in elementary school children in the UK who participated in dog-assisted intervention sessions
June 15, 2022
Science Daily/PLOS
Dog-assisted interventions can lead to significantly lower stress in children both with and without special needs, according to a new study using salivary cortisol levels published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kerstin Meints of University of Lincoln, UK, and colleagues.
Prolonged exposure to stressors can cause adverse effects on learning, behavior, health and wellbeing in children over their lifespan. Several approaches to alleviating stress have been explored in schools including yoga, mindfulness, meditation, physical activity, teaching style interventions and animal-assisted interventions.
In the new study, the researchers tracked levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of 105 eight- to nine-year-old children in four mainstream schools in the UK as well as 44 similarly aged children from seven special education needs schools in the UK. The children were randomly stratified into three groups: a dog group, relaxation group or control group. In the dog group, participants interacted for 20 minutes with a trained dog and handler; the meditation group involved a 20-minute relaxation session. Sessions were carried out twice a week for four weeks.
Dog interventions lead to significantly lower cortisol levels in children in both mainstream and special needs schools. In mainstream schools, children in the control and relaxation groups had increases in mean salivary cortisol over the course of the school term. However, children who participated in either group or individual sessions with dogs had no statistically significant increase in cortisol. In addition, their cortisol levels were, on average, lower immediately after each dog session. For children with special educational needs, similar patterns were seen, with decreases in cortisol after dog group interventions. The authors conclude that dog interventions can successfully attenuate stress levels in school children but point out that additional research into the ideal amounts of time and contact with dogs for optimal effect is needed.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220615142152.htm
Helping middle school students achieve more
June 15, 2022
Science Daily/University of California - Davis
One in five students in the United States will not earn a high school diploma -- and young adolescents who fall behind in school risk never catching up, leading to unemployment, poor health and poverty, research has shown.
But a new University of California, Davis, study of intermediate school students in urban California and New York shows promise for underachievers. Researchers found that early intervention with teachers, training students that intelligence is malleable and learning achievable, caused struggling students to flourish and improve their grades.
"These results were exciting," said the study's lead author, Tenelle Porter, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Human Ecology who studies the psychology of education. "Here we show that we can change people's minds about how education works -- that abilities can improve with effort, and struggling students can see progress."
The study was published June 14 in the journal Psychological Science.
Porter explained that there is often a mindset among children, their families and even teachers that students who are low achievers in middle school may never catch up -- that intelligence levels will not increase much after early adolescence.
The study showed, however, that implementing an educational philosophy called a mindset intervention, which holds that the brain, like a muscle, can be strengthened and trained -- combined with training teachers how to implement the program in classrooms -- raised grades a couple of percentage points over a year, on average. The intervention used in this case was a particular program called "Brainology."
The study was the first of its kind to include the effect teachers have on the technique, which proved to be doubly effective, grade-wise, to delivering the message by computer to each student without teacher involvement. Underachieving students benefited more than students who already had higher grades.
"Students learned, 'wow, I can be smarter,'" Porter said.
The randomized study included nearly 2,000 ethnically diverse sixth and seventh grade students and 50 teachers in 12 schools located in Orange County and New York City during an entire school year prior to COVID-19 closures. The method was delivered alternatively in math, science and English courses to test the results in different subject areas.
"We can be confident this method works in various subjects," Porter said.
In Brainology, used in hundreds of schools throughout the United States and internationally, students learn the foundation of a growth mindset by studying how the brain works and how it grows smarter through effort, learning and use of effective strategies, researchers said.
In the study, teachers were given a prominent role in delivering the intervention. This conveys to students, researchers said, that teachers endorse a growth mindset and believe students can improve. Teachers delivered three of every four lessons in Brainology and led students in actively processing the material. For example, teachers might ask students to identify subjects where they wanted to improve and help them design a plan for maximizing their learning in those subjects, demonstrating the concept of malleable intelligence.
Ongoing support was provided to teachers. They were given a curriculum guide, video-based resources, in-person training, and were taught pedagogical techniques for communicating growth mindsets to students. In addition, staff with expertise in growth mindset and teaching observed Brainology lessons regularly and provided coaching throughout the intervention, researchers said. Teachers' mindset beliefs grew as well, they said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220615134703.htm
Pre-school play with friends lowers risk of mental health problems later
Children who learn to play well with others at pre-school age tend to enjoy better mental health as they get older, new research shows
June 14, 2022
Science Daily/University of Cambridge
Children who learn to play well with others at pre-school age tend to enjoy better mental health as they get older, new research shows. The findings provide the first clear evidence that 'peer play ability', the capacity to play successfully with other children, has a protective effect on mental health.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed data from almost 1,700 children, collected when they were aged three and seven. Those with better peer play ability at age three consistently showed fewer signs of poor mental health four years later. They tended to have lower hyperactivity, parents and teachers reported fewer conduct and emotional problems, and they were less likely to get into fights or disagreements with other children.
Importantly, this connection generally held true even when the researchers focused on sub-groups of children who were particularly at risk of mental health problems. It also applied when they considered other risk factors for mental health -- such as poverty levels, or cases in which the mother had experienced serious psychological distress during or immediately after pregnancy.
The findings suggest that giving young children who might be vulnerable to mental health issues access to well-supported opportunities to play with peers -- for example, at playgroups run by early years specialists -- could be a way to significantly benefit their long-term mental health.
Dr Jenny Gibson, from the Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) Centre at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, said: "We think this connection exists because through playing with others, children acquire the skills to build strong friendships as they get older and start school. Even if they are at risk of poor mental health, those friendship networks will often get them through."
Vicky Yiran Zhao, a PhD Student in PEDAL and first author on the study added: "What matters is the quality, rather than the quantity, of peer play. Games with peers that encourage children to collaborate, for example, or activities that promote sharing, will have positive knock-on benefits."
The researchers used data from 1,676 children in the Growing up in Australia study, which is tracking the development of children born in Australia between March 2003 and February 2004. It includes a record, provided by parents and carers, of how well the children played in different situations at age three. This covered different types of peer play, including simple games; imaginative pretend play; goal-directed activities (such as building a tower from blocks); and collaborative games like hide-and-seek.
These four peer play indicators were used to create a measure of 'peer play ability' -- the underlying ability of a child to engage with peers in a playful way. The researchers calculated the strength of the relationship between that measure and reported symptoms of possible mental health problems -- hyperactivity, and conduct, emotional and peer problems -- at age seven.
The study then analysed two sub-groups of children within the overall cohort. These were children with high 'reactivity' (children who were very easily upset and difficult to soothe in infancy), and those with low 'persistence' (children who struggled to persevere when encountering a challenging task). Both these traits are linked to poor mental health outcomes.
Across the entire dataset, children with a higher peer play ability score at age three consistently showed fewer signs of mental health difficulties at age seven. For every unit increase in peer play ability at age three, children's measured score for hyperactivity problems at age seven fell by 8.4%, conduct problems by 8%, emotional problems by 9.8% and peer problems by 14%. This applied regardless of potential confounding factors such as poverty levels and maternal distress, and whether or not they had plentiful opportunities to play with siblings and parents.
The effect was evident even among the at-risk groups. In particular, among the 270 children in the 'low persistence' category, those who were better at playing with peers at age three consistently had lower hyperactivity, and fewer emotional and peer problems, at age seven. This may be because peer play often forces children to problem-solve and confront unexpected challenges, and therefore directly addresses low persistence.
The benefits of peer play were weaker for the high reactivity sub-group, possibly because such children are often anxious and withdrawn, and less inclined to play with others. Even among this group, however, better peer play at age three was linked to lower hyperactivity at age seven.
The consistent link between peer play and mental health probably exists because playing with others supports the development of emotional self-control and socio-cognitive skills, such as the ability to understand and respond to other people's feelings. These are fundamental to building stable, reciprocal friendships. There is already good evidence that the better a person's social connections, the better their mental health tends to be. For children, more social connections also create a virtuous cycle, as they usually lead to more opportunities for peer play.
The researchers suggest that assessing children's access to peer play at an early age could be used to screen for those potentially at risk of future mental health problems. They also argue that giving the families of at-risk children access to environments which promote high-quality peer play, such as playgroups or small-group care with professional child minders, could be an easily deliverable and low-cost way to reduce the chances of mental health problems later.
"The standard offer at the moment is to put the parents on a parenting course," Gibson said. "We could be focusing much more on giving children better opportunities to meet and play with their peers. There are already fantastic initiatives up and down the country, run by professionals who provide exactly that service to a very high standard. Our findings show how crucial their work is, especially given that the other risk factors jeopardising children's mental health could often be down to circumstances beyond their parents' control."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220614095614.htm
Screen time, alcohol, and poor sleep for girls: How the pandemic has impacted teens in Australia
June 6, 2022
Science Daily/University of Sydney
Australian teens had overall improvements in sleep over the two years and some improvements in dietary choices during lockdown, however these were offset by increases in already concerning levels of screen time and worrying trends of alcohol use and poor sleep among girls.
Led by the University of Sydney and published in BMJ Open today, the study adds important new data to the growing chorus of concern around the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on young people. It also emphasises the importance of tailoring support and interventions to address specific concerns and groups -- such as adolescent girls -- who appear to be most impacted.
"We know these lifestyle risk behaviours are common among young people, but we also know they are key predictors of chronic diseases later in life, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and mental disorders," said lead author Dr Lauren Gardner, Research Fellow at the Matilda Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use in the Faculty of Medicine and Health.
"It's important that we understand how to best support young Australians moving forward, regardless of the course of the pandemic, and invest in prevention and health promotion activities."
About the study
The research drew on self-reported longitudinal survey data from 983 Australian adolescents (average age 12.6 years at baseline) enrolled in the The Health4Life Study.
It analysed data over a two-year period from before (2019) to during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021) -- looking at the 'Big 6' health behaviours: diet, physical activity, recreational screen time, sleep and alcohol and tobacco use.
The researchers also examined if differences over time were associated with gender and lockdown status across three Australian states -- New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
Key findings:
Compared to pre-pandemic levels, there were increases in the prevalence of excessive recreational screen time (86% to 94%), insufficient fruit intake (20% to 30%), and increased alcohol (2% to 10%) and tobacco use (1% to 4%)*.
Overall, the prevalence of insufficient sleep decreased over the two-year period (by 26%), regardless of lockdown status.
Being in lockdown was associated with improvements in sugar sweetened beverage consumption (39% lower than those not in lockdown) and discretionary food intake (27% lower than those not in lockdown).
For females, there was an increase in the prevalence of insufficient sleep (24% higher than males) and alcohol use* (134% higher than males).
Although the prevalence of insufficient physical activity and insufficient vegetable intake did not change over time, nor were there differences based on lockdown status, these behaviours remain concerning, with 82% not achieving 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day and 84% not eating the recommended five serves of vegetables per day.
*The increase in alcohol and tobacco use over time was expected as the cohort aged and remained relatively low, however, the greater increase in alcohol use among females was unexpected.
"The Health4Life study gave us a unique opportunity to assess changes in key health behaviours in a large and geographically diverse sample. Due to Australia's state-based public health restrictions, approximately one-third of the sample was subjected to the Greater Sydney stay-at-home orders at the second time point, allowing us to look at how different levels of restrictions impacted these behaviours," said Dr Gardner.
Comparison to the international experience
Director of the Matilda Centre, Professor Maree Teesson said the new study reinforces other international research highlighting the varied impact of the COVD-19 pandemic across countries and within regions.
"The full extent of the impact of the pandemic on children and young people is being recognised internationally. This study is the first to examine those impacts on Australian teens," said Professor Teesson.
"We need a COVID recovery plan -- as proposed by Australia's Mental Health Think Tank -- that helps our young people get back on track for a healthier future."
"Supporting young people to improve or maintain positive health behaviours is important. Research such as this can help us start to understand the interplay between health behaviours and mental health to ensure we provide targeted interventions to those who need it the most."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220606105622.htm
Physical abuse less likely when spanking is eliminated
June 3, 2022
Science Daily/University of Michigan
When parents in countries worldwide use spanking as a behavior deterrent, their children are more likely to become a victim of physical abuse, say University of Michigan researchers.
A new U-M study analyzed the connection between spanking and physical abuse in 56 low- and middle-income countries, as well as examined the extent to which physical abuse might be reduced if spanking were eliminated.
For this international study, researchers defined spanking as an open-handed hit on the child's behind, not with an object such as a belt or stick. A situation becomes "physically abusive" when the parents beat up the child or strike the head or face.
International law and cultures vary as to what type of physical punishment parents can inflict upon their kids. Julie Ma, the study's lead author and associate professor of social work at UM-Flint, said typically law enforcement would not intervene in spanking cases, but it might in physical abuse cases where the child is at higher risk of injury.
Researchers used nationally representative data from more than 156,000 children, ages 1-4, in the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. The sample ranged from 109 kids in St. Lucia in the Caribbean to 13,077 children in Nigeria.
Spanking, the findings indicate, was associated with higher odds of physical abuse. When translated to a hypothetical sample of 100 children, about 32 of them were spanked. Among those 32 kids, seven reported experiencing physical abuse. The elimination of spanking would result in four fewer children who were exposed to physical abuse, the results show.
The probability of physical abuse decreased by 14% when comparing children who were spanked (22%) with those who were not (8%).
More organizations call for eliminating all forms of violence against children, but the latest findings further support that child welfare advocates should continue to discourage parents and caregivers from using spanking, which would also reduce physical abuse, the researchers say.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220603100121.htm
Children who attend schools with more traffic noise show slower cognitive development
June 2, 2022
Science Daily/Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Road traffic noise is a widespread problem in cities whose impact on children's health remains poorly understood. A new study conducted at 38 schools in Barcelona suggests that traffic noise at schools has a detrimental effect on the development of working memory and attention in primary-school students. The findings of this study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, have been published in PLoS Medicine.
The study, which forms part of the BREATHE project and was led by researchers Maria Foraster and Jordi Sunyer, included 2,680 children between 7 and 10 years of age. In order to assess the possible impact of traffic noise on cognitive development, the researchers focused on two abilities that develop rapidly during preadolescence and are essential for learning and school attainment: attention and working memory.
Attention includes processes such as selectively attending to specific stimuli or focusing on a specific task for a prolonged period of time. Working memory is the system that allows us to hold information in the mind and manipulate it over a short period of time. When we need to continuously and effectively process information stored in the working memory, we use what is known as complex working memory.
The field work for the study was carried out over a 12-month period in 2012 and 2013, during which participants completed the cognitive tests four times. The aim of these tests was not only to assess working memory and attention, but also to study their evolution over time. Over the same period, noise measurements were taken in front of the 38 participating schools, as well as in the playgrounds and inside classrooms.
On completion of the yearlong study period, the findings showed that the progression of working memory, complex working memory and attention was slower in students attending schools with higher levels of traffic noise. By way of example, a 5 dB increase in outdoor noise levels resulted in working memory development that was 11.4% slower than average and complex working memory development that was 23.5% slower than average. Similarly, exposure to an additional 5 dB of outdoor traffic noise resulted in attention capacity development that was 4.8% slower than average.
Differences Between Inside and Outside the Classroom
In the analysis of outdoor noise at schools, higher average noise level and greater fluctuation in noise levels were both associated with poorer student performance on all tests. Inside the classroom, greater fluctuation in noise levels was also associated with slower progress over the course of the year on all cognitive tests. However, children exposed to higher average classroom noise levels over the course of the year performed worse than students in quieter classrooms only on the attention test, but not on the working memory tests.
"This finding suggests that noise peaks inside the classroom may be more disruptive to neurodevelopment than average decibel level," commented ISGlobal researcher Maria Foraster, lead author of the study. "This is important because it supports the hypothesis that noise characteristics may be more influential than average noise levels, despite the fact that current policies are based solely on average decibels."
"Our study supports the hypothesis that childhood is a vulnerable period during which external stimuli such as noise can affect the rapid process of cognitive development that takes place before adolescence," explained ISGlobal researcher Jordi Sunyer, last author of the study.
Noise Exposure at Home
The researchers used the 2012 road traffic noise map of the city of Barcelona to estimate the average noise level at each participant's home. In this case, however, no association was observed between residential noise and cognitive development.
"This could be because noise exposure at school is more detrimental as it affects vulnerable windows of concentration and learning processes," commented Maria Forester. "On the other hand, although noise measurements were taken at the schools, noise levels at the children's homes were estimated using a noise map that may be less accurate and, in any case, only reflected outdoor noise. This, too, may have influenced the results."
The study adds to the body of evidence on the effects of transport on children's cognitive development, which to date have been observed at schools exposed to aircraft noise as well as at schools exposed to traffic-related air pollution. The researchers underscored the need for further studies on road traffic noise in other populations to determine whether these initial findings can be extrapolated to other cities and settings.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220602140809.htm
Team sports linked to fewer mental health difficulties for kids
However, kids who exclusively play individual sports more likely to face mental health challenges
June 1, 2022
Science Daily/PLOS
A large-scale study of U.S. children and adolescents has found that participation in a team sport is associated with fewer mental health difficulties, but that kids who are exclusively involved in an individual sport -- such as tennis or wrestling -- may face greater mental health difficulties than kids who do no sports at all. Matt Hoffmann of California State University, U.S.A., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 1, 2022.
Previous research has consistently suggested that youth participation in organized sports might help protect against mental health difficulties. However, some studies have linked youth sports participation to worse mental health, so more detailed research is needed to determine which approaches to sports might be most beneficial.
To shed new light, Hoffmann and colleagues analyzed data on the sports habits and mental health of 11,235 kids aged 9 to 13. Parents and guardians reported on several aspects of the children's mental health by filling out a form known as the Child Behavior Checklist. The researchers looked for any associations between the mental health data and the kids' sports habits, while also accounting for other factors that might impact mental health, such as household income and overall physical activity.
In line with the researchers' expectations, the analysis showed that kids involved in team sports were less likely to have signs of anxiety, depression, withdrawal, social problems, and attention problems.
The researchers also expected individual sports to be associated with fewer mental health difficulties, even if to a lesser extent than for team sports. However, they instead found that children who exclusively played individual sports tended to have greater mental health difficulties than those who did not play sports at all. Nonetheless, for female kids, participation in both team and individual sports was associated with a lower likelihood of rule-breaking behavior than non-sports participation.
Overall, these findings add to a growing body of evidence that playing team sports is positively associated with mental health for children and adolescents. The authors suggest that further research could help clarify the link they observed between individual sports and worse mental health difficulties, and longitudinal observations are needed to investigate any causal relationships between sport participation and mental health.
The authors add: "Children and adolescents who played exclusively team sports, like basketball or soccer, had fewer mental health difficulties than those who did not participate in any organized sports. However, to our surprise, youth who participated in only individual sports, such as gymnastics or tennis, had more mental health difficulties compared to those who did not participate in organized sports."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220601142809.htm
Children who play adventurously have better mental health
May 20, 2022
Science Daily/University of Exeter
Children who spend more time playing adventurously have lower symptoms of anxiety and depression, and were happier over the first Covid-19 lockdown, according to new research.
A study led by the University of Exeter asked parents how often their children engaged in play that was "thrilling and exciting," where they might experience some fear and uncertainty.
The study, published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, comes at a time when today's children have fewer opportunities for adventurous play out of sight of adults, such as climbing trees, riding bikes, jumping from high surfaces or playing somewhere where they are out of adult sight. The study sought to test theories that adventurous play offers learning opportunities that help build resilience in children, thereby helping to prevent mental health problems.
With funding from a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, the research team surveyed nearly 2,500 parents of children aged 5-11 years. Parents completed questions about their child's play, their general mental health (pre-Covid) and their mood during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
The research was carried out with two groups of parents: a group of 427 parents living in Northern Ireland and a nationally representative group of 1919 parents living in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
Researchers found that children who spend more time playing outside had fewer "internalising problems" -- characterised as anxiety and depression. Those children were also more positive during the first lockdown.
The effects were relatively small, as would be expected given the range of factors that affect children's mental health. However, results were consistent even after researchers factored in a wide range of demographic variables including child sex, age, parent employment status etc. and parent mental health. The study in the Great Britain group also found that the effect was more pronounced in children from lower income families than those growing up in higher income households.
Helen Dodd, Professor of Child Psychology at the of the University of Exeter, who led the study, said: "We're more concerned than ever about children's mental health, and our findings highlight that we might be able to help protect children's mental health by ensuring they have plentiful opportunities for adventurous play. This is really positive because play is free, instinctive and rewarding for children, available to everyone, and doesn't require special skills. We now urgently need to invest in and protect natural spaces, well-designed parks and adventure playgrounds, to support the mental health of our children."
Dan Paskins, Director of UK Impact at Save the Children, said: "Every child needs and deserves opportunities to play. This important research shows that this is even more vital to help children thrive after all they have missed out on during the Covid-19 restrictions. More play means more happiness and less anxiety and depression. That's why Save the Children is supporting the Summer of Play campaign which brings together organisations from around the country to pledge their support to enable children to have fun, spend time with friends and enjoy freedom."
Welcoming the findings, Jacqueline O'Loughlin, Chief Executive of PlayBoard NI said: "This research emphasises the importance of adventurous play. Children and young people need freedom and opportunities to encounter challenge and risk in their everyday playful adventures. It is clear from the research findings that playing, taking risks and experiencing excitement outdoors makes a positive contribution to children's mental health and emotional well-being. The rewards of allowing children to self-regulate and manage challenge in their play are widespread and far-reaching. Adventurous play helps children to build the resilience needed to cope with, and manage stress in challenging circumstances."
Examples of adventurous activities that don't cost anything are:
Going for a torch walk in the dark
Exploring woods alone or with a friend
Camping out overnight
Swimming or paddling in a river or lake
Jumping from a swing
Trying out new skills on a skateboard, rollerskates or cycling
Creating obstacle courses inside or outside
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220520144659.htm
Children with same-sex parents are socially well-adjusted
May 20, 2022
Science Daily/University of Cologne
Difficult social and legal conditions are stress factors for same-sex families, but do not affect the behavior of children and young people with same-sex parents, new research suggests.
A study by Dr Mirjam Fischer and colleagues at the University of Cologne's Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology (ISS) shows that children and adolescents with same-sex parents are just as well adjusted as those with different-sex parents. In this study, 62 six-to-sixteen-year-olds with same-sex parents were compared with 72 peers with different-sex parents regarding prosocial behaviour, hyperactivity, peer problems, emotional adjustment, and general behavioural problems. The results of the study 'Behavioral Outcomes of Children with Same-Sex Parents in The Netherlands' were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Previous studies have shown that same-sex parents face significant stress factors reated to their sexual orientation, such as experiences of prejudice and unsupportive legal contexts. On average, this added stress leads to decreased physical and mental health for same-sex parents, which in turn could lead to adjustment problems in their children.
'The new findings clearly show that same-sex families have strong resilience strategies to protect their children from prevailing legal hurdles and societal rejection. For example, parents create an environment in which their children receive appreciation and recognition from others and where other same-sex families provide positive role models. However, it should not be necessary in the first place that parents to have to develop these strategies,' said Fischer.
The study is based on unique survey data from the Dutch civil registers and thus provides representative results for families with parents between the ages of 30 and 65 years. The findings are in line with the large number of non-representative research results.
The researchers therefore recommend that research and policy makers move away from deficit-driven comparisons between same-sex and different-sex families. Instead, support services for same-sex families should build on their existing resilience structures and strengthen them further.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220520132901.htm
Diet plays key role in ADHD symptoms in children
Study finds more fruits and veggies means less inattention
May 19, 2022
Science Daily/Ohio State University
Here's a good reason for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to eat their fruits and vegetables: It may help reduce inattention issues, a new study suggests.
As part of a larger study, researchers asked parents of 134 kids with ADHD symptoms to complete a detailed questionnaire about the typical foods the children ate, including portion sizes, over a 90-day period.
Another questionnaire asked parents to rate symptoms of inattention -- a hallmark of ADHD -- in their kids, such as having trouble staying focused, not following instructions, difficulty remembering things, and difficulty regulating emotions.
Results showed that kids who consumed more fruits and vegetables showed less severe symptoms of inattention, said Irene Hatsu, co-author of the study and associate professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University.
"Eating a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, may be one way to reduce some of the symptoms of ADHD," Hatsu said.
The study was published online recently in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.
The data for this research was collected as part of the Micronutrients for ADHD in Youth (MADDY) Study, which examined the efficacy of a 36-ingredient vitamin and mineral supplement to treat symptoms of ADHD and poor emotional control in the 134 kids aged 6 to 12.
The study that evaluated the effectiveness of the supplement showed that children who took the micronutrients were three times as likely to show significant improvement in their ADHD and emotional dysregulation symptoms than those who took a placebo. That study was published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Another study involving the same children, published earlier this year in the journal Nutrients, showed that kids whose families had higher levels of food insecurity were more likely than others to show more severe symptoms of emotional dysregulation, such as chronic irritability, angry moods and outbursts of anger.
The three studies all paint a similar picture, Hatsu said: A healthy diet that provides all the nutrients that children require can help reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children.
"What clinicians usually do when kids with ADHD start having more severe symptoms is increase the dose of their treatment medication, if they are on one, or put them on medication," Hatsu said.
"Our studies suggest that it is worthwhile to check the children's access to food as well as the quality of their diet to see if it may be contributing to their symptom severity."
Children in the MADDY study, all of whom met the criteria for ADHD, were recruited from three sites: Columbus, Ohio; Portland, Oregon; and Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The study took place between 2018 and 2020. Participants were either not taking medication or stopped using it two weeks before the study began.
The studies on fruit and vegetable intake and the role of food insecurity were based on data collected when the children were first enrolled in the study, before they began taking the micronutrient supplement or placebo.
Why may diet be so important in ADHD?
Researchers believe that ADHD is related to low levels of some neurotransmitters in the brain -- and vitamins and minerals play a key role as cofactors in helping the body make those important neurochemicals and in overall brain function, Hatsu said.
Food insecurity may play an additional role.
"Everyone tends to get irritated when they're hungry and kids with ADHD are no exception. If they're not getting enough food, it could make their symptoms worse," she said.
Also, the stress of parents who are upset about not being able to provide enough food for their children can create family tension that could lead to more symptoms for children with ADHD.
The MADDY study is one of the first to look at the relationship between ADHD symptoms and diet quality among children in the United States and Canada, Hatsu said.
That's important because Western diets are more likely than many others, such as the Mediterranean diet, to fall short on fruit and vegetable intake, she said.
"We believe clinicians should assess the food security status of children with ADHD before creating or changing a treatment program," Hatsu said.
"Some symptoms might be more manageable by helping families become more food secure and able to provide a healthier diet."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220519115333.htm
Childhood circumstances and personality traits are associated with loneliness in older age
May 18, 2022
Science Daily/PLOS
Life circumstances during childhood -- including having fewer friends and siblings, low-quality relationships with parents, bad health and growing up in a poorer household -- are all correlated with a higher rate of loneliness in older age, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sophie Guthmuller of Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria.
Loneliness has been a growing topic of interest over the last decade, as it has been shown to be linked with ill health and to increase with age. Loneliness is correlated with a higher risk of developing mental conditions, a deterioration in physical health, and is linked to mortality and higher health care utilization.
In the new study, Guthmuller used data from the large cross-national Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which collects information from individuals across Europe aged 50 and older on health, socioeconomic status, and social and family networks. Loneliness was measured with the R-UCLA Loneliness Scale.
Guthmuller found that, while ill health is the main factor correlated with loneliness in older age, explaining 43.32% of the variance in loneliness, social support in older age also accounts for 27.05% of the variance, personality traits account for 10.42% and life circumstances during childhood account for 7.50%. The odds of loneliness age 50 and over were 1.24 times higher for people who rarely or never had comfortable friends in childhood compared to those who more often had friends, 1.34 times higher in those who had a fair or poor relationship with their mother as a child compared to those with an excellent maternal relationship, and 1.21 times higher when one grew up in a household with poor wealth compared to those in a wealthy household. Loneliness was more common in individuals with a neurotic personality (OR 1.20) and less common in those who scored highly for conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and openness.
Guthmuller points out that the findings of this study confirm the importance of social networks and support in older age, as well as the role of personality traits, and childhood circumstances. She concludes that early interventions are key to targeting later loneliness and that interventions aimed at increasing social support in later life need to be adapted to all personality types.
The author adds: "The study finds, as expected, that health status and social support at older ages are the two main factors correlated with loneliness at age 50+. Interestingly, the study reveals that personality traits and life circumstances during childhood are significantly associated with loneliness later in life, after controlling for a large set of later life conditions. In light of the trend of increasing childhood loneliness, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's life, the findings of this study confirms the importance of early life interventions to tackle long term effect on loneliness."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220518140714.htm
Major uptick reported in cannabis vaping for all adolescents
Largest increases found among high-school seniors, tripling in 2 years from 5 to 14 percent
May 19, 2022
Science Daily/Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Cannabis vaping is increasing as the most popular method of cannabis delivery among all adolescents in the U.S., as is the frequency of cannabis vaping, according to research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study found that the frequency of vaping cannabis among adolescents from all demographic groups is reported at six or more times per month, and rising faster than occasional use. Those who vape and smoke nicotine are more than 40 times more likely to also vape and smoke cannabis.
Until now time trends in vaping use had largely been unexamined including trends in use frequency, emerging disparities, and co-occurring use of other substances, which are all critical for surveillance and public health programmatic efforts. The findings are published in the journal Addiction.
"Heavy and frequent use of cannabis is increasing among U.S. adolescents, and vaped systems for products for both cannabis and nicotine are growing in number so understanding the prevalence and patterns of frequent cannabis vaping is important public health information for prevention," said Katherine Keyes, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. "Given rising concerns about cannabis vaping in terms of safety, and potential for transition to cannabis use disorder especially at frequent levels of use, these results indicate a necessity for public health intervention and increased regulation."
The findings are based on the U.S.-based representative annual survey, Monitoring the Future, a population of 51,052 school-attending adolescents. Schools were randomly selected and invited to participate for two years.
Past 30-day frequent cannabis use with vaping increased (2.1 percent to 5.4 percent), while occasional use with vaping rose from 1.2 to 3.5 percent from 2017 to 2019. Past 30-day frequent (3.8 to 2.1 percent) and occasional (6.9 to 4.4 percent) cannabis use without vaping declined. Certain groups, such as Hispanic/Latino or lower socioeconomic status adolescents, experienced particularly notable increases in frequent cannabis use with vaping (e.g., prevalence among Hispanic/Latino adolescents in 2017: 2.2 percent, 2019: 6.7 percent)
According to Keyes, tobacco use and e-cigarettes, as well as binge drinking, are strongly linked to frequent cannabis use -- both vaping and non-vaping. The evidence indicates that young adults who use nicotine, especially through vaporizers, are more likely to subsequently use vaped cannabis.
In fact, adolescents who reported smoking and vaping nicotine on more than 10 occasions of binge drinking, were 42 times and 10 times more likely to report past 30-day cannabis use with vaping, respectively, compared to no use.
"Given that it is easier for adolescents to conceal vaping than cannabis smoking, this mode of cannabis use may facilitate more frequent use," comments Keyes.
Prevalence increased across grades, with the largest burden among high school seniors for whom past-30-day prevalence almost tripled from 5 percent (2017) to 14 percent (2019). The one-year increase in this grade from 2018 to 2019 (7.5 percent to 14 percent) is the second largest one-year increase in any type of substance use prevalence ever tracked by Monitoring the Future.
"This persisting prevalence of daily cannabis use, which in 2020 use was higher than any year since 1981, is of further alarm for several reasons, observes Keyes. "Heavy levels of cannabis use are associated with adverse cognitive and social outcomes for youth, as well as long-term trajectories of drug use that may have adverse health and other consequences."
Also concerning is that high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be delivered through vaping devices, which may lead to dangerous consequences for youth users with lower tolerance.
"In addition, of note, is the evidence that the increases we are seeing in vaping as compared with smoking are concentrated among non-Hispanic white and higher socioeconomic status adolescents, the latter possibly reflecting the higher price point for vaping devices compared with other administration methods, "noted Keyes.
"As cannabis legalization continues across U.S. states, and as products, delivery systems, potency and marketing proliferate within a for-profit industry, increased attention to youth trends, including investment in sustained and evidence-based prevention and intervention, is increasingly urgent."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220519115311.htm
Four-year college students drink more, use marijuana less than community college peers
May 18, 2022
Science Daily/Washington State University
Students at four-year colleges and universities drink nearly twice as much alcohol as their peers in two-year colleges, according to a survey of college students in the Seattle area. On the other hand, students in community colleges and other two-year institutions use marijuana nearly twice as often as four-year students.
The results are detailed in a study led by a Washington State University researcher published in the Journal of American College Health.
"I expected differences in both alcohol and marijuana use among two- and four-year college students, but was surprised by the magnitude of the differences given that the subjects are the same ages," said Jennifer Duckworth, an assistant professor in WSU's Department of Human Development and lead author of the paper.
More research is needed to understand why these differences in alcohol and cannabis use exist, but perceptions of peer use may be one factor. Specifically, four-year students thought their peers drank more than two-year students believed their peers drank, whereas two-year students thought that their peers used cannabis more than four-year students thought their peers did.
In the study, the authors found that, among college students near Seattle, four-year students averaged over seven drinks per week, while two-year students averaged around 3.5 drinks each week, based on a self-reported questionnaire.
For marijuana use, two-year students averaged using it on over eight days in the previous month, while four-year students averaged nearly 4.5 days of use.
Both groups reported experiencing consequences of their substance use, Duckworth said.
The study included 517 students who reported drinking in the past year and who were between the ages of 18-23 at two- and four-year schools in Washington state. The young adults in the study filled out confidential online monthly surveys and received a stipend for participation. That combination of confidentiality, financial incentive, and ease of use led to a very high retention rate, Duckworth said.
She hopes to take the results of this study and conduct additional research on two-year students.
"Two-year students are a much harder group to study because they tend to have more variability in terms of age, work status, and they are more likely to be from underrepresented racial and/or ethnic minority groups," Duckworth said. "We know a lot more about four-year students, at least partly because most of the people doing the research are on four-year campuses."
Many four-year schools have research-based intervention programs to decrease the use of alcohol. She hopes to expand those to two-year campuses as well.
One such tool is a normative feedback intervention, which focuses on correcting misconceptions -- in this case misconceptions students have about peer substance use. Studies have shown that four-year students think their peers are using substances much more than they really are.
"If you think your peers are drinking more than they really are, that leads you to drink more," said Duckworth, who hopes to create and implement something similar for two-year students and marijuana use.
"Two-year students are using marijuana more than four-year students, but they also think their peers are using it more than they probably are," she said. "I say probably because we need more research to assess peer use. It's an important next step is studying this often understudied population."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220518130707.htm
Concussion symptoms in children may have multiple underlying causes
May 17, 2022
Science Daily/McGill University
Different types of brain damage caused by a concussion may lead to similar symptoms in children, according to research led by McGill University. A new way of studying concussions could help develop future treatments.
While most children fully recover after a concussion, some will have lasting symptoms. The findings published in eLife help explain the complex relationships that exist between symptoms and the damage caused by the injury.
The researchers found that certain combinations of brain damage were associated with specific symptoms such as attention difficulties. Other symptoms, such as sleep problems, occurred in children with multiple types of injuries. For example, damage to areas of the brain that are essential for controlling sleep and wakefulness could cause challenges with sleeping, as could damage to brain regions that control mood.
The brain's white matter holds clues
To do this, they examined how damage to the brain resulting from concussion affected its structural connection network, known as white matter. They then used statistical modelling techniques to see how these changes related to 19 different symptoms reported by the children or their caregivers.
Analysing symptoms may advance treatment
"Despite decades of research, no new treatment targets and therapies for concussions have been identified in recent years," says lead author Guido Guberman, a Vanier Scholar and MDCM Candidate at McGill University. "This is likely because damage to the brain caused by concussions, and the symptoms that result from it, can vary widely across individuals. In our study, we wanted to explore the relationships that exist between the symptoms of concussion and the nature of the injury in more detail."
Guberman and his colleagues analysed data collected from 306 children, aged nine to 10 years old, who had previously had a concussion. The children were all participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
"The methods used in our study provide a novel way of conceptualising and studying concussions," says senior author Maxime Descoteaux, a Professor of Computer Science at Université de Sherbrooke. "Once our results are validated and better understood, they could be used to explore potential new treatment targets for individual patients. More broadly, it would be interesting to see if our methods could also be used to gather new insights on neurological diseases that likewise cause varied symptoms among patients."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220517151823.htm
Motivation for sports and school go hand in hand for adolescent athletes
Male students less interested in school than female students
May 17, 2022
Science Daily/University of Eastern Finland
Adolescent athletes with high motivation for school also have high motivation for sports. Male students tend to be less interested in school than their female peers, a new study from Finland shows.
Successfully integrating elite sports with education requires motivation to commit oneself to both domains. In Europe, the EU has instructed its Member States to formulate and adopt national guidelines on dual careers of athletes. Sufficient policy actions are needed in support of combining elite sports with academic education. In Finland, for example, talented and elite adolescent athletes have the opportunity to complete their upper secondary education in special sports upper secondary schools, which offer equal competitive sport opportunities for both genders and often specialise in multiple sports.
A new study conducted among nearly 400 adolescent athletes in Finland examined the development of, and gender differences in, their task values for school and sports across the upper secondary school years. The students were aged 15-16 at the beginning of the study, and they were all completing their upper secondary education in a sports upper secondary school. They were followed four times during their upper secondary school years.
The researchers found that the task values for school and sports among the students were strongly related to each other. Students with high motivation for school also had high motivation for sports. On the other hand, students with lower motivation for school struggled to maintain their motivation for sports, too.
"In this study, we focused especially on potential gender differences. Female students are generally expected to have higher motivation for an academic career than male students, whereas in sports, gender role stereotypes often exert an impact on the importance attached to masculine characteristics. It has been suggested that, from the motivational perspective, such a masculine performance narrative directs males more easily towards dedication to sports," Professor Jaana Viljaranta from the University of Eastern Finland says.
The results showed that male students' school-related task values were lower than female students' task values at the beginning of upper secondary school, and that the gender differences remained across the school years. However, no gender differences were found in the students' motivation for an athletic career.
"These findings indicate that female students may be more committed to integrating elite sports and education than male students."
To support the processes of dual career construction for male students, special attention should be paid to developing their motivation for school.
"Awareness of the gender differences shown in this study could help better understand what kind of support students need in sports upper secondary school to guarantee them the possibility of a dual career," Professor Viljaranta points out.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220517112234.htm
Effects of stress on adolescent brain's 'triple network'
Acute stress, repeated traumas shift functional connectivity
May 11, 2022
Science Daily/Elsevier
Stress and trauma during adolescence can lead to long-term health consequences such as psychiatric disorders, which may arise from neurodevelopmental effects on brain circuitry. A new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, has used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of acute stress and "polyvicitimization," or repeated traumas, on three brain networks in adolescents.
"While negative health outcomes have been associated separately with early life victimization exposure, disrupted adolescent neurodevelopment, and aberrant neural network responses to acute stress, no previous research had examined how these factors are related to each other," explained Rachel Corr, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA and lead author of the study. "This study aimed to put together these pieces of the puzzle."
Dr. Corr and colleagues specifically wanted to explore "how acute stress influences functional connectivity of the brain's 'triple networks,'" referring to the default mode network, the salience network, and the central executive network. Together, the three networks are critical for controlling cognition, emotion, perception, and social interaction. Aberrant activity in and between the triple networks has long been associated with psychiatric symptoms.
The researchers analyzed functional connectivity (FC) data previously collected from 79 children aged 9 to 16, many with polyvictimization. To measure the effects of acute stress on brain connectivity, participants completed a task while undergoing fMRI scanning. In the control condition, subjects completed math problems at their own pace and were told their answers were not recorded; in the stress condition, participants had to do the math problems quickly during an allotted time and were given negative feedback about their performance throughout the test.
During the acute stress condition, participants showed altered functional connectivity between the three brain networks. Specifically, the researchers saw increased FC between the default mode and central executive networks, and decreased FC between the salience network and the other two networks. The authors postulate that the insula, a brain region associated with inwardly directed attention, could mediate the changes they saw in FC.
The team also wanted to investigate how the neural network stress response was affected by polyvictimization, in which adolescents may experience multiple forms of victimization, including by parents, peers, or other adults. By studying polyvictimization, they could study the potential cumulative effects of repeated exposures on the brain. Subjects who experienced polyvictimization were more likely to show greater reductions in FC between the salience and default mode networks and the insula in particular. Together the findings suggest that the brain may have adapted to repeated traumas to make it less able to react to stressful experiences. A better understanding of the neurodevelopmental effects of trauma on the brain will help researchers to better address the resulting psychiatric outcomes.
Cameron Carter, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, said of the work, "This study shows how repeated trauma may lead to a maladaptive response to acute stress in important functional brain networks and reveals a potential mechanism by which multiple early life stressors may lead to increased neural vulnerability to stress and the associated liability to future mental health problems."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220511092210.htm