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Unique childhood-obesity prevention program focuses on teaching parenting skills

Researchers in Arizona State University's Department of Psychology received a five-year grant for just under $2.5 million from the USDA to implement an intervention program that targets childhood obesity in a novel way: by teaching parenting skills.

3 Jul 2018

Lack of stable partner is major reason for women freezing their eggs, shows study

Contrary to common suggestion, women are opting to freeze their eggs not to pursue education or careers but for reasons "mostly revolving around women's lack of stable partnerships with men committed to marriage and parenting".

2 Jul 2018

Study finds no difference in child outcomes for same-sex versus heterosexual parents

For children of lesbian or gay parents, psychological adjustment is about the same as in children of heterosexual parents, reports a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

28 Jun 2018

Food insecurity in children associated with behavioral problems and poor cognitive outcomes

In 2016, 12.9 million children lived in food-insecure households. These children represent a vulnerable population since their developing brains can suffer long-term negative consequences from undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.

26 Jun 2018

'Mind-minded' parents contribute greatly to development of infants' emotion regulation capacity

Most parents want their children to learn to regulate their emotions and, for example, not immediately give up after a disappointment or become hysterical when they don't get their way.

20 Jun 2018

Study shows modest link between mother’s attitude towards baby during pregnancy and later interactions

Mothers who 'connect' with their baby during pregnancy are more likely to interact in a more positive way with their infant after it is born, according to a study carried out at the University of Cambridge. Interaction is important for helping infants learn and develop.

12 Jun 2018

‘Where the need is’: Tackling teen pregnancy with a midwife at school

The student comes in for a pregnancy test — the second time she has asked for one in a matter of weeks. She’s 15. She lives with her boyfriend. He wants kids — he won’t use protection. She loves him, she says. But she doesn’t want to get pregnant. She knows how much harder it would be for her to finish high school.

12 Jun 2018

Mothers with higher emotional and cognitive control less likely to report poor child conduct

A new parenting study finds that the greater emotional control and problem-solving abilities a mother has, the less likely her children will develop behavioral problems, such as throwing tantrums or fighting.

1 Jun 2018

Pitt professor develops breast pump accessory to help moms breastfeed

Breast milk has many known health benefits, but breastfeeding is not always an option for moms, and many turn to pumping as an alternative.

16 May 2018

Parenting concerns affect emotional well-being of mothers with late-stage cancer

Parenting concerns contributed significantly to the psychological distress of mothers with late-stage cancer, according to a study by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers.

7 May 2018

Greater parent-child communication protects against harmful health behaviors

Children with greater parent communication in early adolescence have less harmful alcohol use and emotional eating in young adulthood, according to a new study in Biological Psychiatry.

3 May 2018

Mother's depression can negatively affect child's cognitive development

Roughly one in 10 women in the United States will experience depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The consequences, however, may extend to their children, report researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, who found that a mother's depression can negatively affect a child's cognitive development up to the age of 16.

17 Apr 2018

Legacy of social and political factors may be responsible for vaccine hesitancy

A legacy of social and political factors rather than bad parenting may be influencing people's decisions not to vaccinate their children, according to a study from the University of Waterloo.

9 Apr 2018

Parents face many challenges in discussing sex with LGBTQ children

It's hard enough for parents to have "the talk" about sexual health with their kids, but parents of LGBTQ children feel especially uncomfortable and unequipped when they try to educate them about sex and dating, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

5 Apr 2018

Child’s temperament and parenting influence weight gain in babies

Offering a snack may be a sure way to soothe a fussy child, but researchers say making it a habit can result in unnecessary weight gain in babies with certain temperaments.

20 Mar 2018

Campus voices: Should student health centers offer abortion pills?

Forty-five years after Roe v. Wade made abortions legal, a growing number of states — and the federal government — are restricting access to them.

12 Mar 2018

Babies resembling their fathers are healthier

A new study has shown that babies that look like their fathers and spend more time with their fathers are likely to be healthier at their first birthday. The study comes from researchers at the Binghamton University, State University of New York. The paper is titled, “If looks could heal: Child health and paternal investment,” and was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Health Economics.

8 Mar 2018

Infants who resemble their father at birth found to be healthier one year later

Infants who resemble their father at birth are more likely to spend time together with their father and, in turn, be healthier when they reach their first birthday, according to new research co-conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

5 Mar 2018

Oxytocin nasal spray strengthens mothers' brain responses to pictures of infant and adult faces

In a new study from the University of Tampere in Finland, nasally administered oxytocin spray strengthened brain responses to pictures of infant and adult faces in mothers of 1-year-old infants.

26 Feb 2018

Social benefits may ease financial burden experienced by parents of children diagnosed with cancer

A new study from Sweden found that social benefits often ease the financial burdens experienced by the parents of children recently diagnosed with cancer, but mothers experienced persistently lower income after benefits diminished.

13 Feb 2018