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Social media messages could empower parents to prevent teen vaping

Parents are an important line of defense against teen vaping, yet many lack the knowledge and tools needed to recognize vaping products, understand their risks and prevent their children from using them.

31 Aug 2026

New stroke guideline mandates personalized and early rehabilitation

A stroke can change life in an instant, affecting everything from walking and speaking to memory, mood and the ability to perform everyday tasks.

27 Aug 2026

Internalized racial oppression may undermine culturally affirming parenting

Black parents who experienced higher levels of appropriated racial oppression - defined as shaping one's behavior and self-concept around dominant cultural norms of whiteness - were less likely to transmit positive, culturally protective messages that affirmed racial pride and self-worth to their adolescent children, a recent study found.

25 Aug 2026

Psychological factors determine maternal readiness to care for newborns

The first days after childbirth are a time of profound change – not only physically, but emotionally as well. Although the rooming-in model, in which mothers and newborns stay together around the clock, is standard practice in maternity wards, not every woman feels ready to care for her baby independently from the very first hours after delivery.

20 Aug 2026

Your social life may leave a mark on how fast you age

Positive social experiences were associated with longer survival, while childhood adversity predicted shorter survival in a 1,309-person longitudinal cohort followed for nearly 15 years. Epigenetic aging, particularly GrimAge2, emerged as the strongest potential pathway linking social experiences with mortality risk.

12 Aug 2026

Parenting stress influences children's screen habits, study finds

Researchers at FIU have a message for parents: If screen time is part of getting through a stressful day, find a way to make it count. The goal should be to focus less on quantity and more on quality.

6 Aug 2026

Sensitive parenting buffers against child ADHD risks from pregnancy

Research from Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Mental Health Innovation provides new evidence that the way caregivers interact with children when they're very young can protect against the negative effects of inflammation during pregnancy, including increased attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, symptoms in children.

3 Aug 2026

UH psychologist receives NIH grant to evaluate remote parenting program for premature infants

A University of Houston psychologist has received a $2.8 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to lead the first randomized clinical trial testing whether a remotely delivered parenting program can improve healthy infant brain development to support long-term mental health outcomes for babies born prematurely.

29 Jul 2026

Parenting quality at age 3 predicts adolescent reward responsiveness

In 465 young people followed from late childhood to late adolescence, EEG reward responses increased until mid-adolescence before declining by age 18. Higher positive parenting and lower negative parenting at age 3 predicted stronger developmental changes in neural responses to monetary rewards, while early stress exposure showed no significant association.

22 Jul 2026

Preterm adults show varied outcomes across optimal, moderate, and low-functioning groups

A landmark 34-year study, co-led by University of Warwick, tracks very preterm babies from birth to middle adulthood and identifies early cognitive development as the strongest predictor of who flourishes and struggles as adults.

21 Jul 2026

Screen soothing shapes young children's cognitive development over time

In "Llama Llama Mad at Mama," a popular children's book from 2007, a little Llama Llama goes to the grocery with his mama and becomes overwhelmed by all the sounds, sights, smells and shopping decisions happening around him.

13 Jul 2026

High maternal sensitivity reduces the risk of later emotional and behavioral problems

A mother's warm, timely, and appropriate responses to her child's needs support the child's development and help protect against emotional and behavioral difficulties later in life. A new study shows that sensitive parent-child interactions help reduce risks associated with preterm birth.

10 Jul 2026

Routine midwife debriefing provides critical mental health support for mothers

A new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found that a structured, midwife‑led birth debrief can significantly strengthen women's emotional wellbeing after childbirth and can be built into routine maternity care.

9 Jul 2026

Paternal postpartum depression affects more fathers than widely recognized

Postpartum depression in mothers is a widely recognized condition that affects 1 in 7 women. But less known is that 1 in 10 new fathers also experience depression.

8 Jul 2026

Study reveals long-term, intergenerational impacts of severe preconception trauma

Can the trauma of a parent rewrite the mental health of a child born decades later? A new compelling study reveals that children born decades after the Holocaust to parents who were older than age five at the time of the initial Nazi persecutions faced elevated schizophrenia risk.

7 Jul 2026

Genetic markers for ADHD influence early toddler activity levels

A toddler's activity levels are influenced by genetic differences, with some of the same genetic markers also linked to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to new research from the University of Surrey.

1 Jul 2026

Under-twos should avoid screen time to protect future health

Using screens during the first 1001 days of life can lead to developmental concerns for the next generation, researchers warn.

29 Jun 2026

Parental genes rather than pregnancy weight influence childhood body mass index

The link between parents' body mass index (BMI) and their children's BMI in childhood is driven largely by genetic inheritance, rather than by any direct biological effects of parental weight during pregnancy, a new study suggests.

23 Jun 2026

Nursery videos effectively educate first-time fathers on infant care

Brief videos shown in the hospital newborn nursery may be an effective way to educate first-time fathers on infant care topics, such as safe sleep, infant crying and car safety, according to a pilot study published in the journal Pediatrics Open Science.

19 Jun 2026

Parents' phone distraction linked to insecure attachment in teenagers

We worry about the time kids spend using screens - but what if the time their caregivers spend on phones is also harmful? Scientists working on digital mental health noticed increasing reports of teenagers struggling with their parents' phone use and decided to investigate.

18 Jun 2026