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New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) has found that socially isolated children are more likely to experience ADHD symptoms and loneliness as young adults despite other risk factors in childhood. The study, published in JCPP Advances, investigated why some children become isolated and the implications for later outcomes. … The study revealed that the experience of social isolation in childhood was associated with a range of difficulties in adulthood, even when the isolation itself had reduced. The findings suggest that childhood social isolation can indicate co-occurring mental health difficulties, which can be ...
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A report released by Sapien Labs indicates that smartphone use could be responsible for an ongoing decline in the mental health of young adults in the 18-24 age range. The report notes that before the internet, by the time someone turned 18, they would have spent “15,000 to 25,000 hours interacting with peers and family in person.” But with the internet, that number has dropped down to a range of 1,500 to 5,000 hours. Prior to 2010, studies showed that young adults had the highest levels of psychological well-being, but since then, the trend has been in the opposite direction, according to The Statesman bit.ly/3Oai0E0. SOURCE: Phone Arena, by Alan ...
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A UK-based research project, the largest of its kind on the subject, has suggested mindfulness training in schools might be a dead end—at least as a universal, one-size-fits-all approach. The study, which involved 28,000 children, 650 teachers and 100 schools, looked at the impact of mindfulness training over an eight-year period and found that the technique didn’t help the mental health and well-being of adolescents ages 11 to 14. The authors suggested investigating other options to improve adolescent mental health. SOURCE: By Katie Hunt, CNN, July 12, 2022: cnn.it/3zhljoQ #Adolescent #Children #Mindfulness #Counselor'sDigest
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The roughly two years since the beginning of the pandemic have seen a significant increase in teenage girls visiting emergency rooms due to mental health conditions, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The study found that the proportion of emergency room visits made by girls aged 12 to 17 doubled for eating disorders and approximately tripled for tic disorders during the pandemic when compared with 2019. It also reported that adolescent girls’ emergency room visits rose for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in 2021 and for anxiety, trauma and stressor-related disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in ...
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Expertise based on experience matters. Young people who experience mental health challenges and treatment can provide unique insights that others do not have. Through roles such as youth advisors and peer researchers, they can put that knowledge to use. They are best placed to make a participant information and consent form meaningful and comprehensible for people their age. They can advise whether an intervention is appealing and practical before considerable time and resources are invested in development and testing. There is evidence that involving people with lived experience in research helps to improve funding success, recruitment rates and research outcomes. ...
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Stress-related thoughts and physiological responses in adolescents can be reduced using a single 30-minute online training session. The findings suggest a short, low-cost treatment for adolescent stress that could be scaled nationally. SOURCE: By David S. Yeager, July 7, 2022 Nature Magazine : go.nature.com/3crRit6 #Adolescent #Stress #Counselor'sDigest
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As health professionals dedicated to the care of children and adolescents, The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association call for seven actions to address the “soaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic,” and the “disproportionate impacts on children from communities of color” caused by the “inequities that result from structural racism.” SOURCE: Oct. 19, 2021: bit.ly/3Pg3QCp #Adolescent #Children #MentalHealthintheNews
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According to the new data, in 2021, more than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year. … [D]uring the pandemic: • More than half (55%) reported they experienced emotional abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including swearing at, insulting, or putting down the student. • 11% experienced physical abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including hitting, beating, kicking, or physically hurting the student. • More than a quarter (29%) reported a parent or other adult in their home ...
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In a Times survey, counselors said students are behind in their abilities to learn, cope and relate. SOURCE: By Claire Cain Miller and Bianca Pallaro, May 29, 2022, New York Times: nyti.ms/3t5zABj #Children #Adolescent #MentalHealthintheNews
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A coalition of state attorneys general is investigating TikTok for its potential effect on young people’s mental and physical health ( via CNBC ). The group of AGs is looking to see if the way TikTok designs, operates, and markets its platform has a negative effect on children, teens, and young adults’ health, according to a press release from Attorney General Maura Healey of Massachusetts. SOURCE: By Mitchell Clark, March 2, 2022, TheVerge, Vox Media bit.ly/3uZxpjH #Children #Adolescent #MentalHealthintheNews
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In September 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a new set of online tools to help teens, kids, and parents deal with the mental and emotional impacts of COVID-19. Videos and comic strip-style illustrated stories—in both English and Spanish—guide kids and parents through classic cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and skills that can help them cope and develop healthy ways of dealing with stressful situations. … The resources were designed to be racially and culturally inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly, and accessible. SOURCE: The National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine, Sept. 23, 2021, bit.ly/3uXihTY ...
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… [K]ids who played only individual sports, like tennis or gymnastics, tended to face more mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression or troubles with concentration, than peers who played no sports at all. Youngsters who participated exclusively in team sports, on the other hand, were less likely to experience these issues than those who didn’t play any sport. SOURCE: By Alex Fox, June 1, 2022, Smithsonian Magazine: bit.ly/3yRsiDq #Children #Adolescent #Parenting #MentalHealthintheNews
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Talking to a parent about mental health can be scary. Many people report being afraid to tell their parents because they don’t want to upset them. Sometimes we don’t understand where troubling feelings or thoughts are coming from, or we feel guilty for having them. … Here are some of the most common concerns people give for not talking to their parents—and some tips for overcoming them. SOURCE: Mental Health America: bit.ly/3Pz0Hxs #Children #Adolescent #MentalHealthintheNews
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There is a huge body of research that unambiguously shows that children’s mental health in the United States was already really bad before the pandemic. SOURCE: By Judith Warner, March 27, 2022, The Washington Post Magazine, wapo.st/3Ogv5LZ #Children #Adolescent #MentalHealthintheNews
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“A study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin sheds light on the importance of perceived partner responsiveness in promoting affectionate touch within romantic relationships. Across a series of four studies, the researchers found that people who felt more cared for and supported by their partners tended to engage in more affectionate touch.” SOURCE: PsyPost, July 2, 2021, by Beth Ellwood https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/increased-psychological-intimacy-predicts-greater-levels-of-affectionate-touch-in-romantic-relationships-61340 #Counselor'sDigest
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“Findings from the Journal of Psychiatric Research point to a negative focus on the past as a fundamental aspect of depression. The study found that childhood trauma was associated with elevated depressive symptoms, but only among those who showed a tendency to focus on the past over the present and future.” SOURCE: PsyPost, July 1, 2021, by Beth Ellwood https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/a-tendency-to-focus-on-the-past-plays-a-key-role-in-increasing-depressive-symptoms-among-individuals-with-childhood-trauma-61336 #Counselor'sDigest #Trauma
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A psychology study offers insight into why psychopathy—a largely “inhuman” personality trait—continues to exist across time and cultures. During a prisoner’s dilemma game, subclinical psychopathy was associated with a strategic social strategy that suggests fitness advantages to the trait. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. SOURCE: PsyPost, June 28, 2021, by Beth Ellwood https://www.psypost.org/2021/06/subclinical-psychopathy-is-associated-with-strategic-social-behavior-and-may-be-an-adaptive-trait-61303 #Counselor'sDigest
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“Men are more likely to make extreme choices and decisions than women, according to new research on economic decision-making, led by an international team of scientists. …The findings show that the more extreme choices and decisions of men can be both positive and negative. … The findings could impact policies aimed at regulating extreme behaviours such as the recent GameStop trading frenzy after retail traders on Reddit heavily shorted the stock. SOURCE: University of Sydney, June 2, 2021 https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/06/02/revealed-men-and-women-do-think-and-act-differently.html #Counselor'sDigest
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“When people are told to imagine that an event is going to happen to them and to a friend (e.g., winning $100), people prefer that they and their friend experience these events at the same time rather than on different days. The findings, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science , suggest that this effect stems from a desire for interpersonal connection.” SOURCE: PsyPost, May 27, 2021, by Beth Ellwood https://www.psypost.org/2021/05/new-study-provides-insight-into-a-psychological-phenomenon-known-as-social-hedonic-editing-60928 #Counselor'sDigest
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People who tend to go to bed and wake up earlier have significantly lower risk of major depression, according to a sweeping new genetic study published May 26 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The study examined data from more than of 840,000 people, and … represents some of the strongest evidence yet that chronotype—a person’s propensity to sleep at a certain time —influences depression risk. It’s also among the first studies to quantify just how much, or little, change might be required to influence mental health.” SOURCE: University of Colorado Boulder, May 27, 2021, by Lisa Marshall https://www.colorado.edu/today/2021/05/27/earlier-sleep-timing-associated-lower-depression-risk ...
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