Publications - Parenting/Caregiver Advice and Support

Partnership Parenting, by Kyle Pruett and Pruett, Jul 17 2014.

Divorce Can Impact Children's Weight, by Lauren Gaines, Parenting Magazine , Jul 1 2014.

“Parents often worry about their children's emotional well-being when going through a divorce, but new research suggests they should be concerned for their physical health, too. A study published in the online journal BMJ Open found that children of divorced parents were more likely to be overweight or obese. ”

Have you had the 'sext' talk with your kids?, by Geetha Parachuru, CNN , Jun 30 2014.

“It’s called sexting, the act of sending and/or receiving sexually explicit text or photo messages via your mobile phone. And one in five middle school-aged students are doing it, according to a new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics. Among the 1,285 Los Angeles students aged 10 to 15 surveyed for the study, 20% reported having received at least one sext, while 5% reported having sent at least one sext. ”

Suppressing Positive Emotions Can Lead to Postpartum Depression, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Apr 30 2014.

“New research discovers that the suppression of positive feelings can play an important role in the development of postpartum depression. Investigators believe this finding has implications for the treatment of depressed mothers. ”

Meaningful Activities Protect the Brain From Depression, by Olga Khazan, The Atlantic , Apr 21 2014.

“How we seek and respond to those rewards is part of what determines our overall happiness. Aristotle famously said there were two basic types of joy: hedonia, or that keg-standing, Netflix binge-watching, Nutella-from-the-jar selfish kind of pleasure, and eudaimonia, or the pleasure that comes from helping others, doing meaningful work, and otherwise leading a life well-lived. Recent psychological research has suggested that this second category is more likely to produce a lasting increase in happiness. Hedonic rewards may generate a short-term burst of glee, but it dissipates more quickly than the surge created by the more selfless eudaimonic rewards. ”

Depression risks increase for young dads, by Michelle Healy, USA Today , Apr 14 2014.

“Becoming a dad can be emotionally tough for any guy, but especially for young, first-time fathers. A new study finds that the first five years of parenthood - key attachment and bonding years for a child - may be the riskiest for young dads when it comes to developing depression. Symptoms of depression increased on average by 68% over the first five years of fatherhood for men who were around 25 years old when they became fathers and lived with their children, according to the study published online today in the journal Pediatrics. ”

Military Dads Have to Re-Learn Parenting After Deployment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mar 4 2014.

“Fathers who returned after military service report having difficulty connecting with young children who sometimes don’t remember them, according to a study released this week. While the fathers in the study had eagerly anticipated reuniting with their families, they reported significant stress, especially around issues of reconnecting with children, adapting expectations from military to family life, and co-parenting. ”

Orphans' Lonely Beginnings Reveal How Parents Shape A Child's Brain, by Jon Hamilton, NPR, Feb 24 2014.

“Parents do a lot more than make sure a child has food and shelter, researchers say. They play a critical role in brain development. More than a decade of research on children raised in institutions shows that "neglect is awful for the brain," says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital. Without someone who is a reliable source of attention, affection and stimulation, he says, "the wiring of the brain goes awry." The result can be long-term mental and emotional problems. ”

Higher risks among perinatal women with bipolar disorder, by Brown University, ScienceDaily , Feb 24 2014.

“Women with bipolar disorder often struggle with the illness during and after pregnancy. A new study finds that they were significantly more likely to face important psychiatric and childrearing challenges compared to women who were seeking treatment for other psychiatric disorders. The findings indicate the importance of properly identifying the disorder and developing specific treatments for women during and after pregnancy, the lead author states. ”

In Texting Era, Crisis Hotlines Put Help at Youths’ Fingertips, by Leslie Kaufman, New York Times, Feb 4 2014.

“While counseling by phone remains far more prevalent, texting has become such a fundamental way to communicate, particularly among people under 20, that crisis groups have begun to adopt it as an alternative way of providing emergency services and counseling. Texting provides privacy that can be crucial if a person feels threatened by someone near them, counselors say. It also looks more natural if the teenager is in public. ”

The Foolproof Way to Improve Your ADHD Child’s Social Skills, by Lisa Aro, Everyday Health, Jan 21 2014.

“Impulsiveness, frustration, and impatience can often leads to inappropriate or aggressive behavior. While discipline is important it means nothing in the if end the child hasn’t learned new skills to help them cope with the situations they face every day. Social stories can help you teach your child those skills. ”

Raising Our Children's Children: Room in the Heart, by Deborah Doucette, 2014.

Yelling, threatening parents harm teens' mental health, by Allison Bond, Reuters , Dec 10 2013.

“Threatening or screaming at teenagers may put them at higher risk for depression and disruptive behaviors such as rule-breaking, a new study suggests. "The take home point is that the verbal behaviors matter," Annette Mahoney, who worked on the study, said. She's a professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. "It can be easy to overlook that, but our study shows that the verbal hostility is really relevant, particularly for mothers who scream and hit, and for fathers who do either one," Mahoney told Reuters Health. ”

Bully in the next bedroom - are we in denial about sibling aggression?, by William Kremer, Nov 8 2013.

“Sibling relationships can be difficult, and never more so than in childhood. But society often regards the scrapping and squabbling, the play fighting and not-so-playful fighting as a normal part of growing up. Almost a third of the 3,600 children questioned said they had been the victim of some sort of sibling aggression in the past 12 months. This included a range of acts from theft and psychological abuse to physical assault, either mild or severe. In comparison, research suggests that up to a quarter of children are victims of schoolyard aggression every year. ”

How to talk to your children about school safety, by Elizabeth Gehrman, Oct 6 2013.

“More schools are beefing up security, adding metal detectors, surveillance cameras, and more. Parents need to be ready to help their children understand why. ”