Feature Channels: Family and Parenting

• share
• favorite_border

Folic acid fortification of foods may reduce the incidence of the most common type of kidney cancer and a type of brain tumors in children, finds a new study by Kimberly J. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, and Amy Linabery, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota. Incidence reductions were found for Wilms’ tumor, a type of kidney cancer, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), a type of brain cancer.

• share
• favorite_border

When writer Florence Williams was nursing her second child, she had her breast milk analyzed for toxins. What she found surprised her. Trace amounts of pesticides, dioxin, a jet-fuel ingredient and high-to-average levels of flame retardants were present in her breast milk. She reported on these findings in New York Times Magazine, which has since set off a wave of controversy. A Loyola University Health System lactation consultant puts these findings in perspective.

• share
• favorite_border

Analysis of best-selling teen novels shows that readers come across seven instances of profanity per hour spent reading, and the characters who cuss are usually rich, beautiful and popular.

• share
• favorite_border

An increasing number of highly educated women are opting for families, according to a national study. The research clearly shows fertility rising for older, highly educated women since the 1990s.

• share
• favorite_border

Parents can have a significant impact in steering young children away from too much time spent in sedentary pursuits.

• share
• favorite_border

A national study suggests that a significantly greater number of highly educated women in their late 30s and 40s are deciding to have children - a dramatic turnaround from recent history.

• share
• favorite_border

Pediatricians and other breastfeeding advocates often encourage new mothers to breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of their infants’ lives based on the purported health benefits to both mothers and children. Many breastfeeding proponents also argue that breastfeeding has financial advantages over formula-feeding—breastfeeding is free, they say. But, according to a new study, the notion that there’s no cost associated with breastfeeding for the recommended amount of time is patently untrue.

• share
• favorite_border

Aimed at professionals faced with hard choices on family matters, this book shows how restorative practices empowers families to solve their own problems with a minimum of government intervention.

• share
• favorite_border

Parents drill their children on "stranger danger," but when children are abused its most often by someone they know. This article helps parents protect their children from abuse closer to home: from family members, an adult the family trusts or another child.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study from Case Western Reserve University finds mothers tend to be more critical of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder than they are of other children in the family. And, that parental criticism is linked to poorer outcomes for the child after treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

Do an online search for sex offenders living in your neighborhood and you may be alarmed by how many you find. But a new study of sex-offender registries in five states shows that they overestimate the number of offenders actually living in the community by as much as 60 percent.

• share
• favorite_border

One of the problems that parents may have during the springtime is deciphering whether their children’s sneezing is due to a cold or allergies.

• share
• favorite_border

Parents and adult caregivers of pediatric cancer patients prefer personal consultations with trusted health care providers over online sources for information about their child’s illness, according to a University at Buffalo research study.

• share
• favorite_border

How do we balance our careers with other aspects of our lives? Is there an ideal balance, or is the equation mostly subjective? Boise State University Foundational Studies professors Vicki Stieha and Rebecca Robideaux can answer these questions and examine the evolution of the “work-life balance” dynamic.

• share
• favorite_border

More women are waiting to get married, but choosing not to wait to have children. That’s the conclusion in a new profile from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University. Researchers looked at data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics to investigate the trends in a woman’s average age at first marriage and first birth since 1980.

• share
• favorite_border

Research has shown that youth violence is a major cause of injury and death among Latinos. However, there is little understanding of violent behaviors of youths within various Latino ethnic subgroups such as Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Mexicans. Lorena Estrada-Martínez, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, recently examined how family dynamics and neighborhood racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic status (SES) impact youth violence among Latino subgroups. “Higher levels of youth independence can reduce the risk of violence in primarily Latino neighborhoods,” Estrada-Martinez says. “When we looked at the interaction between SES and autonomy, it was a different story. We found that as the SES of a neighborhood increases, high levels of autonomy became a risk factor for youth violence.”

• share
• favorite_border

Married adults who undergo heart surgery are more than three times as likely as single people who have the same surgery to survive the next three months, a new study finds.

• share
• favorite_border

For couples who may believe a baby will improve a rocky relationship, new research from RTI International and Pennsylvania State University finds that violence between a couple before a child's birth impedes their ability to co-parent well.

• share
• favorite_border

People collect things all the time, but when that hobby becomes an incessant need to hoard, it becomes a disorder. But how much of hoarders' behaviours are influenced by their partners and family members? A pair of Canadian researchers are investigating this link.

• share
• favorite_border

The growth of two-income families and increasing levels of job stress are two of the most significant work trends affecting American businesses and families in recent years. Having just one stressed-out spouse can harm couple’s work and home lives — but what about when it’s both?

• share
• favorite_border

Authoritarian parents whose child-rearing style can be summed up as “it’s my way or the highway” are more likely to raise disrespectful, delinquent children who do not see them as legitimate authority figures than authoritative parents who listen to their children and gain their respect and trust, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire.

• share
• favorite_border

When low-income cohabiting couples with children decide to no longer live together, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of their romantic relationship, a new study suggests.

• share
• favorite_border

APA supports ruling on proposition 8 for same-sex marriage equality.

• share
• favorite_border

Programs that support parents during their child’s early years hold promise for obesity prevention, according to a new study in the online February 6 issue of Pediatrics.

• share
• favorite_border

For those with few social advantages, college is a prime pathway to financial stability, but it also unexpectedly lowers their odds of ever marrying, according to a study by Cornell University sociologist Kelly Musick being published in the February issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

• share
• favorite_border

Research continues to support a connection between instability in the home and school performance in adolescents, but a new study takes the research a step further by exploring how the relationship between family structure change and adolescent academic careers is also affected by the kinds of schools they attend.

• share
• favorite_border

Loyola University Health System pediatrician gives tips for dealing with lice.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, a state-wide non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego, have found new links between the timing of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and certain characteristics of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

• share
• favorite_border

Love is in the air, but Valentine's Day shouldn't be the only time to express love for your partner; rather, it should serve as a reminder to devote time and energy to your relationship every day.

• share
• favorite_border

Normal everyday life for parents requires organization. Parents of children who require ventilators, oxygen, IVs and other tools to live, those day-to-day tasks can be time-consuming, difficult and stressful on the family. But researchers from Case Western Reserve University found that mothers who successfully integrate the care of the technology-dependent child into family life have families that function better.

• share
• favorite_border

“What kids find visually appealing is very different than what appeals to their parents,” said Brian Wansink, professor of Marketing in Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. “Our study shows how to make the changes so the broccoli and fish look tastier than they otherwise would to little Casey or little Audrey.”

• share
• favorite_border

If the festive season tempts your tastebuds to overindulge, learn to prevent holiday weight gain with these 10 tips from the team of medical experts at Greenwich Hospital’s Weight Loss & Diabetes Center

• share
• favorite_border

Raising kids is a challenge, from the stresses of sleepless nights and toddler tantrums to teenage sullenness. Plenty of research has found that the arrival of a baby is associated with declines in self-reported happiness and marital satisfaction for many, and increases in depression for some.

• share
• favorite_border

Middle-class children ask their teachers for help more often and more assertively than working-class children and, in doing so, receive more support and assistance from teachers according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania.

• share
• favorite_border

An attentive, nurturing mother may be able to help her children better resist the temptations of drug use later in life, according to a study involving the University of Adelaide.

• share
• favorite_border

For many, an important marker of adulthood is forming a family, whether it’s having a child, getting married or cohabiting with a romantic partner. Researchers at Bowling Green State University’s National Center for Family and Marriage Research’s (NCFMR) say a majority (61 percent) of young adults have formed a family by age 25.

• share
• favorite_border

Two new studies from the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center suggest that concerns about teen sexting may be overblown. One study found the percentage of youth who send nude pictures of themselves that would qualify as child pornography is very low. The other found that when teen sexting images do come to police attention, few youth are being arrested or treated like sex offenders.

• share
• favorite_border

Not only are working mothers multitasking more frequently than working fathers, but their multitasking experience is more negative as well, according to a new study in the December issue of the American Sociological Review.

• share
• favorite_border

During the holidays, you might look forward to the time away from work – unless you feel connected by the nagging need to check emails and voice mails. You wouldn’t be alone. A recent survey says 68% of Americans with work emails check them during their holiday vacations. How can you unplug and find the digital downtime you need to recharge or focus on your family?

• share
• favorite_border

Parents of newborns show poorer adjustment to their new role if they believe society expects them to be “perfect” moms and dads, a new study shows.

• share
• favorite_border

The younger the parent and the younger the child, the more likely a family is to be poor, according to a new Child Trends report, Two Generations in Poverty: Status and Trends among Parents and Children in the United States, commissioned by Ascend: The Family Economic Security Program at the Aspen Institute. As policy makers ponder the merits of alternative measures of poverty, the Child Trends report outlines the disproportionate effects of poverty on young children, young parents, and children and parents in single-mother families.

• share
• favorite_border

Engineers at North Carolina State University have developed a new handle for infant car seats (ICSs) that makes it easier for parents to lift the seat out of a car – while retaining a firmer grip on the handle – making it less likely that the seat will be dropped.

• share
• favorite_border

For the holidays, professors offer expertise on parenting-related topics such as gender and toys, sharing family history, video games and children, encouraging generosity, and how to make the holidays happier for divorced parents

• share
• favorite_border

During the holidays, Wake Forest University Professor of Counseling Samuel Gladding and his family will walk through the “halls of remembrance” at their home. Hanging on the walls are the picture collages Gladding and his wife, Claire, have created for every year since they’ve been married. The collages include highlights from each year: trips, soccer games, plays, family outings.

• share
• favorite_border

Some things all new parents should know not to do.

• share
• favorite_border

Whether comparing a man and a woman or a parent and a baby, we can still see when two people of different age or sex are genetically related. How do we know that people are part of a family? Findings from a new study published in the Journal of Vision increases our understanding of the brain’s ability to see through these underlying variations in facial structure.

• share
• favorite_border

Hanging out with friends after school and on the weekends is a vital part of a teen’s social life. But for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, social activity outside of school is a rarity, finds a new study by Paul Shattuck, PhD, autism expert and assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. He says that limited peer relationships can be detrimental to health and that promoting group activities is key for teens with ASDs.

• share
• favorite_border

A Kansas State University research group is jumping ahead to improve nutrition and physical activity among young children and prevent childhood obesity. The researchers are reaching 3- to 5-year-olds and their parents through activities conducted at child care facilities.

• share
• favorite_border

The majority of children experience personal changes and changes in relationships one year after their sibling has died from cancer; however, positive and negative changes are not universal. These are the findings from the first study – published online November 3, 2011 in Cancer Nursing – to examine changes in siblings after the death of a brother or sister to cancer from three different perspectives: mothers, fathers and siblings.

• share
• favorite_border

Drs. Martin Finkel and Esther Deblinger, co-founders of the CARES Institute at UMDNJ, are available to discuss child sexual abuse, the "stranger danger" myth and how parents can protect their children from becoming victims.