Parents Archives | Page 52 of 107

Why LGBTQ Identity Labels Are Important

The list of labels people use to describe their sexual orientation and their gender looks dramatically different than it used to. Surveys on sexual orientation as recent as five years ago included options like gay, lesbian, bisexual, and straight. The acronym LGBTQ, which itself grew from the umbrella term gay, which became GLB, then LGBT, only covers about one-third of the labels that self-described members of the LGBTQ community use

August 28, 2020

The Impact of Divorce on Adolescents

After the death of a parent, divorce is the second most traumatic event in a child’s life. And yet, for various reasons, divorce is common in the United States. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), about 40 to 50 percent of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. For those couples who have children, that means, by definition, that their children will, or have already, experience a traumatic event.

August 27, 2020

What Parents Can Do About Teen Nightmares

Many parents know that nightmares, and night terrors, are common in young children. What they don’t realize is that they’re prevalent during adolescence and the teen years, too. Though nightmares tend to decrease after the age of ten, they don’t always disappear completely. It’s normal for adolescents, teenagers, and even adults to have occasional nightmares. Interestingly enough, adolescent girls seem to have bad dreams more often than boys do. But

August 26, 2020

The Suicide Contagion Effect in Teens

In Palo Alto, California, the teen suicide rate is about five times the nation’s average. In this affluent Bay Area town, seven adolescents ended their own lives in the span of just ten years. Many of these suicides happened in waves, or clusters. A suicide cluster, according to the CDC, is “a group of suicides or suicide attempts, or both, that occur closer together in time and space than would

August 25, 2020

International Overdose Awareness Day 2020

What is Overdose? Most of us have an idea of what overdose means: it’s what happens when you take too much of something – a drug or medication – and experience negative consequences. If that’s what you think overdose is, you’ve got it right. Now, let’s check with the experts to see how they define overdose. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines overdose as: “Injury to the body (poisoning)

August 20, 2020

How Dogs Improve Your Mental Health

There’s a reason why people say dogs are a (hu)man’s best friend. If you own one of these furry creatures, you already know why. Dogs are usually friendly and comforting. They offer a special form of companionship. Many pet owners wouldn’t hesitate to say they love their dog, and that their dog is a valuable member of their family. In the U.S., more than 64 million households have a dog.

August 19, 2020

Research Report: Wisconsin Student Athletes, COVID-19, and Depression

We recently published an article about the relationship between teen mental health, coronavirus, and high school sports. That piece was based on a study initiated by a Canadian high school student who analyzed the effect of coronavirus lockdown on student athletes in her school district in Ontario. She found that after six weeks of shelter-in-place orders, over half the students surveyed reported feeling isolated and disconnected, almost half experienced elevated

August 18, 2020

With Schools in Limbo, How Can Parents Plan for the School Year?

On July 13th, officials in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco announced public schools will resume classes on August 17th online, rather than in-person. Some parents, concerned about their child attending school during the pandemic, are relieved. The hashtag #NotMyChild trended on Twitter last week in the U.S. Concerned parents across the country said they’d refuse to send their child to in-person school. For others, this news comes as

August 14, 2020

How Many 7th Graders in Lafayette, California Think Daily Marijuana Use is Okay?

Too many. During the 2017-2018 school year, the California Healthy Kids Survey asked students in Lafayette, California about their substance use habits and their opinions on substance use. Lafayette is a small city in Contra Costa County, California, situated between Berkeley and Walnut Creek in the East Bay. It’s adjacent to the towns of Moraga and Orinda, and locals have dubbed the area “Lamorinda.” In addition to asking 7th graders if

August 13, 2020

Is Middle Child Syndrome Real?

Alfred Adler, an early psychoanalyst, and contemporary of Sigmund Freud, was the first to theorize that birth order affects personality. According to Adler, your personality is directly influenced whether you’re the youngest child, oldest child, or somewhere in between. Note that birth-order studies are mainly correlative. And – as it’s important to understand – correlation does not equal causation. Studies on birth-order suggest that, compared to individuals born later, firstborn

August 12, 2020