Children’s screen use could be altering their developing brains as they enter adolescence and increasing their risk for mood disorders, a major new study finds. Children ages 9 and 10 who spend more time on smartphones, tablets, video games and TV exhibited higher levels of depression and anxiety by the time they were 11 and… read on > read on >
Following a mass shooting that killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Tennessee on Monday, public officials are again talking about how to stop the never-ending cycle of gun violence in the United States. Recent research offers both bad and good news on the issue. Two separate studies from the… read on > read on >
Children with mental health problems are flooding America’s hospitals. A new study of 4.8 million pediatric hospitalizations between 2009 and 2019 found that the number of acute care hospitalizations for kids with mental health problems increased significantly. In 2019, most were due to attempted suicides, suicidal thoughts or self-injury, researchers said. “What we’re seeing are… read on > read on >
When a child is hospitalized, cost may not be the greatest worry but the out-of-pocket expense can be substantial in the United States, even for those with insurance. A Michigan Medicine study found that U.S. families covered by private insurance spend an average of $1,300 out of pocket for a child’s hospital stay. And about… read on > read on >
Pregnancy should be a special time, but allergies can make you miserable. It is estimated that up to 20% of pregnant women suffer with allergies. In some cases, women may notice that their allergy symptoms become even more troublesome during pregnancy. This may be due to hormonal changes. Interestingly, some women’s allergies stay the same… read on > read on >
Miscarriages are devastating and often seem to happen out of nowhere, but researchers may have found a new high-tech way to predict which pregnancies are likely to end in miscarriage and which ones are not. The use of 3D ultrasound imaging with virtual reality technology can create a hologram of a developing embryo to see… read on > read on >
For depressed or anxious children, taking melatonin may afford a good night’s sleep and, as a result, lower the odds they will harm themselves, new research suggests. The risk of self-harm increased before melatonin was prescribed and decreased by about half after kids started taking the supplement, the study found. Teen girls suffering from depression… read on >
Boys born to women who had COVID-19 during pregnancy may be at risk for developmental delays, a new study suggests. Delays in speech and motor function were the most commonly diagnosed conditions in these children at 12 months. They were seen in boys but not in girls, the study authors said. “These findings suggest that… read on > read on >
Teenagers with the nighttime breathing disorder sleep apnea may have brains that look a little different from their peers’, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 100 teens who underwent brain scans, those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) tended to have thinner tissue at the brain’s surface, and some signs of inflammation in… read on > read on >
While an incubator can save the life of a premature baby, it may be contributing to hearing loss in these vulnerable infants. A new study published March 27 in Frontiers in Pediatrics assessed the sounds in the neonatal intensive care unit, evaluating the impact on newborns. “The motivation of our multidisciplinary research team concerns the… read on > read on >
