children

Research out of the University of Michigan and reported in the March 2006 issue of The Journal of Research on Adolescence found that adolescents who use TV for companionship (as a substitute for friends) are far more likely to accept uncritically the dominant messages that they see on the screen, as compared to adolescents who turn to television as just a fun way to pass the time.

Decades of research by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD, has shed light on why some people persist in the face of apparent failure while others throw in the towel (or filament, as the case may be).

A study published in the March/April 2010 journal Child Development reported that sibling conflict involving older teens tends to erupt primarily around personal boundary issues. Here are some steps you can take to help minimize conflict between your teen and his or her siblings.

With our increasingly "plugged in" lifestyles, the ubiquitous availability of entertainment, and the trend to over-schedule the kids, something's gotta give. Too often, it's sleep — our own and our childrens'.

Research reported in the June 2006 issue of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology underscores how much a parent's own psychological condition affects the quality of their parenting, and, in turn, the emotional well-being of the children.

"Helpful" and "cooperative" are probably not the first words many parents would use to describe their young children. But surprising new research suggests that human beings are innately helpful.

Modern research on family psychology and psychotherapy has much to offer psychotherapists, and, by extension, all those who are consumers of mental health treatment. Currently, research on mental health in families is being conducted in such diverse areas as family interaction, child and adolescent development, risk factors for psychopathology, the prevention of family violence, and improving mental health treatments.

Adolescence is a significant developmental period in which numerous changes occur, including the biological changes of puberty; greater autonomy from parents and family; increased time spent with peers; and the tendency to engage in greater exploration and risk-taking behaviors, like experimentation with alcohol. At the same time these changes are occurring, however, adolescents’ brains are developing in important ways. From birth through childhood, brain tissue and neurons are overproduced; then, during adolescence, the brain begins to strengthen the connections that are used, and connections that are not used are eliminated (Spear, 2000).