Category: Child Psychology

One Parenting Mistake Linked To Raising A Psychopath

Typical callous-unemotional traits linked to psychopathy include cheating, lying and a lack of remorse.

Typical callous-unemotional traits linked to psychopathy include cheating, lying and a lack of remorse.

Parents who mistreat their offspring are more likely to raise children with psychopathic traits.

Both girls and boys who are subject to harsh and negative parenting are at a greater risk of developing callous-unemotional traits, which can develop into psychopathy.

Typical callous-unemotional traits include cheating, lying and a lack of remorse.

While the connection is well-known in males, this is one of the first studies to include females.

Ms Bridget Joyner, the study’s first author, said:

“Most studies that have looked at similar associations have not included females in their samples; it’s been strictly males.”

The study included over 4,000 young people whose callous-emotional traits were assessed along with any childhood maltreatment.

The results showed that poor parental treatment was linked to callous-unemotional traits in both sexes, although the association was weaker among females.

Callous-unemotional traits are considered an early warning sign for psychopathy, a condition associated with a higher risk of criminal behaviour.

Professor Kevin Beaver, study co-author, said:

“We know that males tend to respond to adverse experiences in more external ways, through behavior and other visible traits.

Females are more likely to internalize.

That can mean developing things like chronic stress, anxiety and depression.”

Callous-emotional traits are thought to be one way that young people cope with their harsh upbringing, said Ms Joyner:

“The development of these traits is thought to make them more withdrawn and help to protect them from being hurt again.”

If childhood maltreatment could be identified earlier, it may be possible to slow or stop the development of undesirable personality traits, said Ms Joyner:

“It’s important to be able to identify the risk factors that tell us how to look at and treat these individuals and to impede the development of these traits.

And when we can’t impede them then we need to treat them for it so the pattern isn’t repeated.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect (Joyner & Beaver, 2021).

Self-Controlled People Are Raised By Fathers Who Do This

Self-control is repeatedly found to be vital for success in relationships, work and even for good mental health.

Self-control is repeatedly found to be vital for success in relationships, work and even for good mental health.

Four decades of research reveal that people whose fathers played with them more as children grow up with stronger self-control.

Up to the age of three, playtime with Dad seems to have a particularly beneficial effect.

Men tend to play in more physical ways, the researchers found, including giving piggy-back rides, tickling and chasing.

This may help children learn to control their feelings.

As a result, they may find it easier to regulate their behaviour later in life.

Self-control is repeatedly found to be vital for success in relationships, work and even for good mental health.

Professor Paul Ramchandani, the study’s first author, said:

“It’s important not to overstate the impact of father-child play as there are limits to what the research can tell us, but it does seem that children who get a reasonable amount of playtime with their father benefit as a group.”

Four decades of evidence

The conclusions come from a review of 78 separate studies carried out over four decades.

The results showed that most fathers play with their children every day.

However, fathers tend to play more physically with their children.

With babies, fathers tend to lift them up more, while with toddlers they engage in more rough-and-tumble play.

The researchers found that children who played more with their fathers were less likely to develop emotional and behavioural problems later in life and were also at lower risk of hyperactivity.

Professor Ramchandani said:

“Physical play creates fun, exciting situations in which children have to apply self-regulation.

You might have to control your strength, learn when things have gone too far — or maybe your father steps on your toe by accident and you feel cross!

It’s a safe environment in which children can practise how to respond. If they react the wrong way, they might get told off, but it’s not the end of the world — and next time they might remember to behave differently.”

Mothers can, of course, support physical play, just the same as fathers, said Professor Ramchandani:

“One of the things that our research points to time and again is the need to vary the types of play children have access to, and mothers can, of course, support physical play with young children as well.

Different parents may have slightly different inclinations when it comes to playing with children, but part of being a parent is stepping outside your comfort zone.

Children are likely to benefit most if they are given different ways to play and interact.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Developmental Review (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020).

Why Some People Thrive Despite Harsh Childhoods (M)

Difficult childhoods increase the risk of poor mental health — but the story doesn’t end there.

Difficult childhoods increase the risk of poor mental health -- but the story doesn’t end there.

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Why Preschoolers Beat College Students At This Reasoning Game (M)

Simple test of logic produces surprising win for young children over college students.

Simple test of logic produces surprising win for young children over college students.

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Why A Happy Childhood Isn’t Enough For Good Mental Health

Mental health problems can strike anyone.

Mental health problems can strike anyone.

A happy childhood does not guarantee against developing mental health problems later on.

Even people who experience many positive early childhood experiences can go on to develop anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues.

This shows how mental health problems can strike anyone.

The research also reaffirms the connection between negative childhood experiences and mental health problems, like depression and paranoia.

While childhood experiences can set the tone for our lives, they do not determine our destiny.

Instead, our mental health often hinges on our ability to adapt to stressful circumstances in adulthood.

Those who struggle to cope are more likely to succumb to these conditions.

The conclusions come from a study that tracked over 300 children in Australia.

Ms Bianca Kahl, the study’s first author, said:

“This research shows that mental health conditions are not solely determined by early life events, and that a child who is raised in a happy home, could still grow up to have a mental health disorder.

There’s certainly some missing factors in understanding how our childhood environment and early life experiences might translate into mental health outcomes in adulthood.

We suspect that it’s our expectations about our environments and our ability to adapt to scenarios when our expectations are not being met, that may be influencing our experiences of distress.

If, as children, we learn how to adapt to change, and we learn how to cope when things do not go our way, we may be in a better position to respond to stress and other risk factors for poor mental health.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Current Psychology (Kahl et al., 2020).

The Age At Which People Now Become Adults

There is something very strange happening to adolescence.

There is something very strange happening to adolescence.

The period of adolescence is lasting much longer than it used to, according to some psychologists.

Traditionally, the period of adolescence — when people transition to adulthood — ended at 19 years old.

Now some researchers believe this transition is not happening until 24 years old.

Many now do not marry until their early 30s, compared with a few decades ago, when many would be married in their early 20s.

Todays young adults are also living with their parents longer than they used to.

They are having children later and spending longer in education.

Many young people in the UK do not leave home until they are 25 years old, on average.

Professor Susan Sawyer, the study’s first author, said:

“Age definitions are always arbitrary, but our current definition of adolescence is overly restricted.

The ages of 10-24 years are a better fit with the development of adolescents nowadays.”

The study’s authors write:

“An expanded and more inclusive definition of adolescence is essential for developmentally appropriate framing of laws, social policies, and service systems.

Rather than age 10–19 years, a definition of 10–24 years corresponds more closely to adolescent growth and popular understandings of this life phase and would facilitate extended investments across a broader range of settings.

Related

The study was published in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (Sawyer et al., 2018).

The Personality Trait That Makes Children Smarter

The children ate better, slept better and were in stronger control of their emotions.

The children ate better, slept better and were in stronger control of their emotions.

Mothers who believe they have control over their lives raise smarter children.

Psychologists call it an ‘internal locus of control’ and people with this trait do not blame outside forces, or fate.

Instead, they believe in choice and consequences.

Mothers who think like this have children who score better in tests of maths and science.

These mothers were also more likely to:

  • feed their children brain-healthy diets,
  • read stories to them,
  • and show interest in their school work.

As a result of believing that what they do matters, children eat better, sleep better and are in stronger control of their emotions.

Professor Jean Golding, the study’s first author, said:

“It is widely known that the locus of control of a child is strongly associated with their academic achievements but until now we didn’t know if mothers’ locus of control orientation during pregnancy had a role to play in early childhood.

Thanks to the longitudinal data from Children of the 90s study we can now make these associations.”

The Children of the 90s study started with 14,541 pregnant women in England who have been followed since 1992.

The results showed that mothers who had an internal locus of control brought up smarter children.

Professor Stephen Nowicki, study co-author, said:

“Internal parents believe that they have behavioural choices in life.

…when they expect life outcomes to be linked to what they do their children eat better, sleep better and are better able to control their emotions.

Such children later in childhood are also more likely to have greater academic achievements, fewer school related personal and social difficulties and less likelihood of being obese.

Parents are not necessarily stuck with how their current locus of control, said Professor Nowicki:

“It is possible for a parent to change their outlook; we’ve demonstrated in the past that parents who become more internal (i.e. learn to see the connections between what they do and what happens to their children) improved their parenting skills which would have a positive effect on their children’s personal, social and academic lives.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology (Golding et al., 2019).

An Early Childhood Indicator Of Poor Mental Health Later On

A common childhood complaint that hints at depression and anxiety later on.

A common childhood complaint that hints at depression and anxiety later on.

Stomach aches, nausea and other gut problems in childhood could indicate mental health problems later on.

The study of children who were separated from their biological parents at a young age found they experienced more gut problems.

Brain scans revealed that gut problems were also linked to abnormal activity in parts of the brain that process emotions.

The finding raises the prospect that probiotics may help treat some people.

The gut-brain link is underlined by the fact that over half of adults with irritable bowel syndrome have a history of trauma or abuse.

This is twice the rate of those without childhood traumas.

Professor Nim Tottenham, study co-author, said:

“One common reason children show up at doctors’ offices is intestinal complaints.

Our findings indicate that gastrointestinal symptoms in young children could be a red flag to primary care physicians for future emotional health problems.”

The study included 115 adopted children and 229 children raised by their biological parents.

The results showed that children with disrupted childhoods were more likely to suffer from constipation, stomach aches, nausea and vomiting.

Dr Bridget Callaghan, the study’s first author, said:

“Our study is among the first to link disruption of a child’s gastrointestinal microbiome triggered by early-life adversity with brain activity in regions associated with emotional health.”

The researchers took a closer look at 8 children from each group, carrying out brain scans and gene sequencing.

These demonstrated that those with disrupted childhoods had less diversity of bacteria in their gut.

Brain scans showed that patterns of activity were also linked to the types of bacteria in their gut.

Professor Tottenham explained:

“It is too early to say anything conclusive, but our study indicates that adversity-associated changes in the gut microbiome are related to brain function, including differences in the regions of the brain associated with emotional processing.”

The research suggests probiotics may help some people, said Dr Callaghan:

“Animal studies tell us that dietary interventions and probiotics can manipulate the gut microbiome and ameliorate the effects of adversity on the central nervous system, especially during the first years of life when the developing brain and microbiome are more plastic.

It is possible that this type of research will help us to know if and how to best intervene in humans, and when.”

The study was published in the journal Development and Psychopathology (Callaghan et al., 2019).

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