THE
INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK
HOME / OTHER
JOURNALS
EXTRACTS FROM
THE "OTHER" JOURNALS
RELATING TO CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES
— IN THE FIELDS OF HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE
. . .
Parents talking less to kids about drugs
The number of U.S. parents talking to their teenagers about drugs has
dropped, perhaps reflecting the more relaxed attitudes of a generation
that came of age in the late 1970s when U.S. teen drug use peaked, a
study on Tuesday found.
In 2004, about 12 percent of U.S. parents never talked to their children
about drugs, twice the level recorded in 1998, said Steve Dnistrian,
vice president of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which
conducted the survey.
"This slippage worries us, because kids have got to hear about the
problems of drug use from someone," said Dnistrian.
Some experts believe the drug experiences of the parents make them less
likely to see risk for their children.
U.S. parents of teens grew up in a time when more adolescents used
marijuana than today. In 1979, 60 percent of high school seniors said
they had tried marijuana, while only 46 percent of seniors reported
trying pot in 2003, the study found.
"We are probably talking about drug survivors, so from their point of
view, parents think, 'What's the big deal if kids try drugs?"' said Dr.
Herbert Kleber, director of Columbia University's Division on Substance
Abuse, who was not associated with the study.
Kleber said the trend was worrying because today's drugs can be stronger
than those used in the 1970s.
Today's marijuana can contain 12 percent or more of the mind-altering
active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, compared with 1 to 3
percent in the 1970s, Kleber said.
"Children of today's generation are more likely to get in trouble with
drugs if parents don't do something," he said.
Parental attitudes toward drug experimentation were also changing, the
study found.
Some 43 percent of parents said there was little risk from young people
trying marijuana once or twice, compared with 35 percent sharing that
view in 1998.
Similar experimentation with cocaine was seen as posing only a slight
risk by 12 percent of parents, compared with 7 percent six years ago.
Timothy Gardner
22 February 2005
Treatment guidelines for kids with bipolar
disorder published
Early diagnosis and treatment is important for children and adolescents
with bipolar disorder, according to new treatment guidelines. The
guidelines were sponsored by the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF),
a national parent advocacy group, and were drafted by a scientific
consortium led by Robert Kowatch, M.D., director of the Pediatric Mood
Disorders Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"These new guidelines were formulated by a group of leading experts in
child psychiatry and are the most up-to-date and comprehensive set of
guidelines for the treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar
disorder," said Dr. Kowatch. "They represent a major step towards
practicing evidence-based medicine in this difficult to treat group of
patients. Many of these patients require several types of medications to
stabilize their moods, and these guidelines offer several treatment
options that are useful for clinicians and families."
It is often necessary to use several medications in combination because
these kids are very ill, often suicidal or too manic and depressed to
attend school. Stabilizing their moods and allowing them to return to
school as soon as possible is critical if they are to lead normal lives,
said Dr. Kowatch.
"Doctors are getting somewhat better at recognizing bipolar disorder in
children, but there wasn't much to guide them in terms of treatment,"
added Dr. Kowatch.
The guidelines are designed to help doctors identify the classic form of
the illness (called Bipolar-I) in children ages 6 to 17, and suggest
strategies for treatment of mania and depression, with or without
psychosis, in young patients. The recommendations are based on evidence
from research studies done in children and adults, case reports
published in medical journals, and consensus by a group of experts as to
current clinical practices.
The guidelines will be published in the March issue of the Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry but are
currently available to the public on their website at
www.jaacap.com.
"Far too little research has been done on the treatment of bipolar
disorder in youth," said Mina Dulcan, M.D., editor-in-chief of the
journal. "The guidelines represent a consensus of existing research
results and clinical experience to guide clinicians and families. We
hope that the guidelines will not only facilitate clinical care but also
inform and enhance new research."
Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness) is a
heritable illness that can be diagnosed in teenagers and even in young
children. Symptoms include grandiose delusions, irritable mood often
accompanied by aggression and self-injury, decreased need for sleep
without daytime fatigue, speech that is difficult to interrupt, racing
thoughts, distractibility that varies with mood, increased goal-directed
activity, hypersexuality, and in some cases, hearing voices.
"The disorder runs in families, and children with the illness are at
extremely high risk of attempting suicide," said Martha Hellander,
research policy director at CABF and co-author of the guidelines. "These
kids suffer so badly, and deserve to have evidence-based treatment as
early in life as possible. Many respond quickly to mood stabilizing
medication, and parents tell us that 'we have our child back.'"
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition that can often be managed with
medication, psychotherapy and lifestyle changes such as stress
reduction, regular sleep, accommodations at school, and avoidance of
caffeine, alcohol, and drugs of abuse.
"The sections on the treatment of comorbid psychiatric disorders are
very helpful because having two or more disorders at the same time is
common among children and adolescents with bipolar disorder," said
Daniel Nelson, M.D., medical director of the Child Psychiatric Unit at
Cincinnati Children's. "By far, a majority of the children we care for
with bipolar disorder have high comorbidities."
Among the other disorders specific to children who have bipolar
disorder, children can also suffer from ADHD, oppositional-defiant
disorder, conduct disorder, anxiety and tic disorders, and substance
abuse. The comorbid disorders and common side effects from treatment
medications are also discussed in the guidelines.
22 February 2005
Source
Vegetarian diet 'can harm young children'
Vegetarian parents who deny growing children animal products in their
diet during the critical first few years of life could be doing them
permanent damage, a leading nutrition expert today claimed.
Animal source foods have some nutrients which are not found anywhere
else. If you’re talking about feeding young children I would go as far
as to say it is unethical to withhold these foods
Professor Lindsay Allen, from the University of California at Davis,
conducted a study which showed that adding just two spoonfuls of meat to
the diet of poverty-stricken children in Africa transformed them both
physically and mentally.
Over a period of two years the children almost doubled their muscle
development, and showed dramatic improvements in mental skills. They
also became more active, talkative and playful at school.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in Washington DC, Prof Allen said: "Animal source
foods have some nutrients which are not found anywhere else. If you’re
talking about feeding young children I would go as far as to say it is
unethical to withhold these foods during that period of life."
22 February 2005
Source
Lead 'turning children to crime'
Exposure to lead at low doses can cause aggression, it is claimed Lead
pollution may be turning children into criminals, US experts fear.
Exposure even at low doses can cause aggression and behavioural problems
in children, the scientist who first linked lead to lower IQ believes.
Dr Herbert Needleman, of Pittsburg University, found youths arrested for
delinquency had higher levels of lead in their bones than others.
Other psychosocial factors are likely to be important, but cutting lead
could cut crime, he told a US conference.
Routinely checking lead levels in every child when they are aged one and
two would also help, he told the American Association for the
Advancement of Science.
"It's not expensive and you could pick up the ones who might develop
problems early on before they appear," he said.
'Extra support'
Those children found to have high lead levels could be given extra
support at school, for example, as well as removing them from the source
of the exposure, he said.
Lead is known to be toxic to the brain and governments around the world
have taken steps to reduce environmental lead with measures such as
unleaded petrol and by removing lead from paint.
But Dr Needleman claims growing evidence suggests even very low-level
exposure is still doing harm.
"Lead is a poison," Dr Needleman said.
"It affects the prefrontal lobes of the brain, which are important in
the regulation of behaviour.
"We know that criminals have disturbances in the prefrontal lobes too,
so the chain of evidence is pretty strong."
His research looking at lead levels and delinquency, published in the
journal Neurotoxicology and Terotology in 2003, found teenagers arrested
for crimes had readings four times higher than teenagers who did not
have a criminal record.
However Larry Silverman, an environmental attorney in the US, told the
conference: "Even if you say it's down to lead...you are not doing them
a favour.
"People are looking for personal responsibility."
Michelle Roberts
21 February 2005
Source
Experts question rise in pediatric diagnosis of
bipolar illness
From the time her son was born, Jennifer DeWeese said, she suspected
something was wrong. As an infant he cried inconsolably and slept mostly
in hour-long snatches. At 3, he was always irritable and had prolonged
tantrums triggered by the slightest change in his routine.
A therapist told his mother he was emotionally disturbed and suggested
she read a popular book about childhood bipolar disorder. A year later a
child psychiatrist in Virginia Beach, Va., made the diagnosis: the 4 1/2
year old was manic-depressive.
A few months later, when his even-tempered sister grew moody and
volatile, DeWeese took her to the same psychiatrist. They sat down with
DeWeese's well-thumbed book about bipolar children and went through its
symptom checklist. Based largely on those results and the family's
history — DeWeese said she learned during her divorce that the
children's father had been diagnosed as bipolar in high school — the
psychiatrist told DeWeese her 5 1/2-year-old daughter was bipolar, too.
"I feel relieved to know there is something causing their symptoms and
something we can do about it," said DeWeese, 34. She is convinced, she
said, that her children's problems are inherited, not a reaction to
their father's permanent departure, a bitter divorce marked by
allegations of spousal abuse, a bankruptcy that resulted in the loss of
the family's house and car, DeWeese's frequent hospitalizations for
kidney disease and the arrival of a new stepfather.
Now 6 and 8, DeWeese's son and daughter exemplify a trend that is
roiling mental heath: the burgeoning number of children diagnosed with
bipolar illness, also known as manic depression, which affects about 2.3
million Americans.
The illness, which is usually diagnosed in adolescence or early
adulthood, is a serious and disabling mood disorder that, if untreated,
carries an elevated risk of suicide. Sufferers typically cycle between
manic highs, in which they can go for days without sleep in the grip of
grandiose delusions, and depressive lows, marked by a preoccupation with
death and feelings of worthlessness.
There is no test for bipolar illness, which is believed to result from a
poorly understood interplay between genetics and environment. Although
the disease runs in families, according to the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), most children with one bipolar parent won't
develop the illness. Their risk is about 10 to 15 percent compared with
1 percent among the general population. NIMH officials say there are no
reliable statistics on the risk posed by having two bipolar parents.
Statistics documenting the increase in pediatric bipolar diagnoses are
elusive, but a dozen psychiatrists and child psychologists interviewed
for this story say there have been sharp increases in the past decade.
Before that, the illness was rarely diagnosed before adolescence.
Although definitive answers about the disorder in children await the
results of several NIMH-funded studies currently under way, many doctors
aren't waiting. Proponents of early intervention say that aggressive
treatment can limit the damage of untreated mental illness.
As a result, some preschoolers barely out of diapers are being treated
for bipolar disorder with powerful drugs, few of which have been tested
in children.
At Dominion Hospital in Falls Church,
Va., which houses the Washington area's largest inpatient psychiatric
unit for children, psychiatrist Gary Spivack said patients as young as 4
have been hospitalized, sometimes for a few weeks at a time. "They're
just so out of control that almost nothing else has the power to do it,"
Spivack said, who adds that many were being raised in highly
dysfunctional homes.
But some experts say the surge in diagnoses is a dangerous fad — one
critic called it "psychiatry's flavor of the month" — a decision too
often based on skimpy evidence, cursory evaluations and incorrect
assumptions about genetic risk.
These children are troubled, critics say, but most don't meet
psychiatry's official diagnostic criteria for the lifelong psychotic
disorder. "Labeling severe tantrums in toddlers as a major mental
illness lacks ... validity and undermines credibility in our
profession," warns Jon McClellan, associate professor of psychiatry at
the University of Washington, in a forthcoming article in the Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "The illness
has become a cultural phenomenon, adorning the cover of Time magazine
and headlining national news broadcasts."
It has also spawned numerous Web sites and more than a dozen books
mostly aimed at parents. Two of them are written for children, including
"Matt: The Moody Hermit Crab," whose main character winds up in a mental
hospital after he tries to stab his family with a kitchen knife.
Until recently, many doctors were reluctant to prescribe the powerful
mood-stabilizing drugs adults take for bipolar disorder to young
children, whose central nervous systems are still developing. Most of
these drugs — which can have serious and sometimes life-threatening side
effects, including diabetes, significant weight gain, hormonal problems
that can cause infertility, and fatal blood disorders — have not been
tested in children. Some are epilepsy drugs used to control seizures and
not approved to treat psychiatric disorders, which are widely used
anyway because some doctors think they are effective.
Resistance to using medications has softened, experts say, for a variety
of reasons: aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies; the
skyrocketing use of drugs in preschoolers to treat ADHD and depression;
a lessening of the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder spurred by the
accounts of celebrities such as Ted Turner and Jane Pauley; and an
insurance system that rewards brief appointments to check medication
over time-consuming diagnostic evaluations and behavioral therapy.
The realization that "these are biological illnesses that require
biological treatment and that you don't have to let these kids suffer"
is relatively recent, said Martha Hellander, a lawyer and the founding
executive director of the 6-year-old Child and Adolescent Bipolar
Foundation (CABF), an influential advocacy group based in Illinois.
Hellander said the nonprofit foundation, which has 25,000 members,
receives funding from several drug companies.
Medications are a cornerstone of treatment, Hellander said, even for
very young children. She said the youngest patient she's heard of is an
18-month-old girl who was diagnosed as bipolar largely because she
screamed incessantly and had a bipolar mother. Hellander said the baby
was medicated with lithium.
Most children take at least three drugs simultaneously to control their
moods and alleviate depression. Some try dozens of combinations and
doses.
Many parents say that a bipolar diagnosis meant they were no longer
blamed for their children's behavior.
"At first he only had meltdowns in front of me," recalled Rebecca
Goolsby of Springfield, Va., a Navy scientist whose son was diagnosed
last year at 5. "Everyone told me it was me, that I was just not
handling him well. It was the most horrible thing to sit there every day
and have people telling you that."
"It is not a parenting issue," said Karen Leatherdale, of New Brunswick,
N.J. She said she finds it hard to ignore the stares when her 6-year-old
son, diagnosed at 3, has a meltdown in Wal-Mart. "We can't stop this
from happening. It is nothing we can control or the child can control."
The University of Washington's McClellan
has a different view.
"There are a lot of kids who have problems regulating their behavior,"
he said, but he is concerned that the singular focus on drugs may give
short shrift to behavioral strategies or personal responsibility.
"There's something very seductive about being told that your kid has a
neurobiological disorder and needs to be medicated," said McClellan, who
is chairing a committee on pediatric bipolar disorder for the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "It lets people off the
hook."
McClellan, who directs a state hospital program for children, said that
proper treatment requires a careful diagnostic evaluation. Such an
evaluation can take four hours or more and includes interviews and
observations of the parents and child, psychological testing, a physical
exam, detailed family history and information from teachers, coaches,
day care staffers and others who know the child.
But psychiatrists say that insurance reimbursement is skewed in favor of
medication — and little else. A psychiatrist can make two or three times
as much from an hour of medication checks than from an hour of therapy.
Although it's not discussed much, misdiagnosis can have a profound
impact.
One woman, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that her name
not be published to protect her daughter's privacy, said that when the
girl was 14, she was handed a prescription for lithium after a single
visit to a psychiatrist. Four years later, doctors discovered that her
severe depression and mood swings were the result of an undiagnosed
pituitary tumor.
"She's really angry at the doctors and at me because I accepted the
diagnosis too fast," the woman said. Her daughter, she said, "barely got
through high school" and had side effects from the lithium, which made
her hair fall out.
Now 19, she said, her daughter is caught in a Catch-22: Because the
family was open about her diagnosis, she feels the need "to tell
everyone she's not bipolar. And the reaction she's encountered is not
what she thought. It's, `Oh sure, the bipolar doesn't think she's
bipolar.' "
17 February 2005
Source
Mom's depression tied to child's behavior
problems
Young children whose mothers suffer from depression are at greater risk
of serious behavioral problems, and both "nurture" and "nature" seem to
play a role, according to a new study.
Among more than 1,100 pairs of twins followed by UK researchers, those
whose mothers developed depression after the birth were more likely than
other children to show antisocial behavior — including lying, stealing
and physical aggression — by the time they were 7 years old.
The risk was greatest among children whose mothers had both depression
and a history of antisocial behavior themselves, according to findings
published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Some of the risk seen in the children could be explained by genes — that
is, some children of depressed mothers may have inherited a
predisposition to behavioral problems. But a mother's depression in and
of itself was also a strong risk factor, the study found.
"Our findings provide evidence suggesting that 'nature' alone does not
explain the whole story," lead author Dr. Julia Kim-Cohen told Reuters
Health. "This means that when a mother is depressed, her child may
engage in misconduct, in part, because of disruptions to the family
environment."
A mother who is seriously depressed, she explained, may have trouble
just getting out of bed and taking care of herself, let alone a young
child. A child may "act out" partially as a response to this.
The "good news," said Kim-Cohen, who is with the Institute of Psychiatry
at King's College London, is that depression is treatable with
medication, counseling or both, and this may in turn benefit children.
Care does, however, become more complicated if a mother has both
depression and a history of antisocial symptoms, as some women in this
study did.
It's likely, according to Kim-Cohen, that these women are dealing with
multiple problems, including financial difficulties, single motherhood
and a lack of support from family and friends.
"Treating her depression may be a good start," the researcher noted,
"but to reduce her child's antisocial behavior, treatment should also
include her child to modify his or her behavior, and to help the mother
apply effective and consistent behavior management strategies."
The study included 1,116 pairs of twins who were assessed at ages 5 and
7 for antisocial behavior, such as lying, stealing, physically attacking
others and displaying a "hot temper." Mothers were screened for
depression when their children were 5 years old, and the researchers
collected information on mothers' and fathers' history of antisocial
symptoms — such as violence, run-ins with the law, and reckless or
irresponsible behavior.
Overall, about one-quarter of the women suffered from major depression
during their children's first 5 years of life. These children were more
likely than their peers to show antisocial behavioral problems by the
age of 7.
Parents' history of their own antisocial behavior appeared to explain a
substantial share of the relationship between maternal depression and
children's behavioral problems — pointing to some "genetic transmission"
of risk, according to Kim-Cohen and her colleagues.
However, a mother's depression alone was still key in her children's
risk of antisocial symptoms.
The researchers suggest that doctors who treat children with these
problems also consider screening mothers for depression and a history of
antisocial symptoms.
SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry, February 2005.
Amy Norton
16 February 2005
Dialogue & personal example work best for
parents in drug talks with teens
Parents can more effectively advise teens about alcohol and drug use if,
first, they try dialogue instead of lecture and, second, they set an
everyday example, rather than give the one-time drug sermon, according
to a Penn State researcher.
Drug talks can work best when parents and teens routinely share insights
on the benefits and risks of drug use, says Dr. Michelle Miller-Day,
associate professor of communication arts and sciences. One tactic would
be for parents to ask teens what they hope to gain from use of alcohol,
drugs and tobacco (e.g. relaxation, especially around the opposite sex;
greater peer acceptance). The parent can then suggest wholesome
alternatives to achieve the same end.
These tools for a healthy lifestyle include specific, practical advice
about drinking and driving, coping with peer pressure, and remembering
to call for a ride when needed, Miller-Day notes. Once parents and teens
learn to communicate on a regular basis about drugs, then the targeted
drug talk becomes more helpful, especially before events such as a prom
or dance when teens face stronger temptations to use alcohol beverages
or take drugs.
Miller-Day and Dr. Ann H. Dodd, assistant dean in the University's
College of Agricultural Sciences, are co-authors of the paper, "Toward a
Descriptive Model of Parent-Offspring Communication About Alcohol and
Other Drugs," recently published in the Journal of Social and Personal
Relationships.
The Penn State study examined the taped narratives of 75 college
students regarding talks with a parent about alcohol and drugs. For each
of the students, a single parent was also interviewed. In the case of
one of the students, both parents were interviewed, making 151
respondents in all. Both students and parents were asked to recall the
methods used by parents in broaching the subjects of drugs with their
teen children and to weigh their effectiveness.
In the study, 44 percent of the respondents (66 out of 151) recalled
that parents talked about the potential health and legal risks of drug
use, with some parents even warning about the chances of incarceration
for serious drug offenses.
Miller-Day says, "Over two-thirds of the persons interviewed reported
integrating ongoing socialization efforts into the fabric of their
everyday lives as opposed to the more targeted one-shot 'drug talks.' "
For parents, it is critical to hone both listening and observation
skills in discussions with their children about drugs or other issues
faced by young people, the researchers note. Parents can significantly
boost their credibility in drug talks with teens by offering personal
examples, their own testimonials being the best.
Miller-Day says, "In our study, parents often provided accounts of how
their own life or the lives of friends and family members were affected
by drugs or drug use. Stories of a relative's alcohol-related death,
liver failure, or drug abuse and recovery support claims of the harmful
effects of drugs."
With younger teens and teens still at home, parents can exercise greater
power in monitoring and sanctioning their children's choices about
drugs. Often this means a no-tolerance policy, with rules clearly
spelling out rewards and punishments for behaviors involving alcohol and
drugs. Penalties can include loss of allowance, loss of car privileges,
strict curfews, and drug and alcohol counseling sessions with a
professional, the researchers say.
The strategy for drug talks changes once teen children move out of the
house or go to college, Miller-Day says. At that point, parents would do
better to encourage teens to use their own judgment; require them to pay
for their own alcohol, cigarettes and over-the-counter and prescription
drugs; and accept the consequences for use of those drugs.
"There is no one right way to conduct parent-child discussions about
drugs and drug use," says the Penn State researcher. "Parents must
consider their own experiences, their goals for the drug talk, and the
developmental level of the child. But preliminary evidence suggests that
the most effective pathway for influencing drug use among late
adolescent youth is ongoing discussion, by both parents.
"This much is clear — connecting with children about drugs and drug use
is an essential part of parenting," she adds. "Parents may or may not be
anti-drug, but they should talk with their children about alcohol,
tobacco and other drug use, and they should combine their talk with a
concentrated effort to listen."
Source: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Paul Blaum
12 February 2005
Survey finds pain common in children and
teenagers
Most children and adolescents commonly experience pain, such as headache
or gastric discomfort, which often restricts activities of daily living,
according to a study conducted in Germany.
Dr. Angela Roth-Isigkeit, at the University of Schleswig-Holstein in
Luebeck, and colleagues examined the impact of perceived pain on the
daily lives and activities of 749 schoolchildren.
Parents of children in grades one to four were asked to complete pain
questionnaires for their children. Children and adolescents from grade
five onward completed the questionnaires themselves during class.
The researchers defined chronic pain as any continuous or recurrent pain
lasting for three months or longer. The results of the study are
published in the journal Pediatrics.
Of the children and adolescents included in the study, 622 (83 percent)
reported that they had experienced pain within the last three months.
The most prevalent types of pain were headache (61 percent), abdominal
pain (43 percent), limb pain (34 percent) and back pain (30 percent).
The most frequent self-perceived triggers for pain were weather
conditions (33 percent), illness (31 percent) and physical exertion (22
percent). These self-reported triggers varied between girls and boys.
Those who reported pain indicated that their pain caused sleep problems,
inability to pursue hobbies, eating problems, school absences and
inability to meet friends.
The prevalence of these restrictions in daily living increased with age,
varied among participants with pain in different locations, and was
significantly higher among girls than among boys of the same age, except
between the ages of 4 and 9 years.
Overall, 51 percent of subjects with pain sought professional help for
their conditions, and 52 percent reported using pain medications. The
prevalence of physician visits and medication use increased with age.
"Health care utilization was predicted by increasing age, greater
intensity of pain, and longer duration of pain but not by the frequency
of pain," Roth-Isigkeit's team reports. "Only the intensity of pain was
predictive of the degree of restrictions in daily activities resulting
from pain."
The researchers say more information is needed to "enable parents,
teachers, and health care professionals to assist young people with pain
management, allowing the young people to intervene positively in their
conditions before they become recurrent or persistent."
SOURCE: Pediatrics, 14 February 2005.
Mom's work schedule affects child's development
Children whose mothers work nights, evenings or rotating shifts are more
likely to be behind the curve in mental development at age 2 and in
language ability at age 3, new research reports.
Study author Dr. Wen-Jui Han explained that it's likely not the work
itself that may affect kids, but other factors that arise when women
work non-traditional shifts.
For instance, research shows that young children whose mothers work
nights and rotating shifts are more likely to be looked after by fathers
and relatives and less likely to attend day care, which can help their
growing brain, the researcher noted.
“This does not suggest that father care or relative care is not good,”
said Han, who is based at Columbia University in New York. “It rather
suggests that these children whose mothers work nonstandard hours may
miss out on an opportunity.”
Han stressed that parents who work nights, evenings or rotating shifts
should not blame themselves for how their children develop.
Mothers who work non-traditional shifts “are doing the best they can, so
it is time for the nation to take a serious look at our family and
childcare policies — we need policies to support these families to do
their best,” Han noted.
An increasing number of men and women are
working nights, evenings and rotating shifts, Han and colleagues report
in the journal Child Development. For instance, a 1999 study showed that
27 percent of men and 33 percent of women who work full-time have
non-standard shifts, an increase from the 1980s.
Previous research has shown these schedules can be hard on adults'
physical and psychological well being, increasing the risk of
depression, fatigue and marital instability. However, researchers have
done little to examine how the schedules — and their effect on adults —
influence young children.
To investigate, the researchers followed approximately 900 children
through age 3, conducting a series of home visits and phone interviews.
All of the mothers had worked during the child's first three years of
life.
Night shifts included working hours from 11 PM to 7 AM, while evening
shifts lasted from 3 PM to 12 AM.
The authors found that approximately one half of mothers worked a
non-standard shift during their children's first years of life.
Children whose mothers worked non-standard shifts were more likely to be
behind their peers in terms of mental development at age 2 and language
ability at age 3.
Hopefully, this study will “open the dialogue” about the relationship
between mothers' work and children's development, Han said.
“When parents are doing the best they can, and children may still suffer
from the best, it only suggests that it does take a nation to raise a
child,” Han added.
SOURCE: Child Development, January/February 2005.
Alison McCook
10 February 2005
Top
___