Infants
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Preferential looking to eyes versus mouth in early infancy: heritability and link to concurrent and later development
In a sample of 535 5-month-old infant twins, we assessed eye (relative to mouth) preference in early infancy we investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the preference for looking at eyes, and the association with concurrent traits and follow-up measures. Charlotte Viktorsson (pic) et al
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Prenatal alcohol exposure and child sleep problems: A family-based quasi-experimental study
Open Access paper from JCPP Advances – “We examine whether associations between prenatal exposure to hazardous maternal alcohol consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy and sleep problems in young children represent a causal association”. Ingunn Olea Lund and Eivind Ystrom (pic)
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Paternal perinatal stress is associated with children’s emotional problems at 2 years
Open Access paper from the JCPP – “Rates of help-seeking among fathers is low, possibly due to conceptualising their own difficulties as stress rather than problems with mood”. Fiona L. Challacombe (pic) et al.
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Understanding Early Trauma: The case for supporting parent-infant relationships
Understanding of adverse childhood experiences has grown in recent years. We now know more about how external circumstances cause psychological trauma in some children. When we understand early trauma – and the importance of early relationships – we are better able to prevent, and respond to, children’s mental health problems. [Please note that this is an external blog and may not reflect the views of ACAMH]
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Does early androgen exposure contribute to autistic traits?
Researchers in Hong Kong and Cambridge have explored the influence of early androgen exposure on autistic traits during childhood.
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Preterm infants have social cognition deficits which improve in childhood
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have investigated social attentional preference and its relationship with neurodevelopment in preterm infants.
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January 2021 – The Bridge
This issue of The Bridge features summaries of recent child and adolescent mental health research. I hope you enjoy reading about this excellent work which improves our understanding of a wide range of conditions and informs mental health care for young people.
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Mothers’ prenatal BMI is linked with foetal brain connectivity
New data suggest that a high maternal prenatal body mass index (BMI) is associated with differences in functional connectivity in the foetal brain that might confer a risk of mental health and cognitive problems in childhood.
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How does parenting style affect development in infants with a visual impairment?
Earlier this year, researchers from Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in the UK published their latest findings from the OPTIMUM project: a national, longitudinal study investigating early development and interventions for young children with visual impairment.
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Sleep problems from infancy are linked with impaired well-being in middle childhood
Researchers in the USA and Australia have found that sleep disturbances from early childhood are associated with reductions in well-being at age 10-11 years old. Ariel Williamson and colleagues came to this conclusion after analysing data from >5,000 children enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children – Birth Cohort.
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