A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
New research has found growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood may have negative effects on children’s brain development. But for males, at least, positive parenting negated these negative effects, providing some good lessons for parents. Living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood (where there are more people who have low income jobs or are unemployed, are less [...]
Owning your own smartphone or tablet is now the new normal for Australian children, new research released today shows. The latest Australian Child Health Poll has found that almost all Australian teenagers, two- thirds of primary school-aged children and one-third of pre-schoolers now own their own tablet or smartphone. As well as owning their own [...]
The loss of a pet is often a child’s first experience with death. Understanding the unique ways that children view pets and respond to their passing can help parents to ease the grieving process. Joshua Russell, an assistant professor of environmental science at Canisius College in Buffalo, who has studied the effects of pet loss [...]
The term demoralization was originally coined in the 1970s by a psychiatrist who was seeing patients that didn’t quite meet full criteria for major depression. Nonetheless, they were suffering – in a shared state of emotional distress and sense of incompetence. For many Americans, we are experiencing this now. Events such as the recent terrorist [...]
The mirrors bolted to the walls of Sydney's bodybuilding gyms are crowded with impossibly muscled men. It's a smorgasbord of peak health and physical perfection. But Joey Sheather can pick them. The men who have bulked-up too fast, whose passion for fitness has tipped over into obsession. The ones who will never be satisfied no [...]
This season's hottest toy is marketed as an antidote for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and autism — but it's also being banned in classrooms across the country. "Fidget spinners" are small, ball-bearing devices that the user can rotate between his or her fingers. The momentum of the toy provides a pleasing sensory experience, according [...]
Higher than average levels of impulsiveness, sensitivity to anxiety, sensation seeking and hopelessness. These four personality traits have been shown by researchers to predict those teenagers at high risk of becoming binge drinkers with 90 per cent accuracy. In the first Australian trial, a program targeting 438 year 8 students with one of these traits [...]
Earlier this week, Harvard University revealed that it had rescinded admissions offers to at least 10 students who shared offensive images within what they thought was a private Facebook group chat. The students posted memes and images that mocked minority groups, child abuse, sexual assault and the Holocaust, among other things. It is easy for [...]
In August, Treasurer Scott Morrison warned that “Australia has a generation growing up expecting government handouts”. Researchers have labelled this the “Me Generation”. Some even say we are facing a “me, me, me epidemic”. So why have today’s young people become more narcissistic? According to research, the decrease in young people’s levels of empathy is [...]
If Australia is to be genuinely committed to reducing rates of suicide, problematic substance use, and aggression and violence (including alcohol related and family violence), then we must have a coordinated plan for young men's mental health. Only a small proportion of young men who have a need for care access services receive appropriate treatment [...]
