Almost three quarters of adolescents experience depression or anxiety

Almost three quarters of adolescents in Australia experience clinically significant depression or anxiety symptoms, with most being chronic, according to a new study. And preventive strategies outside our clinics are urgently required to address this considerable public health problem facing the nation.

The research, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in The Lancet Psychiatry, found mental health problems were frequently chronic with 64 per cent reporting symptoms three or more times across their adolescent years.  

MCRI Dr Ellie Robson said the rate and recurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms were concerning given mental health problems during adolescence had serious consequences across the lifespan.

“These are striking findings, particularly given how many young people experienced symptoms over multiple years of the study and how much depression and anxiety symptoms can affect young people’s functioning and can have long-lasting negative health outcomes,” she said.

For the study 1,239 children from Melbourne enrolled in the Child to Adult Transition Study (CATS) had their symptoms of anxiety and depression tracked every year from 10 to 18 years of age.

Girls were at increased risk with 84 per cent compared to 61 per cent of boys having depression or anxiety symptoms at least once during adolescence. Girls were also more likely to have a chronic course at 72 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively. 

The onset of anxiety and depression symptoms increased at times that coincided with educational stress such as the primary to secondary school transition, exam periods and the end of compulsory education.  Three quarters of participants who struggled with mental health problems during the COVID-19 years already had symptoms, highlighting factors beyond the pandemic stressors.

MCRI Professor Susan Sawyer said that despite growing concerns about adolescent mental health, until the CATS, few studies had comprehensively charted the course of common mental disorders across this key life stage.

“To our knowledge, this longitudinal study shows the highest cumulative incidence of clinically significant symptoms of common mental disorders that has ever been reported across adolescence from any country,” she said.

“This high incidence of common mental health problems suggests that even the most well-resourced country would struggle to provide adequate treatment if every young person sought help. Beyond clinical care, we urgently need to fund, develop and evaluate preventive strategies that aim to reduce the onset and chronicity of depression and anxiety.”

Dr Robson said; “Adolescents today are growing up in a distinctly different psychosocial landscape than earlier generations, one that is characterised by greater mental health literacy, reduced stigma, and at times the glamorisation of mental health problems. Given this context, our next step will be to explore what impact these reported symptoms have on the functioning and health outcomes of contemporary adolescents.”

Substance use among adolescents has continued to hold steady at lowered levels for the fourth year in a row

 

After declining significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, substance use among adolescents has continued to hold steady at lowered levels for the fourth year in a row, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future Survey, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These recent data continue to document stable and declining trends in the use of most drugs among young people.

“This trend in the reduction of substance use among teenagers is unprecedented,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “We must continue to investigate factors that have contributed to this lowered risk of substance use to tailor interventions to support the continuation of this trend.”

Reported use for almost all measured substances decreased dramatically between 2020 and 2021, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and related changes like school closures and social distancing. In 2022 and 2023, most reported substance use among adolescents held steady at these lowered levels, with similar trends and some decreases in use in 2024.

The Monitoring the Future survey is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by NIDA. The survey is given annually to students in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades who self-report their substance use behaviors over various time periods, such as past 30 days, past 12 months, and lifetime. The survey also documents students’ perceptions of harm, disapproval of use, and perceived availability of drugs. The survey results are released the same year the data are collected. From February through June 2024, the Monitoring the Future investigators collected 24,257 surveys from students enrolled across 272 public and private schools in the United States.

When breaking down the data by specific drugs, the survey found that adolescents most commonly reported use of alcohol, nicotine vaping, and cannabis in the 12 months prior to the survey, and levels generally declined from or held steady with the lowered use reported over the past few years. Compared to levels reported in 2023, data reported in 2024 show:

• Alcohol use remained stable for eighth graders, with 12.9% reporting use in the past 12 months. Alcohol use declined among the other two grades surveyed, with 26.1% of 10th graders reporting alcohol use in the past 12 months (compared to 30.6% in 2023), and 41.7% of 12th graders reporting alcohol use in the past 12 months (compared to 45.7% in 2023). 
• Nicotine vaping remained stable for eighth and 12th graders, with 9.6% of eighth graders and 21.0% of 12th graders reporting vaping nicotine in the past 12 months. It declined among 10th graders, with 15.4% reporting nicotine vaping in the past 12 months (compared to 17.6% in 2023).
• Nicotine pouch use remained stable for eighth graders, with 0.6% reporting use within the past 12 months. It increased among the two older grades with 3.4% of 10th graders reporting nicotine pouch use in the past 12 months (compared to 1.9% in 2023) and 5.9% of 12th graders reporting nicotine pouch use in the past 12 months (compared to 2.9% in 2023).
• Cannabis use remained stable for the younger grades, with 7.2% of eighth graders and 15.9% of 10th graders reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months. Cannabis use declined among 12th graders, with 25.8% reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months (compared to 29.0% in 2023). Of note, 5.6% of eighth graders, 11.6% of 10th graders, and 17.6% of 12th graders reported vaping cannabis within the past 12 months, reflecting a stable trend among all three grades.
• Delta-8-THC (a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant) use was measured for the first time among eighth and 10th graders in 2024, with 2.9% of eighth graders and 7.9% of 10th graders reporting use within the past 12 months. Reported use of Delta-8-THC among 12th graders remained stable with 12.3% reporting use within the past 12 months.
• Any illicit drug use other than marijuana declined among eight graders, with 3.4% reporting use in the past 12 months compared to 4.6% in 2023). It remained stable for the other two grades surveyed, with 4.4% of 10th graders and 6.5% of 12th graders reporting any illicit drug use other than marijuana in the past 12 months. These data build on long-term trends documenting low and declining use of illicit substances reported among teenagers – including past-year use of cocaine, heroin, and misuse of prescription drugs, generally.
• Use of narcotics other than heroin (including Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc.) are only reported among 12th graders, and decreased in 2024, with 0.6% reporting use within the past 12 months (reflecting an all-time low, down from a high of 9.5% in 2004).
• Abstaining, or not using, marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine in the past 30 days, remained stable for eighth graders, with 89.5% reporting abstaining from use of these drugs in the past 30 days prior to the survey. It increased for the two older grades, with 80.2% of 10th graders reporting abstaining from any use of marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine over the past 30 days (compared to 76.9% in 2023) and 67.1% of 12th graders reporting abstaining from use of these drugs in the past 30 days (compared to 62.6% in 2023).

“Kids who were in eighth grade at the start of the pandemic will be graduating from high school this year, and this unique cohort has ushered in the lowest rates of substance use we’ve seen in decades,” said Richard A. Miech, Ph.D., team lead of the Monitoring the Future survey at the University of Michigan. “Even as the drugs, culture, and landscape continue to evolve in future years, the Monitoring the Future survey will continue to nimbly adapt to measure and report on these trends – just as it has done for the past 50 years.”

The results were gathered from a nationally representative sample, and the data were statistically weighted to provide national numbers. This year, 35% of students who took the survey identified as Hispanic. Of those who did not identify as Hispanic, 14% identified as Black or African American, 1% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 4% as Asian, 1% as Middle Eastern, 37% as white, and 7% as more than one of the preceding non-Hispanic categories.  The survey also asks respondents to identify as male, female, other, or prefer not to answer. For the 2024 survey, 47% of students identified as male, 49% identified as female, 1% identified as other, and 3% selected the “prefer not to answer” option.

All participating students took the survey via the web – either on tablets or on a computer – with 99% of respondents taking the survey in-person in school in 2024.

Research examines how parental identity shapes education spending, challenges cultural stereotypes

How much parents spend on their children’s education has a big impact on family well-being and a country’s overall development. While past studies suggested that ethnic and racial backgrounds affect this spending, they lacked solid experimental proof – making their findings less reliable.

A new study led by Lingjiang Lora Tu, Ph.D., from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business examines the psychological factors driving parental investment in education, highlighting how a parent’s self-view – whether they see themselves as independent or connected to others – shapes their spending patterns. Published in the Journal of Business Research, the study – We” spend more than “I”: The impact of self-construal on parental education spending – also challenges cultural stereotypes by showing that differences in parental education spending are driven by psychological factors, not ethnicity..

“The study shows that parents’ self-view – whether as independent or as part of a collective – plays a more crucial role than ethnicity or race in how they prioritize their children’s education,” Tu said. “These findings have important implications for understanding parental education spending and designing effective interventions.”

Building on the concept of the “working self-view,” Tu’s research shows that context determines which aspect of the self is activated in parents. When the independent self is active, the focus is on individuality and standing out. When the interdependent self is active, the focus shifts to relationships and connections. At any given time, only one aspect is active, shaping parents’ decisions and behavior.

Key findings

Using data from 72 countries and a series of four experiments, Tu’s study revealed that how people see themselves plays a key role in shaping education spending regardless of ethnicity or culture. In addition, factors like personal identity threats and how well personal and parental identities fit together can either strengthen or weaken this effect.

Key findings included:

• When the interdependent self is active, parents prioritize their parental identity, leading to higher spending on their children’s education.
• When the independent self is active, parents focus more on their personal identity, resulting in lower spending on their children’s education.

However, the study also identified circumstances that can either amplify or reverse these effects:

• Personal Identity Threats: Independent parents increase spending when their personal identity is challenged, while interdependent parents reduce spending.
• Parental-Personal Identity Integration: When parents see their roles as parent and individual as complementary, the gap in spending between the two groups narrows.

Tu said the research challenges stereotypes, such as the “Asian effect,” by demonstrating that variations in parental education spending stem from psychological factors rather than ethnicity. In addition, the findings offer actionable strategies for policymakers, educators and marketers to address spending disparities effectively:

• Education campaigns can encourage greater investment in children’s education by activating parental identity or highlighting the harmony between personal and parental identities.
• Policies can address parents’ self-views to help reduce disparities in education spending across cultural and ethnic divides.
• Marketers can craft messages that align with parents’ self-views to improve engagement and effectiveness.

“Our research suggests moving beyond culture, ethnicity, race or gender as primary determinants of parental investment behaviors. We encourage scholars, practitioners and policymakers to embrace the complexity of identity and consider parents’ self-construal as a significant and influential factor in understanding parenting dynamics and family consumption behaviors,” the researchers wrote.

Fairy tales can help teach children about healthy sleep

Some traditional fairy tales and classic children’s fiction that have soothed many a child to sleep may also provide accessible and engaging ways to discuss healthy sleep with children, suggest researchers in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

Megan Thomas and colleagues analysed four popular fairy tales that include information about the benefits of sleep and the characteristics of sleep disorder.

For example, Snow White illustrates some of the daytime consequences of poor sleep due to obstructive sleep apnoea which is common in some conditions associated with short stature. These can include irritability (Grumpy), tiredness (Sleepy), and weaker social skills (Bashful), write the authors. Problems with attention and word fluency are also recognised consequences of sleep deprivation and might explain Doc’s speech difficulties. 

And while Sneezy might have allergies contributing to his respiratory obstruction, the authors suggest that perhaps the lack of sleep has lowered his immunity, making him more susceptible to respiratory disorders.

In The Princess and the Pea, the princess’ sleepless night could point to an autism spectrum disorder, note the authors. Sensory sensitivities are common, as are sleep difficulties, with insomnia (the inability to fall or stay asleep) being the most commonly reported problem.

Meanwhile, Goldilocks and the Three Bears shows that a key part of achieving healthy sleep is optimising environmental conditions: a comfortable bed and a room that is not too hot or too cold but “just right” and is dark and quiet is ideal, say the authors.

Remembering this fairy tale may also prompt the use of the BEARS screener for children’s sleep problems (Bedtime issues, Excessive daytime sleepiness, night Awakenings, Regularity and duration of sleep, and Snoring), they add. 

Finally, throughout Peter Pan, the reader is introduced to symptoms of parasomnias (unusual and undesirable behaviours during sleep) that are common in childhood and include sleep walking, sleep talking, confusional arousals, and night terrors, explain the authors. For instance, Peter Pan experiences frequent “painful” dreams that might reflect nightmares or night terrors. 

Contributing factors to parasomnias are stress, separation anxiety, and sleep deprivation, which aligns with the experiences of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, who were abandoned by their families and are fleeing the dangers of Captain Hook and his crew, they note.

The story also underscores the importance of healthy sleep for memory consolidation and optimal mood, they add. Each night, Mrs Darling tidies up her sleeping children’s memories by storing them in their proper place and leaves the happiest thoughts at the top of her children’s minds for the next day.

School Lunches: Supply Chain Disruptions and Student Participation

 

Every school day, K-12 schools serve nutritious meals to about 30 million children through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, providing the fuel kids need to grow, learn, and thrive. And the school meals food system has proven to be resilient, even though food supply chain challenges still linger today as a result of the COVID pandemic. In an effort to provide the best support to states and schools, USDA began surveying school food authorities, also known as SFAs – who operate school meal programs for one or more schools – to gather information regarding their school food challenges. Two previous surveys have already been published about school years 2021–22 and 2022–23. Now, USDA is sharing the results from its third SFA Survey on Supply Chain Disruptions and Student Participation, which examines school year 2023-24. We are also releasing a new data visualization that compares data from the second and third surveys.

Click to view the dashboard

Here are five insights about the state of the school meals supply chain in school year 2023-24:

1. 95% of SFAs experienced at least one supply chain-related challenge, but overall, the median number of challenges was less than the previous school year.
2. Similar to the previous school year, more than 80% of SFAs reported high food costs, making it the most common challenge.
3. More than 30% of SFAs reported increasing the use of scratch cooking to address supply chain challenges during SY 2023–24. Note: Scratch cooking is preparing meals with fresh ingredients, rather than using ready-made foods.
4. More than 20% of SFAs reported increasing purchases of local foods to address supply chain challenges.
5. While almost 25% of SFAs reported less student participation due to supply chain challenges, schools in states offering Healthy School Meals for All were less likely to see a reduction in student participation, compared to states not offering Healthy School Meals for All. Note: “Healthy School Meals for All” refers to states that are providing meals at no cost to all students.

Overall, these results show that in many ways, the supply chain has improved over the past three school years. Yet, schools still need support to overcome any challenge that might stand in the way of them serving nutritious meals to students.

The supply chain for school meal programs is strongest when schools have relationships with local suppliers. That’s one of the reasons why, earlier this month, USDA launched the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement, which will provide children with nutritious food from local growers and producers.

USDA is making up to $471.5 million available for states and territories to purchase local, unprocessed or minimally processed domestic foods for use by schools participating in our National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, while up to $188.6 million will be made available for Child and Adult Care Food Program institutions serving children.

From adolescence to adulthood: unlocking cognitive potential in individuals with Down syndrome

 

New findings by Bar-Ilan University researchers and collaborators pave the way for targeted interventions and educational programs to improve quality of life as life expectancy continues to rise

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Bar-Ilan University

 

image: 

Correlations between the two types of intelligence in adolescents and adults with NSID and DS

view more 

Credit: Prof. Hefziba Lifshitz, Bar-Ilan University

A new study by researchers at Bar-Ilan University, Ariel University and Levinsky College of Education has revealed encouraging findings about cognitive growth and development in adults with non-specific intellectual disability (NSID), especially those with Down syndrome (DS), and challenges previous assumptions about cognitive potential of individuals with Down syndrome.

The cross-sectional study examined 340 individuals across adolescent (ages 16-21) and adult (ages 22-45) groups, comparing crystallized intelligence (which involves acquired knowledge, language, and facts) and fluid intelligence (which involves problem-solving and reasoning ability). The results, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, provide a comprehensive picture of cognitive development patterns in these populations and new hope for continued cognitive development well into adulthood.

Among the key findings:

• Adults with intellectual disabilities demonstrated higher cognitive performance compared to adolescents across three key intelligence tests – Vocabulary, Similarities, and Block Design of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test -- supporting the Compensation Age Theory (Lifshitz, 2020), which suggests the continued potential for learning and development into the mid-40s.

• Fluid intelligence differences: Participants with DS performed better on tasks measuring fluid intelligence, including Block Design and Raven Matrix tests, involving visual-spatial reasoning and problem-solving abilities compared to those with NSID.

• Crystallized intelligence differences: Individuals with NSID scored higher on the Vocabulary test, a measure of crystallized intelligence, compared to those with DS.

• No difference in verbal reasoning: In the Similarities test, a measure of verbal reasoning, no difference was found between the two groups, suggesting that verbal abilities in individuals with DS may be less impaired than previously thought.

• Distinct cognitive profiles: Graph analysis revealed distinct cognitive networks between the groups. Surprisingly, participants with DS showed more integrated connections between crystallized and fluid intelligence, especially in adulthood, while adults with NSID displayed more fragmented cognitive connections.

The relative strength in verbal ability and the more coherent connections between the two types of intelligence in participants with DS indicate a more cognitively and neurologically coherent profile in DS etiology, especially in adulthood.

In a typical population scientists examined the association between fluid and crystallized intelligence throughout the life span. Higher correlations between the two suggested that participants who display higher scores in one type of intelligence also show higher scores in the other.

Surprisingly, in the current study, the interconnections between the two types of intelligence are consistent with the correlations between the two types of intelligence that were found in the typical population in the same age period (22-45), but only in adults with DS and not those with NSID.

“Our findings indicate relative strength and compensation of cognitive abilities in visual spatial areas, and even in language and verbal abilities in a clear diagnostic etiology such as DS, especially in adulthood, compared to unclear genetic etiologies such as NSID,” asserts Prof. Hefziba Lifshitz, of the Faculty of Education at Bar-Ilan University, the lead author of the study. “We now have evidence that cognitive development continues well into adulthood for these populations. These findings have significant implications for educational and support services,” adds Lifshitz, who collaborated with Dr. Roi Yozevitch from the Department of Computer Science at Ariel University and Dr.  Shlomit Shnitzer-Meirovich from Levinsky College of Education.

The research confirms that educational and developmental programs should be extended beyond adolescence, as adults with both DS and NSID demonstrate capacity for continued cognitive growth. This is particularly relevant as life expectancy for individuals with intellectual disabilities continues to increase, with many now living beyond 80 years.

In July 2024 six students enrolled in the Empowerment Project at Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Education became the first ever adult cohort with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in Israel to receive their bachelor's degree. Two of them are with DS. The Empowerment Project, a first-of-its-kind program established by Prof. Lifshitz is based on her Compensation Age Theory, which postulates that chronological age, as opposed to mental age, plays an important role in determining the cognitive ability of adults with intellectual disability. The current study confirmed this postulation more strongly in adults with DS.

The findings of this study open new avenues for research and development of targeted interventions and educational programs specifically designed for adults with intellectual disabilities, potentially improving long-term outcomes and quality of life for these individuals.

Many parents rely on threats to manage misbehavior – from no dessert to no Santa

 

National poll suggests 1 in 4 parents have threatened preschool-aged children with no Santa or gifts; more than half have used bribes

Reports and Proceedings

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

 

image: 

Parents in a new national poll report different challenges in being consistent with discipline strategies. 

view more 

Credit: University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – When young children’s behavior becomes challenging, many parents resort to threats – from taking away toys to threatening that Santa will skip their house, a national poll suggests.

Parents of children ages three to five were most likely to say they use threats to address misbehavior – with a fourth threatening their child with no Santa or gifts – according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

Many parents have also threatened to leave an activity or place, take away toys or not get dessert while nearly half of parents polled have used bribes.

“Discipline helps young children learn what behaviors are safe and appropriate and can play a crucial role in helping them learn the difference between right and wrong,” said Mott pediatrician and Mott Poll co-director Susan Woolford, M.D.

“Empty threats, however, undermine trust and credibility and aren’t usually effective. Positive reinforcement and consistent discipline are more likely to shape long term behavior.”

Consistency is key

While half of parents rate themselves as very consistent in disciplining their child, many admit struggling with consistency, according to the nationally representative report based on 725 responses from parents with at least one child ages one to five surveyed in August.

Top challenges include a child being too young to understand, strategies not always working and parents trying to prevent a public tantrum.

Nearly a fourth of parents also say they get too irritated when their child misbehaves, react before remembering their strategies or are too tired to be consistent.

“It can be difficult to have a consistent approach to discipline without consideration and planning – and even then, consistency can be difficult, especially when parents are tired, distracted, or feeling overwhelmed,” Woolford said.

“It’s important for parents to plan ahead and be on the same page with discipline strategies to provide a foundation for understanding expectations and prevent sending mixed signals about boundaries.”

Parents may need guidance finding the best discipline strategies

Parents weren’t always sure whether their discipline strategies worked, with about two fifths saying they’re very effective and three in five believing they’re somewhat effective.

Most parents polled also reported getting input about discipline strategies from several sources, with many turning to the child’s other parent, talking with family and friends or using parenting books, articles and social media.

Meanwhile, less than a fifth of parents have discussed discipline with a healthcare provider and one in eight parents say they haven’t thought about their discipline strategies.

Some parents polled also admitted using discipline strategies that aren’t recommended by experts, with two in five sometimes spanking – which evidence suggests may lead to defiance and be linked to increased aggression in preschoolers and school aged children.

“Parents should avoid the temptation to rely on tactics that might yield short-term compliance but have negative effects later on,” Woolford said.

“Discipline strategies should be appropriate for the child’s age and developmental level.” 

For children ages one to two, for example, distraction and redirection are often most effective, Woolford says, noting that children this young are exploring their environment and willful misbehavior is rare. Parents of children in this age group polled were also more likely to redirect behavior as a strategy.

But after age two, children understand their actions can cause a reaction from others and may increasingly test that out. Parents of children ages three to five polled were more likely to use warnings, speak firmly, and give timeouts.

During these preschool ages, Woolford says, strategies should emphasize logical consequences to misbehavior. For instance, if a child spills a drink out of anger, an appropriate punishment would be to have them clean up the mess while an unrelated punishment will be less effective.

“Consequences should be immediate, so the child understands the connection with their misbehavior,” she said.

She adds that since children respond differently to various discipline methods, parents should try to be flexible.

“As children grow, their responses to discipline will also change, so parents should adapt their strategies and stay open to new approaches,” she said.

“Balancing correction with positive reinforcement—like praise and rewards—helps children build self-esteem while learning from their mistakes.”