Photo by Michael "Mike" L. Baird bairdphotos.com

We heard this week from Dr. Talwar that lying is a normal part of child development, occurring as kids begin to understand others’ perspective. Young children aren’t the only ones who fib, though. Teenagers also lie, to avoid getting in trouble, to get out of obligations, or for any number of reasons. And it’s not as simple as just lying – partial truths, or avoiding touchy topics are also possible strategies for dealing with disagreements with parents.

A study published in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Adolescence examined the approaches taken by teens in situations likely to lead to disagreements with their parents. (...)
Read the rest of Lying teens and strict parents (432 words)

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Post tags: lies, lying, monitoring, research-based, teenagers, warmth
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Portrait #71 - Camélia by Valentin.Ottone

Sleep problems can have an impact on almost everything. Sleep difficulties have been linked to an increase in behavioural, cognitive, and emotional problems; difficulties with impulse control, emotional regulation, and poor school performance have all been linked to a lack of sleep. And teenagers may be at risk for problems with sleep as their “internal clock” shifts to a preference for later bedtimes and waking times, while most high school classes begin early in the morning. There may be social pressures that affect sleep as well – if 10 of your friends are playing Call of Duty at 11 PM, are you more likely to be awake at that time?(...)
Read the rest of Teen drug use and sleep loss are contagious (375 words)

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Post tags: drug use, psychology, research-based, sleep, sleep problems, social networks, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Injection by Conor Lawless

In the United States, eating disorders affect 5 to 10 million females and 1 million males. The disorders include anorexia and bulimia, although binge eating, which is currently being considered for inclusion into the diagnostic manual of disorders (DSM-V) is the most common food related problem facing Americans. As with many problems in living, early detection and treatment are key to an improved prognosis. The early signs of anorexia and bulimia can include dramatic weight loss or gain, knuckle scars from placing fingers down one’s throat to induce vomiting, cooking elaborate dinners for others but eating very little despite being thin or dangerously underweight, and the use of laxatives or diet pills. For binge eating the signs to look for include rapid eating, eating large amount of food at one sitting, feeling a loss of control while (...)
Read the rest of Dentists Can Help Detect Early Signs of Eating Disorders (292 words)

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Post tags: dentist, early intervention, eating disorders, psychology, research-based, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Preparing the Cake Pans by Di the Huntress

We all want our kids to feel good about themselves. We complement them on their performance, their appearance, and their abilities hoping that they’ll develop self-esteem and grow into happy adults. Unfortunately, as we discussed in Episode 61 of the Family Anatomy Podcast, words don’t cut it when it comes to self-esteem – kids need to develop skills and experience “mastery” to feel good about themselves; these mastery experiences give them accurate information about their skills and capabilities, promoting self-esteem. Researchers believe that this is one of the reasons why participation in extracurricular activities has such a positive impact. While kids live at home, parents can facilitate participation in these activities, but what about when they move on to college or university? Suddenly their beliefs about their capabilities and competence become extremely important, since they must be self-motivated to complete their schoolwork.(...)
Read the rest of The impact of chores on self-esteem (275 words)

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Post tags: chores, mastery, psychology, research-based, responsibilities, self-efficacy, self-esteem, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Doctors Brian and Giuseppe talk about dating violence.

What if you’re concerned about your child’s boyfriend or girlfriend?

Are there warning signs to watch out for?

What should teens know?

Find out what we think in this week’s episode!

Listen here:

… or right click here to save it for later.

You can also get your free podcast subscription in iTunes. If you use iTunes, you can leave a review!

Website of the Week: Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Dr. Giuseppe recommends this book:

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Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Related posts:

1. Partner Abuse, Pt. 4: How are witnesses affected?
2. Partner Abuse, Part 1: Reducing Behaviour Problems in Children Who Witness Abuse and Supporting Womens' Mental Health
3. School-Based Program Helps Prevent Dating Violence Among Teens, Especially Boys

© Dr. Brian MacDonald C. Psych. for Family Anatomy, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: abuse, dating, domestic violence, psychology, research-based, teenagers, Teens, violence
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

© Dr. Brian MacDonald C. Psych. for Family Anatomy, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: disaster, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychology, PTSD, recovery, research-based, teenagers, trauma, treatment
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

© Dr. Brian MacDonald C. Psych. for Family Anatomy, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: high school, keyword, memory, mnemonics, pegword, reconstructive elaboration, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Although the Internet has become one of the most significant information resources for adolescents, addiction to the Internet can negatively impact school performance, family relationships and adolescents’ emotional state, according to background information in the article. “This phenomenon has been described as Internet addiction or problematic Internet use and classified as a possible behavior addiction,” the authors write. Previous studies report that 1.4 percent to 17.9 percent of adolescents are addicted to the Internet in both Western and Eastern societies; therefore, there have been suggestions to add Internet and gaming addictions to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical  Manual of Mental Disorders. “Identification of the risk factors for Internet addiction is therefore of clinical significance for the prevention of, and early intervention into, Internet addiction in adolescents.”(...)
Read the rest of Psychiatric Symptoms May Predict Internet Addiction in Adolescents (597 words)

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Post tags: ADHD, adolescents, depression, internet addiction, social phobia, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Travis Dorsch and his colleagues interviewed 26 parents in detail about the impact of their kids’ participation in sports; their work is published in the August issue of the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. They heard some expected comments – about the financial sacrifices and time required for kids to play on a team – but parents also described changes in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours related to the sport. Parents who had not participated in sports themselves became more interested, or began to learn more about the activity by playing with their child. They became invested in the sport and their child’s performance – sometimes they had to make an effort to change their “bleacher behaviour.” Some participants described increased communication and improvements in the parent-child relationship, including opportunities to get to know the child’s friends. Others talked about social connections with parents of their child’s team-mates. Some parents felt that they had to prepare themselves emotionally for the time when their child would lose interest in the sport. Of course, negative comments were heard about having kids in sports as well, but these seemed to occur less frequently than the positive ones.(...)
Read the rest of Kids in Sports, Part 4: How do youth sports affect parents? (350 words)

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Post tags: Children, Parents, Relationships, sports, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

© Dr. Brian MacDonald C. Psych. for Family Anatomy, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adjustment, emotional, grandparents, social, teenagers
Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only, and are not intended to replace professional or medical advice. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.