Postcards from the Id

Napping Important to Mental Health of 4 and 5-Year Olds

Interesting study here about the potential relationship between the sleeping patterns of four and five-years olds and hyperactivity, depression, and anxiety.  What the article doesn’t address is the “Chicken/Egg” conundrum; are some kids having trouble because they aren’t napping, or are they having trouble napping because they are experiencing depression, anxiety, and hyperactivity?  The researchers also acknowledge that sleep patterns can be very individualized in terms of needs, so the idea that a child is automatically at risk due to a lack of napping is not accurate.  Here is one quick excerpt from the article:

Results indicate that children between the ages of 4 and 5 who did not take daytime naps were reported by their parents to exhibit higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression than children who continued to nap at this age. 

On the flip side, I’ve noted repeatedly my belief that sleep is an important factor in overall well-being; it stands to reason that adequate sleep is at least as important for children.  In addition, it seems like many parents are allowing children to stay up later into the evening than when I was a lad, which may place additional importance on napping as a way for children to get enough sleep.  Clearly, more research would need to be done examining different sleeping patterns in order to come to more definitive conclusions (i.e. if a five-year old gets 12 hours of sleep at night, is that the equivalent of a child who sleep 10 hours at night, and also takes a nap?).  Still and all, any article that highlights the necessity of getting adequate shut-eye is fine by me. 

Psychological Impact of Child Abuse

Not much new information in this article, but it does serve as a stark reminder that child abuse has significant implications for many victims.  Childrens' cognitive processing skills are more rudimentary than that of adults, and so when significant events impact them, they are more vulnerable to developing rigid schemas with respect to themselves, other people, and the world around them.  In general, rigid thinking isn't all that healthy, and child abuse certainly contributes to the development of rigid thinking patterns - thus the ongoing impact, even later in life.  One point to remember is that individuals with histories of child abuse will experience mental health issues more strongly than if they hadn't been abused.  From the article:

The impact of child abuse already is known to increase the risk of suicide, however the literature about other characteristics of depressed victims of child abuse is scarce. Although the findings of the Mayo study do not confirm causality, the information stresses the importance of more aggressive approaches from the public health perspective to prevent child abuse. "A history of child abuse makes most psychiatric illnesses worse," according to Magdalena Romanowicz, M.D., lead author of the study. "We found that it significantly impacts the wide range of characteristics of depressed inpatients including increased risk of suicide attempt, substance abuse, as well as earlier onset of mental illness and more psychiatric hospitalizations. This new information serves as a reminder of the importance of child abuse prevention from a public health perspective.

Clinicians need to factor this information into their assessments, and consider the ramifications of a client's childhood history.  Very often individuals who present as "resistant to therapy" are simply having a more difficult time with treatment due to issues like a history of child abuse, which complicates the therapeutic process.  In addition, many clinicians do not adequately assess for trauma histories (to include child abuse, but also other traumatic incidents as well), due to 1) discomfort with the topic (this stuff can be a bear to talk about in therapy); 2) inadequate questioning (many individuals will not disclose this information when only one or two vague questions are asked about "trauma"); and 3) a lack of recognition of the importance of this issue to treatment.  If a person does "get stuck" in therapy due to undisclosed issues related to an abuse history, this often reinforces negative self-perceptions the individual has of him or herself (i.e. "I can't do anything right"), which is not the case, but appears so to the individual.  Bottom line - many people do figure out ways to cope or recover from an abuse history; however, if a person is struggling as a result of an abuse history, and is in treatment as a result, the issues present as a result of that history need to be addressed.

Age of Initial Word Recognition Important to Later Reading Skills

Here’s an interesting article regarding the importance of timing when it comes to learning to read.  The article discusses how, in the past, researchers have found different patterns of reading in different studies, for which there was no explanation, at least until now.  This article discusses the finding that when a child learns a word is important in terms of that child’s later reading pattern.  From the article:

She said: “Children read differently from adults, but as they grow older, they develop the same reading patterns. When adults read words they learned when they were younger, they recognize them faster and more accurately than those they learned later in life.”

Talk about yet another incentive to get your kids reading early!  The more words they are able to instinctualize early, the less effort they expend on those same words as adults.  What I mean by instinctualize (not a real word, I know) is that, like learning to read music, one doesn’t need to “think” about the word (or note), they instinctually know it, through repetition and use.  Also similar, it seems, to many physical activities.  This makes intuitive sense, and I’m surprised this data point wasn’t controlled for in the past.  Seems the bottom line is that learning words earlier allows for improved reading later on, in part due to the ability to internalize the definitions, and therefore read more efficiently.  

Maternal Depression and Infant Sleep Disturbance

This article discusses the recent finding that infants born to mothers with depression exhibit sleep difficulties as soon as two weeks after birth.  This finding, though preliminary (this initial research only had 18 subjects) is important, in that early sleep difficulties are associated with the later development of early-onset depression.  From the article:

Results indicate that infants born to mothers with depression had significant sleep disturbances compared to low-risk infants; the high-risk group had an hour longer nocturnal sleep latency, shorter sleep episodes and lower sleep efficiency than infants who were born to mothers without depression. Although average sleep time in a 24 hours did not differ by risk group at eight two or four weeks, nocturnal total sleep time was 97 minutes longer in the low-risk group at both recording periods. High-risk infants also had significantly more daytime sleep episodes of a shorter average duration.

The article also discusses the potential reversibility of these sleep difficulties as a way of potentially reducing or eliminating the later development of depression.  I've posted several articles regarding the importance of sleep, and the assocation of sleep problems with other issues, and it is no surprise that sleep problems at infancy is associated with later mood difficulties.  Hopefully further research will allow for early detection and intervention.

Delibrate Dumbing Down in Schools - Research Confirming What Many Knew

This article reviews research set to be published next year (why the wait?), which indicates that for many intelligent kids, particularly boys, the pressure is on to underachieve, lest they be bullied.  Further (and obvious as well), the poorer the school performs, the more pressure there is to dumb yourself down.  From the article:

The study, to be published in the Sociological Review next year, shows how difficult it is for children, particularly boys, to be clever and popular. Boys risk being assaulted in some schools for being high-achievers. To conform and escape alienation, clever boys told researchers they may "try to fall behind" or "dumb down". 

This particular study was conducted in England, but I have little doubt that these issues are at least as problematic in American schools.  I remember this kind of garbage when I was a kid, though I also remember it was worse at certain schools I attended than at others.  I can recall cringing on days when honor roll was posted, just waiting for the forthcoming abuse; I can only imagine what it's like today, 20+ years later.

I don't work with kids, so I'm not sure what the current thinking is at schools with respect to strategies to deal with this.  I do suspect that for many parents who rank school as a prime issue in terms of where to live, paying for private school, etc., it is the culture of achievement (or lack thereof) that is at least as important as the quality of teachers, class opportunities, etc.  that factors into their decision.  Pressure to underachieve is just depressing, and if you've got a bright kid, it must be so frustrating to consider underachievement might be socially reinforced.  Again, not sure what the current thinking is on this, but I'm assuming there are efforts to address this sort of thing.

 

 

Childhood Predictors of Adolescent Depression

Here’s an interesting article summing up recent research into the precursors of adolescent depression. For boys, it’s primarily anxiety, but with girls, it’s anxiety as well as antisocial behavior. Surprisingly, early depression did not predict later depression as much as these other warning signs. From the article:

"Anti-social behavior has typically been viewed as a big problem among boys, so it tends to be ignored among girls. Boys with early anti-social behavior typically go on to show more anti-social behavior while girls may turn inward with symptoms, morphing into other mental health problems such as depression eating disorders, anxiety and suicidal behavior during adolescence ," said James Mazza, a UW professor of educational psychology and lead author of the new study. He is currently serving as the past president of the American Association of Suicidology.

"When all the risk factors were analyzed, anti-social behavior and anxiety were the most predictive of later depression. It just may be that they are more prevalent in the early elementary school years than depression." He noted that depression and anxiety share a number of symptoms.

A couple of quick observations. First, it is a general trend that women display high incidences of “inward” mental health difficulties (e.g. depression, anxiety) while men tend to have higher incidences of “outward” mental health diagnoses (i.e. antisocial personality disorder). Interesting how the antisocial stuff continues to develop in boys, but with the girls, the focus shifts once adolescence is reached.

Also, this research again confirms the link between early anxiety and later depression, which I wrote about here. Again, if you are a parent or professional, please do not discount anxiety in kids: anxious kids grow up to be depressed adults, which is not a good thing. Nip these types of problems early, when the symptoms are more manageable, and a whole lot of discomfort and misery can be avoided.

What is also interesting about this study is that it demonstrates that children have some insight into their moods - the authors indicated the kids were able to successfully communicate their difficulties with the help of questionnaires. This is a good thing, insofar as we don’t have to rely solely on the observations of parents, teachers, and others. What this also means is that we need to take kids seriously - obviously, an over-reaction to the occasional stressor is one thing, but if a child is communicating regular discomfort with worry, it is worth it to examine it further.

Book Review - The Elfish Gene by Mark Barrowcliffe

Last November, I linked to a Wired review of Mark Barrowcliffe’s The Elfish Gene, and offered some thoughts on the review, as well as the reported content of the book. I also promised to both read the book, and write a review. Mission accomplished!

Let me start off by stating what a talented writer Mr. Barrowcliffe is. He has written several other books, all of which appear to be fiction. In this case, what Mr. Barrowcliffe has written is an extremely engaging memoir of his childhood, chronicling the imagined adventures and reality-based misadventures of a socially awkward teen in 1970s Britain. The more specific focus is on how the adolescent Barrowcliffe, due to his social awkwardness, retreated into the world of role-playing games, which were just coming into their own during this period. Based, on this book, I definitely would like to try his fiction.

The book is an immensely enjoyable read, though Mr. Barrowcliffe writes so honestly that the discomfort and pain (whether apparent to Mr. Barrowcliffe as a child or not) often makes you squirm. He poignantly describes his adolescent difficulties with fitting in, in all of its relevant aspects: which group to fit in with; how to go about fitting in with said group; a lack of tact and boundary awareness; and the passive-aggressive verbal attacks and sarcasm that often spring from those who feel the sting of rejection, either real or imagined. Mr. Barrowcliffe lays it all out for the reader, each uncomfortable situation at a time. While you are rooting for him every step of the way, almost as if he were a fictional character who’s future is in doubt, you will oftentimes find the rooting to be difficult, given his actions. Other times, you just want to reach back in time, shake him by the shoulders, and scream, “What were you thinking?” Of course, part of the appeal of the book is that we can all relate; who wouldn’t want to go back in time and shake their own younger selves, at least during those moments when we were at our worst?

Contrary to the review I linked to, I don’t see Barrowcliffe’s book “blaming” role-playing, Dungeons and Dragons, etc. for his difficulties; rather, I see him recognizing that by choosing to retreat into this “hobby” (more like an addiction, in terms of his significant over-indulgence), he prolonged his maturational development. In short, much like others who avoid difficult issues, and thus do not learn the important and necessary lessons from having engaged them (whether successfully or not), he continued to manifest his interpersonal issues (particularly passive-aggressiveness) well into college. Sure, he made progress; but he freely acknowledges the absurdity of his world-view in a section of the book where he is in college, and a woman he has considered asking out on a date passes by him in a park, just as he has injured a younger kid during a “real life role play.” Luckily for him, he at least had the insight to understand there was no reasonable way to inform a woman in her 20s that he inadvertently injured the boy while pretending to be a warrior, slaying the would-be “goblin” (at least not if you ever want a date with her). That insight apparently manifested itself further, given Mr. Barrowcliffe’s ability to write, not just well, but also so openly (while often cathartic, this level of self-disclosure also requires a significant degree of self-assuredness).

Overall, I don’t see Barrowcliffe’s difficulties growing up as different in kind from those problems that kids experience in general. I think he just experienced more of it (the farther end of the continuum), and yes, in part because he more thoroughly retreated into an activity that his social development was delayed. One of the simple keys to life is “moderation.” Contrary to Mr. Barrowcliffe’s tongue-in-cheek assertion, I do believe that role-playing can be engaged in on a moderate level; I do agree with him, though, that there will come a time where a teen will usually have to make a choice re: role-playing, simply due to the potential stigma associated with it, as well as the association necessary with those individuals who, like the young Mr. Barrowcliffe, are waaaaay into it. It’s not a likely scenario to be both a well–adjusted (for a teen), socially active adolescent with a girlfriend and a spot on one of the sports teams, and also be an extreme role-player. Nowadays, kids can get away with it far easier through video games; back then (and Barrowcliffe is just a bit older than me), you tended to pick one or the other. As you get older and develop a reasonable, balanced sense of self, you can pull it off more easily; in high school, though, so much hinges on who you associate with, and why. This is in no way a judgment call as to whether it’s right or wrong, and frankly I don’t know if things have changed since I was a kid. But back then, if you wanted to run in certain circles, and date in a regular way, you cut way back on the game.

I think Barrowcliffe’s book does a wonderful job of detailing all of this, the successful (and less successful) navigation of the social nuances of adolesence.  In fact, I should also mention Mr. Barrowcliffe commented on the Wired review in my earlier post, and noted he appreciated the review overall.  He did note, however, that he (like myself) wasn't "blaming" Dungeons and Dragons.  He commented, rather, on embracing the idea of kids wasting time engaged in play. I couldn't agree more!  However, I also believe there is a progression of types, forms, and amounts of play that suggest a healthy maturational process, and other patterns that suggest something's not quite right.  I guess I'm just a big believer in the concept of "too much of a good thing." 

Should parents be afraid of D and D, or role-playing? Of course not. There is nothing inherently in the game that will negatively impact a child. On the contrary, I think it provides an excellent avenue for using one’s imagination, developing story-telling skills, thinking strategically, and (if done correctly), providing for the development of social skills: Mark’s friendship with several people in the book suggest he did gain something from his role-playing associations. He even states this in his comments on the earlier thread.  However, past a certain point, games (or anything else, for that matter) begin to encroach into other areas of life, and opportunities are then missed. Adolescents, in particular, learn so much about life from experience: if you are at home every Friday and Saturday night playing games (role-playing or otherwise), what are you not out doing, and learning from? Parents, be on the look out for obsessive thinking, avoidance behavior, and social difficulties - those are the issues needing intervention.  I'd say the same thing about a video game; nothing wrong with them, unless the kid is playing them six hours a day - that's a problem.

I’ll probably write another post at some point, based in part on this book, about the issues related to passive-aggressive communication, snarkiness, and sarcasm, especially among adolescents. There is more than enough of that stuff described in The Elfish Gene. Self-disclosure alert!:  I freely admit that Barrowcliffe's descriptions of snark circa. 1976 whisked my back in time, when I often stabbed friends and family alike with pointed verbal barbs - yep, reflection can be funny and painful at the same time!For now, though, I highly recommend The Elfish Gene as a great read, an interesting one as well, both humorous and thoughtful.

Exercise Important in Improving Children’s Academic Performance

Interesting article here about the recent thinking concerning the relationship to physical fitness and children’s academic achievement. First, the article discusses how well children in America are doing compared to children in other countries with respect to scholastic achievement (specifically math and science). Next addressed is the problem of increasing weight gain among the children of America. An interesting argument is made to connect the two, citing evidence that those who exercise also benefit from improved mental functioning. While the connection between physical and mental fitness is nothing new, this is an interesting application of the the two ideas. Worth a read, and certainly more evidence that parents need to make sure their kids are getting enough physical activity.

Podcast Devoted to Pre-term Infants and the Experience of Mothers

Just thought I’d pass along a link to this announcement regarding a podcast devoted to issues surrounding pre-term infants. Having recently gone through this myself, I can appreciate the need for getting more information out there to parents who have a pre-term infant. When I get a chance to download and listen to the podcast, I’ll to remember and post a follow-up.

Infants Placed In Incubators At Less Risk for Later Depression

According to new research, infants who require placement in incubators following birth are at less risk for later onset of depression than infants who aren’t placed in incubators. Girls in particular experience a significant decrease in later depression. Not much to add, aside from my interest in this article was in part personal (my son was born two months premature, which necessitated a significant amount of time in an incubator - that's him in the pics, then and now!). The article covers the thinking behind the results, which seems to make sense to me. Check it out.