How and what do we learn when we are scared? Asks Associate Professor Deborah Pino Pasternak Many of us remember vividly being yelled at or feeling threatened by a family member, a teacher, or a boss. Terrifying experiences often get imprinted in our memory; remembering frightening events...
Gen Muir looks at dealing with big emotions and challenging behaviour in kids in her new book 'Little People, Big Feelings' When I was around 10 days postpartum with my fourth child, my third son, Tom – who was 2 years old and obsessed with Batman...
Rachael Sharman and Michael Nagel report A recent Beyond Blue survey of more than 2,000 teachers identified mental ill-health and excessive screen time as the biggest problems facing their students. Comments from teachers revealed a perceived lack of social skill development in children and teens. As one...
Sarah Blunden, suggests you relax – having different sleeping arrangements over the holidays probably won’t wreck your child’s sleep routine Sleep, along with diet and physical activity, is one of the three pillars of good health. Good sleep makes it easier to grow, learn, perform, be...
Katharine Cook’s 8 tips for surviving the stress of this year’s festive season Help! It’s the holiday season and the inevitable invasion of relatives and a full calendar of gatherings are upon us. If you believe television commercials, you should be kicking up your heels, kissing...
When it’s hot in the city, let green spaces do the sweating for you Seeking the shade of a tree to relax or cool off is something many of us take for granted, writes researcher Dr Carolina Mayen Huerta. But as Australia heads towards an El Niño...
Troy Potter reports that the International Transgender Day of Visibility was an opportunity to celebrate trans and gender-diverse people – and to raise awareness of the ongoing discrimination they experience. Trans and gender-diverse people experience higher levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal behaviours than the...
Equipping families to better support teenagers Monash University and headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation have joined forces to introduce an online parenting program aimed at bolstering parents' capacity to care for their teenagers' mental well-being. With research from headspace indicating that 80% of young people aged...
Young Australians increasingly get news from social media, but many don’t understand algorithms, write researchers Tanya Notley, Michael Dezuanni and Sora Parr. Adults might assume young people are not engaged in current affairs. But our survey reveals most Australian children and teenagers have a significant interest in...
Covering everything from anxiety, depression, trauma and eating difficulties, to understanding neurodivergence and gender identity Dr Jo Prendergast's new book 'When Life Sucks' is an essential guide for parents and carers looking to understand what's going on in their teen's mind. This is an extract...
