Parent-Child Synchrony Isn’t Always Better for Attachment Development

Summary: Researchers revealed nuanced insights into parent-child synchrony, differentiating between behavioral and brain-to-brain connections in 140 families. This research indicates that higher brain-to-brain synchrony, particularly in mothers with insecure attachment…

Vaccine-skeptical mothers say bad health care experiences made them distrust the medical system

Why would a mother reject safe, potentially lifesaving vaccines for her child? Popular writing on vaccine skepticism often denigrates white and middle-class mothers who reject some or all recommended vaccines…

Drinking during holidays and special occasions could affect how you parent your kids

How much alcohol do you typically drink in a week? A month? A year? Did your answer take into account how much you drink on New Year’s Eve? On Christmas?…

New treatment for postpartum depression offers hope, but the stigma attached to the condition still lingers

Postpartum depression can affect anyone, and it often sneaks in quietly, like a shadow in the corners of a new mother’s life. It presents significant challenges for around 1 in…

Early Parental Bonds Shape Future Empathy

Summary: A new study links early parental bonding with children’s future prosocial behavior, exhibiting kindness and empathy. Utilizing data from over 10,000 people born from 2000-2002, the study illustrates the…

Balanced Parenting Is Key to Nurturing Harmonious Sibling Bonds

Summary: A new study suggests that equal treatment of siblings by parents fosters better sibling relationships. Analyzing retrospective reports of 325 college-age adults, the researchers found that parental differential treatment…

Positive parenting can help protect against the effects of stress in childhood and adolescence, new study shows

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Warm and supportive parenting may buffer against the effects of stress during childhood and adolescence. That…

Processing and grieving an ongoing loss – such as a child with a devastating injury or disability – does not fit neatly into traditional models of grief

Traditional loss is typically considered a five-stage process, linear and time-bound, where a person moves from denial to acceptance. Generally, traditional loss is linked to death – such as the…

How new parents find meaning after childbirth hints at how they will adjust

Gather a group of new parents and the conversation will likely turn to their childbirth stories – ranging from the joyful to the gnarly to the positively traumatic. Birth story…

Trans joy and family bonds are big parts of the transgender experience lost in media coverage and anti-trans legislation

Since the beginning of 2023, 49 U.S. state legislatures have introduced over 500 anti-trans bills. While mainstream media increasingly cover violence and legislative attacks against trans people, many scholars and…