A new Waisman study found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—such as abuse, neglect, or exposure to household challenges—can have lasting effects on adults with Down syndrome, including their mental health and ability to cope with life changes. While ACES are known to impact the general population, this research is among the first to show similar—and in some cases heightened—effects in individuals with Down syndrome.
Mental Health
James Li, PhD – Slide of the Week
There is converging evidence that mental disorders are more optimally conceptualized in a hierarchical framework (i.e., the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology, HiTOP) that transcends the categorical boundaries of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, the majority of this evidence comes from studies that draw upon predominantly European American or Caucasian populations.
Mental health in pregnancy may affect development of newborns’ brains
By Marianne Spoon, UW Communications Many factors can influence the development of a baby during pregnancy and after birth, but until recently, researchers knew little about the relationship between an expectant mother’s mental health and …
Childhood stress leaves lasting mark on genes
How does stress put some children at risk of psychiatric disorders when they grow up? To find out, researchers compared their genomes to those of kids whose childhoods were relatively tranquil.
Dads’ parenting of children with autism improves moms’ mental health
Fathers who read to their infants with autism and take active roles in caregiving activities not only promote healthy development in their children, they boost moms’ mental health too, new research suggests.
Maternal mental health research by Witt and Coe cited
At least one in 13 pregnant women suffers from mental health problems…
Whitney Witt study finds women’s mental health during pregnancy impacted by their history
A woman with a history of poor mental health is eight times more likely to have the problem occur during pregnancy, a new study shows.