Created in Australia, the kids TV show, Bluey, became an international hit among children and families. Though episodes are quite short, each highlights life lessons and emotional growth. For children, the visually appealing graphics and talking dogs foster their imagination, encouraging creativity. However, older audiences not-so secretly enjoy watching this kids’ show as well! One could say that their inner child is healed while watching the therapeutical elements of the show. 

Children may not notice, but older viewers and adults can recognize the adult subtext that’s often in children’s media. In Bluey, the adult subtext is not inappropriate or crude like in other media to garner attention, but the attention from adults in this show comes from the characters being relatable in everyday life. Bluey’s parents are shown to make mistakes, talk about serious topics, or get emotional – all realistic behaviors that real parents engage in. The show closely mirrors real family dynamics, making it comforting and reassuring for parents to see. 

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Previous research has shown a consistent positive correlation between the arts and both children’s and adolescents’ intellectual development. Specifically, musical education and participation have shown the strongest association, as creating music is a complex task that engages multiple brain systems. 

This article explores whether this positive association between music and learning is causal or not, as existing research is speculative at best. Using data from a large, nationally representative sample, researchers found that there is no evidence that education in the arts causes better academic or personal outcomes (higher GPA, self-esteem, etc.). However, children who chose to engage in arts when they were younger are more likely to stay engaged in the arts later in life, meaning it is good to encourage children to get involved in the arts at a young age.

 

To read more, click here!

 

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

In Rusbult’s investment model of romantic commitment, satisfaction and investment correlates with commitment within a romantic relationship. Thus, it can predict the stability of relationships, and even friendships, as the author predicts. The only difference between a romantic relationship and a friendship is that they aren’t exclusive. Individuals can have multiple friends but only one romantic partner (not including polyamory relationships). 

The researchers applied Rusbult’s model onto adolescent best friendships to predict their friendship stability. After analyzing data from adolescent boys and girls of both stable and nonstable friendships, the model was proven to be applicable in friendships and predictive abilities of stability. The better friendship stability, the higher levels of satisfaction, investments, and commitment there would be! These variables are also more important for girls than boys. 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

In her Ted Talk on childhood trauma Doctor Nadine Burke Harris discusses the long term affects of childhood trauma on an individuals psyche along with the types of care that can help someone combat the negative affects of adverse childhood experiences. Dr. Harris describes how trauma can trigger a fight or flight response in individuals and if this response is constantly activated, individuals can experience long term negative health affects such as chronic stress, anxiety, depression, heart disease and even death.

However, Dr. Harris also discusses methods to combat these adverse childhood experiences. She emphasizes the importance of more holistic approaches in regards to treating individuals with trauma based disorders and how these approaches can assist in breaking the cycle of trauma that many individuals who are victims of adverse childhood experiences often go through.

 

Jay Schieffelin

There are many types of family support services that can aid children’s mental health, starting in the 1980’s. Parents that are included in their child’s treatments are quite common. In this literature review, the authors discovered and discussed five important types of familial support: informational, instructional, emotional, instrument, and advocacy. 

The authors were curious if family support programs were more effective than regular clinical practices/treatment. Family support services differ from traditional clinical care since it helps the parents with their personal well-being as well as learning about child management. Family-led programs also highlight advocacy and instrumental support. Even with the lack of research of the use of family programs, there is great potential for it to be utilized more in the future to help families! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

The answer to last week’s Trivia Tuesday is… 6-7 years old! This is usually when children are in first or second grade. At this age, children are able to recognize common words, use phonics to decode new words, and are able to read simple sentences smoothly.

 

This week’s question is: At what age are children able to recognize and label different gender groups?

1. 6-12 months
2. 12-18 months
3. 18-24 months
4. 24-30 months

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!

One of the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States is major depression. It can inhibit one’s daily functioning, regardless of age. Due to the high prevalence of the disorder, there’s an abundance of research aimed at discovering effective and efficient treatments. In this article, the researchers look at past literature that focus on the efficacy of family therapy for depression in multiple studies.  

Based on six studies, family therapy is more effective when compared to no treatment/waiting list. However, when compared to group/behavioral/cognitive interventions, there was no clear conclusion that family therapy is better/as effective as these other treatments. This does not mean it’s not used in treatment, in fact it’s used widely for many patients, but only when clinicians deem it useful. More research is needed to determine if family therapy is the best treatment for individuals with major depression.  

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Kathleen Gallagher’s Ted Talk, “The Healthy Child: Assembly Required” takes a reflective look at how in order the nurturing of a healthy child does not only involve physical well-being but psychological well-being as well. Gallagher discusses the many benefits of raising a child in a healthy, nurturing environment with these benefits ranging from an expanded vocabulary in preschool to lower rates of heart disease as adults.

Gallagher goes on to explain that issues preventing children from being raised in nurturing environments are often systemic and challenging these issues needs to be tackled with an understanding that these issues are often systemic. Poverty, racial prejudice, and prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals are examples of systemic problems that hinder healthy child development.

Examples are also provided of healthy non-physical care that parents who promote healthy environments instill in their households. A few of these examples include nurturing strong emotional bonds, promoting language use, and providing access to resources that help children learn both social skills and academic skills.

Overall, Gallaghers Ted Talk discusses how a healthy child is created through a sum of different forms of care provided in their households.

Children’s language development is essential for children, as it helps them develop communication skills and the ability to understand the world around them. It is also a communication tool that is important in shaping a child’s character. Good language skills allow children to build healthy interpersonal relationships, understand differences, and adapt to their environments.

 Implementing character education through language development is essential in primary education. Character education includes activities that combine the development of children’s language with character learning, such as reading stories, singing, and group games. It plays a key role in shaping elementary school children’s development, helping them build the skills needed to navigate various obstacles that will come up in their lives. Additionally, it fosters self-reliance and encourages them to contribute positively to society. However, integrating character education in primary schools faces several obstacles, including teachers’ limited understanding and expertise, heavy curriculum demands, and time constraints. This article goes into detail about the potential solutions in order to overcome these challenges. 

It was found that the implementation of character education through language development can be accomplished by combining language development activities with character learning activities such as storytelling, singing, and group games that involve all students. In addition, the results showed that through language development, children can learn communication and social skills that help them build good character. This means that language development can be an effective medium for implementing character education in primary schools.

To read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

There is no such thing as a perfect parent; mistakes and struggles are just part of the job. That being said, there is almost nothing as impactful as interpersonal relationships, as repair can be. Repair can be defined as the act of going back in a moment of disconnection, taking responsibility for your behavior, and understanding the impact it had on the other person. This is different from an apology, which aims to shut a conversation down due to the desire to move on, while a good repair opens a conversation up. 

Repair also helps to avoid self-blame, which is something that works in childhood, as it is a survival mechanism in which a child feels safer internalizing the blame and thinking that they are bad rather than perceiving their parents and the world as unsafe. This helps them build a sense of security. However, this is not healthy going on in adulthood, as it fuels feelings of unworthiness, anxiety, and depression Recognizing that self-blame might be an old, adaptive story rather than a current truth is the first step towards healing, allowing us to understand our past and strive for a more self-compassionate present without needing to achieve perfection.

Learning how to repair allows for compassion and understanding, models emotional regulation for your child, and is a model that is ideal to pass down to the next generation!

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant