What’s New in Child Development Research?

In simple terms for parents who want to be in the know

Child development research studies are ongoing and it is sometimes hard to keep up with the latest, especially if the studies are released in scientific jargon that isn’t all that easy to unpack. I learned when I was studying for my undergraduate science degree that there is often a gap between scientific research and the public who needs to know how it affects their lives. As parents–we just want to know what it all means, how it affects our kids, and what we need to do about it.

This article will take a look at some of the latest child development research and provide some good resources for you to stay on top of the latest without having to subscribe to fancy science magazines.

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The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) is a great resource for the latest child development research studies and news. The website explains that they conduct ongoing research “to learn more about healthy child development and to better understand certain conditions that affect children.” These important research studies help to:

• Create prevention, health education, and intervention programs,
• Help communities plan for services for children and their families, and
• Determine what additional research studies are needed.

Childhood Mental Healthcare

Some of the latest child development studies focus on Children’s Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health. Here are some of the informative links to this research that helps to understand childhood mental disorders and how to treat them.

• What Are Childhood Mental Disorders?
• Symptoms & Treatment
• Related Conditions
• Child Development
• Data & Statistics
• Children’s Mental Health Research
• Articles
• Improving Access to Care

These research studies provide us with valuable information. Some of the studies focus on the implementation of behavioral and medical care for child development issues and mental health care for our children. Others focus primarily on the children themselves and give us data that helps to determine the best care, the best health care strategies, and what actionable programming can be put in place to address those needs.

Case 1

For example the Journal of Pediatrics. 2019; 206, 256–267.e3 “Prevalence and treatment of depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in US children” by Reem M. Ghandour, Laura J. Sherman, Catherine J. Vladutiu, Mir M. Ali, Sean E. Lynch, Rebecca H. Bitsko, Stephen J. Blumberg is a study that analyzed the prevalence of depression and anxiety in U.S. children and the application of mental health care. Here are some of the important findings of that study:

• “Among children aged 3-17 years, 7.1% had current anxiety problems”
• “7.4% had a current behavioral/conduct problem”
• “3.2% had current depression”
• “The prevalence of each disorder was higher with older age”
• The prevalence of each disorder was “higher with poorer child health”
• The prevalence of each disorder was “higher with parent/caregiver mental/emotional health” issues
• “condition-specific variations were observed in the association between other characteristics and the likelihood of disorder”–(although these variations and conditions were not elaborated on in the summary)
• “Nearly 80% of those with depression received treatment in the previous year”
• “59.3% of those with anxiety problems” received treatment in the previous year
• “53.5% of those with behavioral/conduct problems” received treatment in the previous year
• “Model-adjusted effects indicated that condition severity and presence of a comorbid mental disorder were associated with treatment receipt.”–What this means is that children who did not receive treatment were more likely to have an additional mental disorder, pointing out the importance of treating these childhood mental health issues

Showing a correlation between childhood mental disorders and the effects of treatment in scientific studies like this helps to move agencies and governmental programs to provide services to meet the needs of these children. As a parent, it truly matters in our everyday lives that when we have a mental health issue with our child, that we are able to secure mental, emotional, and psychological healthcare for them when they need it. It is also good as a parent to see the proof that this treatment does, in fact, reduce the prevalence of these mental health issues and the likelihood of developing additional overlapping conditions.

Interestingly, although treatment can be very helpful, parents are reluctant to seek help for mental health issues in their children. This study addresses that factor and how it relates to spending for mental health care for our children:

Childhood mental disorders are a public health concern due to their prevalence, early onset, and impact on children, families, and communities.1, 2 Mental disorders in childhood can negatively affect healthy development by interfering with children’s ability to achieve social, emotional, cognitive, and academic milestones and to function in daily settings. In addition, mental disorders account for the largest area of aggregate medical spending ($8.9 billion) among all health disorders that contribute to overall child health expenses.3 Despite evidence of high expenses related to medical care, mental health treatment utilization among children is relatively low, with a significant portion of children receiving no mental health treatment even though they may have a mental disorder.

(Source)

Conclusions for this study:

“The latest nationally representative data from the NSCH show that depression, anxiety, and behavioral/conduct problems are prevalent among US children and adolescents. Treatment gaps remain, particularly for anxiety and behavioral/conduct problems.” (Author’s emphasis.)

Other studies on childhood mental healthcare:

• Epidemiology and Impact of Health Care Provider–Diagnosed… : Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
• Evidence Base Update for Psychosocial Treatments for Disruptive Behaviors in Children
• Interpreting the Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Children: Tribulation and Triangulation – Joseph R. Holbrook, Rebecca H. Bitsko, Melissa L. Danielson, Susanna N. Visser, 2017

Other ongoing child development research studies cover topics such as:

• Aggression
• Brain
• Child nutrition
• Child obesity
• Emotions
• Epigenetics
• Gender: early socialization
• Learning disabilities

Studies usually take part over a predetermined time, are funded by various organizations and private companies, and produce a research study paper that reports the findings. It is important when reading research studies to know who is conducting the study. Some studies are paid for by private agencies and serve the purpose of promoting a product or service.

Case 2

Another recent study: “Trends over Time and Jurisdiction Variability in Supplemental Security Income and State Supplementary Payment Programs for Children with Disabilities” published February 17, 2020 in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice by Lara R. Robinson, Russell F. McCord, Lindsay K. Cloud, Jennifer W. Kaminski, Amy Cook, Jessica Amoroso, Maya Hazarika Watts, Kim Kotzky, Caroline M. Barry, Rebecca Johnson, Kelly J. Kelleher.

The study proposes that after a “‘review of research and evaluation evidence and microsimulations, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee identified modifications to SSI’ increasing the federal SSI benefit maximum by one-third or two-thirds) as 1 of 10 strategies that could reduce the US child poverty rate, improving child health and well-being on a population level.” The study, therefore, is to analyze whether or not making key changes to the federal SSI program could reduce the US child poverty rate.

The study reminds us that “Children with disabilities who live in low-income families are one of the most disadvantaged populations, given the dual vulnerabilities associated with disability and poverty.” Clearly this research is highly impactful for parents who are economically disadvantaged and have children with special needs or disabilities. How these government programs reach your family and others, and what impact they have is crucial information for those who hold the decision-making power over these programs.

Here is the Objective of the study:

Describing the availability and amount of SSI and State Supplementary Payment (SSP) program benefits to support families of children with disabilities may be a first step toward evaluating The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine–proposed modification to SSI as a potential poverty alleviation and health improvement tool for children with disabilities and their families. (Source)

Findings in some of these studies can be rather extensive, as with this one, Here are some pertinent findings from this study:

• “The SSI payments have been shown to raise half of child beneficiary households above the poverty line”
• “The SSP programs give jurisdictions the authority to provide additional benefits for children with disabilities and their families.”
• “Less than half of US jurisdictions offered SSP benefits to children in 2018, with an increase of 3 states from 1996 (20 states) to 2018 (23 states)”
• “Payments have remained stable or decreased over the past 20 years for 7 out of the 8 jurisdictions with codified SSP amounts, despite cost of living increases over time.”
• “The NASEM’s simulation models suggest that more families would be lifted out of poverty, and outcomes for children with disabilities would likely improve if SSI-related benefits were raised to the levels proposed by NASEM (through SSI, SSP, or both)”

This study certainly seems to support the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommendations to increase SSI benefits to help reduce the US child poverty rate, thereby “improving child health and well-being on a population level.”

These studies are conducted for a myriad of reasons, but as a parent, we often just want to know how this affects our children. The government healthcare programs, SSI, etc are determined largely on the findings of studies such as these.

But also, psychologists use psychological child development research studies to help determine the best care for your child when you take them in for treatment. If, for example, your child is having terrible night terrors, the doctors and mental health care professionals will lean on their training, but also on the latest research studies to determine treatment for your child and recommendations for you as a parent.

If you have a particular concern and want to look for research studies, you will want to look for “academic” papers, medical journals, and scientific studies. They will usually be printed for the public, but some are only printed in medical journals or scientific journals which can be a hefty cost to access. (Check below in the “further reading” section for a few good sites that will post articles that keep you updated without having to access the research studies directly.)

Parents’ guide to gleaning information from a research study

(Here is a great article on this topic.)

• Read the introduction first, rather than the abstract, which can be technical, scientific, and fill of medical or other professional jargon.
• Try to identify the main purpose of the study and what it is trying to prove or gain data on
• The methods section will tell you how they intend to proceed with the study
• The results section will be a “play by play” of each bit of information the study found–these are called “findings”
• Try to determine by the results section what the conclusion was–did it solve the main question of the study? What was the outcome? (This can help you determine how relatable the study is to your particular situation.)

The more you read scientific studies, the easier it gets. You’ll learn what to look for and how to read them for information. If you are more comfortable, these studies are written about by many different sources. They make the news. There will be a “buzz” about a study once it is completed and the findings are released. You can always catch the information that way.

For parents of children with child development concerns, child development issues, mental health issues, medical diagnoses–these studies are the foundation of government support and programs, medical care, and treatment plans for your child. It helps to stay abreast of the issues of concern to you. Hopefully this introduction and the few helpful links this article provides will get you a bit more comfortable in finding the information you need.

This article is brought to you by the blogging contributors at Babienet Parenting Community, a community of caring parents just like you! We welcome you to share your journey with us.

Christina M. Ward,
Babienet blog contributor
Mother and grandmother

What’s New in Child Development Research? Is an article that provides introductory information regarding the latest child development research studies and a guide for parents on how to find and read child development research studies.