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Hair samples may help determine the risk of a child developing mental and other chronic illnesses later in their life, research led by the University of Melbourne has found. Researchers assessed the level of cortisol in the hair of 70 nine-year-old children from primary schools across Victoria. Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone” because it is released in response to acute stress to help the body react and cope. The greater number of traumatic events a child had...

New research finds that environmental design efforts to encourage walking or biking need to be tailored to a community based upon the income level of the residents. Health professionals and policy makers have believed that creating high density environments that combine housing, work-sites, store-fronts, and parks within walking or riding distance from a person’s house will encourage physical activity. In a new study, University of Washington researchers determined that motivating...

It is a precarious line that teachers and staff walk when students erupt into emotional and physical outbursts, kicking, biting or punching fellow students or teachers. It might seem that children should never be physically restrained in school. But, when all other interventions have failed, how do we deter a child from running into traffic, break up a fight between 18-year-olds or stop a teenager in an acute psychotic episode from committing suicide? The use of restraints in schools has not...

Ethan’s face lights up when he hears Gina Hatanpa’s voice. Just waking up from a nap, the 19-month-old was cuddled, shyly and sleepily, in the crook of his mom Mylee Workman’s neck. But by the time Hatanpa takes off her coat, Ethan is ready – goofing off, trading smiles and silly faces, playing with the zippers of her briefcases. He clearly adores the weekly visits. Hatanpa is a registered and public health nurse with Anoka County. She has been visiting Workman...

In the wake of tragedies like the Paris attacks and the San Bernardino shooting, people are left with many questions. Who could do something like this? Who is truly that evil? Forensic psychologist James Garbarino might have some answers. Earlier this year, the Loyola University psychologist published a book tying these experiences together, entitled  "Listening to Killers:  Lessons Learned from My Twenty Years as a Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases."   [For...

Trayvon Martin. Manuel Diaz. Rexdale Henry. Michael Brown. Some names may be more familiar to you than others. But all share a common fate of life lost too soon. What happens when you hear their names? Do you think about the circumstances that prematurely ended their lives? Or do you regret losing the chance to benefit from the great contributions they could have made? It's clear that young men of color face daunting barriers to health that directly impact their potential to succeed and...

Good Afternoon, All- I am part of the ACEs Connection group in Sonoma County, Ca. I am reaching out to as many ACEs connected people as possible to spread the word about a consultancy opportunity for folks in the field of ACEs. I work with Valley of the Moon Children’s Home in Sonoma County, CA. We are the County’s Emergency Shelter for youth that are removed from their home for suspected abuse or neglect.  We are wanting to change our program model and staff training...

"What are some of the things that the monsters like to eat in this story?" teacher Marisa McGee asks a trio of girls sitting at her table. McGee teaches kindergarten at Walker Jones Elementary in Washington, D.C. Today's lesson: a close reading of the bookWhat Do Monsters Eat? "They like to eat cake," says one girl. "I noticed you answered in a complete sentence," McGee says. "Can you tell me something else?" "Stinky socks!" McGee follows with a line you might not expect in a kindergarten...

The Virginia school policing system needs an overhaul that emphasizes training, data collection and a clear role for officers in schools, says a new report from the Legal Aid Justice Center . Without a better system, the state will continue to criminalize students for behaviors that schools should deal with, not law enforcement, the center said. Virginia leads the country in referrals of students to law enforcement, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity . The state...

Semaj Clark is a determined young man. The Los Angeles teenager’s steadfastness helped him emerge from a childhood punctuated by a string of foster homes and arrests to become an ambassador to troubled youth. Now he’s determined to learn how to get around in his new wheelchair. [For more of this story, written by Matt Smith, go to http://jjie.org/wounded-teen-activist-returns-to-city-where-he-was-shot/171086/]

High school classes can be daunting. Our next generation of parents, voters, teachers, entrepreneurs, and scientists contend with quadratic equations, analytic essays, lessons on constitutional rights and more. When students are also burdened by the fear of losing a mother with cancer, the trauma of past sexual assault, the accumulated toxic stress of a chaotic childhood, or the weight of other mental health difficulties, those classes can quickly go from challenging to nearly impossible...

[Photo by Vancouver Coastal Health/Flickr] While a small number of people account for a disproportionately large portion of health services use, heavy users of mental health care have substantially different patterns of health care use than other heavy users of health care, according to new research by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The study published in the January issue of Health Affairs is one of the first...