The study does not prove paracetamol use in pregnancy causes behavioural problems in children. Although the authors considered various health, lifestyle and environmental factors, others could be having an influence on the links.
The study assessed a wide range of behavioural measures, which unavoidably increases the possibility of finding some links by chance. It's also not possible to link this with any dose or frequency of paracetamol.
Parents should be reassured that the increase in the chance of conditions such as ADHD was very small when it came to each individual child.
What the study perhaps best indicates is a need for teachers and other professionals to be aware of children who may be struggling in some way to ensure they get the support they need.
The media reports may give the impression that this study refutes previous thinking that social media use can have a detrimental effect of wellbeing. In fact the findings don't seem to be so clear cut.
The study found that social media use is linked with reduced life satisfaction, while less social media use is linked with greater life satisfaction. But the links were very small and may not be significant.
The study has a number of limitations.
Research by Oxford University academics has found little evidence of a relationship between screen time and wellbeing in adolescents.
Based on data from more than 17,000 teenagers, the study casts doubt on the widely accepted notion that spending time online, gaming or watching TV, especially before bedtime, can damage young people’s mental health.
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Dr Lee Hudson, Mental Health Lead at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health gives advice for concerned parents on the meaning of mental health and the best ways to provide support for their child.
This study cannot prove that cannabis use in teenagers caused depression in young adults. Depression is a complex disorder with many potential risk factors, including hereditary influence and life circumstances. Other, unmeasured factors may have contributed to the study results. For example, difficult childhood circumstances could increase both the chances of getting depression as a young adult, and of using cannabis as a teenager.
However, the study joins other research to suggest that cannabis use may be putting teenagers at risk of poor mental health.
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Transcript and recording. "I’ll be talking a little bit about major depression—what it is, how frequently we see it in young people, signs and symptoms, and next steps if you think someone you care about may be experiencing depression."
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It is commonly believed that nature has positive impacts on children’s health, including physical, mental and social dimensions. This review focuses on how accessibility to, exposure to and engagement with nature affects the mental health of children and teenagers.
Open Access Article
because of the nature of this study, a cause and effect relationship hasn't been proven, no matter how plausible the link might seem.
This means the study doesn't provide strong evidence that smacking causes adverse mental health outcomes – but nevertheless, there is a link between the two.