Test on saliva can provide clues to childhood stress

In four separate studies of mothers and their infants, preschoolers, kids and teens, a multi-university research team has shown, for the first time, that a simple test of a little drool can provide new insight into the role of social stressors, including relationships with parents and teachers, in child development.

The test monitors alpha amylase, an enzyme secreted by the salivary glands, that has been linked in adults to the sympathetic nervous system’s (SNS) fight or flight response. Now, in these new studies, alpha amylase has been shown to be a marker for the SNS response in children, too.

Read the full article: New tool taps drool for clues to childhood stress

Older couples in the West more satisfied with sex

A study by the University of Chicago, billed as the first of its kind, has documented and compared sexual behaviour and related satisfaction amongst middle-aged and older people worldwide.

Here are the main points it draws out:

• Survey of 27,500 men and women aged 40-80 from 29 countries.
• Greatest sexual satisfaction in Western countries including Austria, Canada, the US, France, Sweden, and Mexico.
• Least sexual satisfaction in Taiwan and Japan.
• Somewhere in the middle are Italians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Israelis and Turkish.
• Research concluded that greater physical and emotional sexual satisfaction is achieved in countries closer to male and female equality.
• This is not true in male-dominated cultures.

Read the full article: Study shows older couples in West more satisfied with sex lives

Helping families cope with violent young daughters

Imagine a mother who can’t think of a good thing to say about her 9-year-old daughter.

“I knew she had a beautiful smile,” Lena recalls tearfully. “But she didn’t smile enough.”

From about age 5, Lena’s daughter wore a constant frown. She punched and kicked her parents and other children. She threw rocks at her neighbours’ homes and eggs at their cars. At school she talked back to the teachers, hit her classmates and stole their belongings. She was sent home from church camp for attacking fellow campers. And once she lunged at her mother with a knife.

The angry little girl with the explosive temper became a pariah. She was never invited to birthday parties, play dates or sleepovers. Even Lena’s friends and family stopped calling and visiting.

“It was heartbreaking,” Lena says. “We were so distraught we just wanted to hide.”
Today, Lena’s daughter is a funny, considerate and compassionate 16-year-old. She has friends. She is doing well at school. And she’s helping others stay out of trouble.

Read the full story: Dark side of girl power

Australian marriage statistics improved since 2001

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the number of marriages is on the rise, with divorce rates dropping.

• Divorce surged in the 1970s when changes to family law made divorce easier, and grew steadily until 2001.
• Divorce rates have dropped slightly every year since 2001.
• Marriages now last an average of 12.3 years compared to 10.9 in 1994.
• Marriages now start later - the average age is now 28 for grooms and 27 for brides, up from 23 and 21 in 1971.

Read the full article for insights into the changes in marriage style, and learning from older generations: Til death us do part

Children of parents who stay together do better

LIFE seems to be rosier for people whose parents stay together. A stable family life leads to better education, higher household wealth and often a better chance of children growing up to have a happy relationship, a demographic study of 20,000 Australians has found.

As divorce becomes more prevalent, young people are more likely to have their education disrupted by family problems and experience difficulty finding a partner they are happy with, the University of Melbourne report suggests.

Read the full article: Have a life - keep the folks wed

Dads less stressed, more lazy?

AUSTRALIAN women still do most of the housework, while dads do little and suffer far less stress, a survey has found.

Read the full article and results here: Dads less stressed than mums

Tips for long-distance relationships (LDRs)

The Baltimore Sun has published some tips for those involved in long-distance relationships, which statistics suggest are on the increase.

• Be positive.
• Relearn how to be intimate: sharing everyday events is important.
• Some things must be said: conflict causes a relationship to develop too.
• Don’t isolate yourselves: A confidant other than the partner is important.
• Expect disappointment: not every time together will be perfect.
• Sex is an issue: it can take one partner more time to connect.

Read the full article: Living together apart

Advice on handling office relationships

The Toronto Globe and Mail have published an article about handling close male-female relationships in the office.

Their tips include:

• Make the relationship clear as soon as possible, to quash rumours./li>
• Don’t get involved in ‘exclusive’ relationships - involve co-workers.
• Be honest about the situation with your partner/spouse.
• Use common sense and set appropriate boundaries.
• Employers: have a clear workplace conduct policy.
• Encourage teamwork.

Read the full article: Expert advice on handling office spouse relationships

Parents must pay attention to medication safety

A new study in the April edition of the Journal of Advanced Nursing reveals that over 50% of feverish children are given incorrect doses of medicine.

And parents are also prone to giving incorrect doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen without leaving sufficient gaps between doses.

“Our review found that overdosing with ibuprofen is now a particular concern, both in terms of dosage and frequency,” says nurse researcher Anne Walsh from Queensland University of Technology in Australia. “We also discovered that some parents are giving their children one fever-reducing drug and then trying another type within a few hours if the first one doesn’t have the desired result.”

Read the full article: Study: Parents need to pay closer attention to medication safety

Living together is bad for women’s health, study suggests

A new study from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne suggests that women who begin living with their partners are more likely to put on weight.

It’s suggested that this is due to the central role food plays in a relationship—an ideal being that couples try to eat together each evening—and also because women are often likely to use food as a way of relieving emotional stress.

Lead researcher Dr Amelia Lake said the study findings highlighted major health issues which couples needed to address as a team early on in the relationship.

“You can’t just blame an unhealthy lifestyle or diet on your partner, as there are many other things that affect what you eat and do.

“However, research has shown that your partner is a strong influence on lifestyle and people who are trying to live healthier lives should take this factor into consideration.

“Couples who move into together should use the opportunity of the honeymoon period to make positive changes to their diet and lifestyle by working together and supporting each other.

“But couples who have been in their relationships for longer should remember that it is never too late to make changes and again this needs team work.”

Read the full article: Cohabiting is bad for women’s health

Mother’s torment of drug-addicted son

The Herald Sun published an article showcasing a mother’s struggle with her teenage son’s battle with drug addiction and subsequent withdrawal.

“I remember spending the night that he collapsed full of anxiety just watching him and making sure he was breathing,” Ms Parker said.

“After Luke got up, I said to my husband, ‘I just can’t take this any more’ and rang up a hospital to see where I could get help.”

Unable to find a detoxification and rehabilitation centre in Victoria, the family made the tough decision to send Luke to South Australia on the advice of a hospital.

After three months, Luke returned home drug-free and ready to regain his life.

Now 20, Luke is at university and also working.

He is nothing like the boy who put his family through hell.

Ms Parker still worries Luke might one day return to drugs, but is now concentrating on helping families of other addicts.

She volunteers as a helpline counsellor for Family Drug Help, a Melbourne-based organisation that offers counselling and support groups for families of drug users.

Read the full article: Mother knows the torment of drugs

Link between marital disputes and heart problems

The way older married couples conduct themselves during a disagreement can help trigger serious health problems, according to a new study reported by the National Post.

By analyzing the behaviour of 150 healthy couples who held differing opinions on a particular topic, researchers at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City found that women who were nasty towards their husbands developed a hardening of their coronary arteries. On the other hand, men developed atherosclerosis when either they dominated, or were dominated by, their wives.

The couples were all in their 60s and had no prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Yet CAT scans conducted on them two days after their disagreement — which lasted only six minutes in a laboratory — revealed that all had suffered to some degree a calcification of the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood.

Read the full article: Spousal disputes, heart problems linked

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