Developmental Psychology

A new brain imaging study finds that adolescents with highly anxiety-sensitive parents show distinct neural responses during emotional tasks. The findings suggest that parent traits may shape how children attend to and manage emotional experiences, potentially influencing future mental health.

New research shows that infants carried in chest carriers had lower stress levels and slept longer than those in strollers. The study also found that mothers felt less stressed indoors, suggesting differences in how environments and closeness affect parent-infant well-being.

New research finds a link between how adults recall being parented and their current life difficulties. These challenges may be partly explained by personality traits, such as lower conscientiousness, that are connected to early family environments and adult well-being.

A new study suggests exercise can reduce the psychological toll of childhood adversity, but its benefits are not universal. Researchers found that a person’s genetic makeup, specifically a variant in the BDNF gene, can influence how effectively physical activity buffers...

A new study shows that when mothers experience hostile conflict with their partner, they may feel less emotionally secure—an effect that predicts harsher discipline toward their children. Fathers showed no similar pattern in parenting behavior.

Researchers in Spain have identified a potential link between certain heavy metals in urine and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children. High levels of copper and cadmium were associated with inattention, while copper and antimony related to hyperactivity-impulsivity.

From shaping kids’ math confidence to influencing adult relationships and mental health, new research highlights just how deeply fathers impact their children’s lives. These nine studies reveal the often-overlooked power of paternal presence—and absence.

Children who see themselves as moral tend to develop stronger social-emotional skills, and vice versa, according to new research in Cognition & Emotion that followed 500 children through the transition from kindergarten to first grade.

A new meta-analysis reveals that vulnerable narcissism is moderately linked to insecure attachment styles, particularly preoccupied and fearful types. The findings highlight how early emotional experiences may shape narcissistic traits and underscore the importance of supporting healthy childhood development.

Researchers found that when caregivers sing more often to their infants, babies become noticeably happier over time. The randomized trial used real-time mood tracking and showed that even a brief music enrichment intervention can shape emotional development in infancy.

A new study suggests that children as young as five already associate certain British accents with intelligence or lack of it. The findings highlight how early accent-based biases form—and how exposure to accent diversity at home may reduce them.

Childhood curiosity may offer modest protection against adult depression, according to a large study from China. Researchers found that this link was explained, in part, by confidence in the future—especially for women.

A recent study suggests that childhood trauma doesn’t end with the individual—it can influence the next generation. Maternal adversity was linked to children’s conduct, emotions, and cognition through economic strain, depression, relationship conflict, and parenting behavior.

Research on adolescents exposed to early trauma reveals impaired fear learning: those with childhood adversity showed less ability to distinguish safety from threat and were more prone to overgeneralize fear, highlighting a possible pathway to future mental health problems.