The research, published in the Journal of Child Psychology, Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, suggests that new fathers should be assessed for stress during the perinatal period as it presents an opportunity for early intervention to help prevent future difficulties for both father and child.

Read the full story on the IoPPN website

The research collaboration between Birkbeck, University of London, and King’s College London looked at infants who had different levels of touchscreen usage. The study, published in JAMA Paediatrics, found that at both 18 months and 3.5 years infants who are high touchscreen users are faster in finding visual cues (a red apple or red apple slices amongst blue apples) than their peers. Further studies need to examine whether this attention difference is beneficial or detrimental to the children’s development.

Find out more https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/toddlers-who-use-touchscreens-show-attention-differences

The survey “Moms during COVID” aims to understand the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of pregnant women and new mothers.

Twenty per cent of expecting and new mothers experience a wide range of mental health conditions. It is, however, unclear what the positive and negative impacts of the pandemic are on these women. The international study will be run in 11 countries as part of an international project RiiseupPPD-COVID19 that look at the impact of COVID-19 in Perinatal Mental Health. The UK part of the study is led by Dr Claire Wilson from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London. Women over the age of 18 who are pregnant or the mother of a child 6 months old or younger can participate.

Find out more https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/international-survey-to-assess-impact-of-covid-19-on-pregnant-women-and-new-mothers