News of Interest for Moms December 7, 2009

News to know:

When parent is deployed, kids struggle

Children whose parents are deployed have more struggles with anxiety and depression than their peers, according to a report published in the Dec. 7 issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers interviewed more than 1,500 military family members, including children ages 11-17. Nearly all had a parent who was deployed or had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Thirty percent of the military kids who were 7 to 11 year old reported elevated anxiety symptoms. Researchers also found that children fared worse if their parents struggled with their own emotional or mental health issues.

Sex talk taking place after the fact

Too often, parents talk to their kids about sex after kids start experimenting sexually, according to a study that will be in the January issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers found that more than 40 percent of adolescents are having sex before their parents have talked to them about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or birth control. Conversations with boys always took place later than conversations with girls, according to the report.