A daily routine, adequate sleep and limited screen time were associated with better mental health of young people during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University and the 天美影视传媒.

The , published Aug. 11 in the journal PLOS ONE, surveyed more than 200 Seattle-area children and teens before the onset of the pandemic, during the initial lockdown phase in spring 2020, and six months later, when schools in the area were still operating remotely.

The spread of COVID-19, economic hardships and social isolation, especially during the first several months of the pandemic, fomented stress, anxiety and depression among children and teens alike, the study found. Now, even as school is expected to resume in person this fall, the study鈥檚 findings highlight the stressors of pandemic life, within or outside of a remote learning environment. Top stressors for kids were exposure to seemingly frightening media coverage of the coronavirus; the extensive, and passive, use of screens 鈥� whether on phones, TVs or computers; and disrupted routines and sleep patterns.

Mitigating those stressors, researchers found, generally involved targeted strategies: establishing structured routines for daily life, including sleep; limiting news consumption and passive screen time; and simply getting out in nature.

鈥淭he biggest thing that we hope parents take from the study is that while youth mental health has been negatively impacted by the pandemic, there are some simple steps that families can take that may have a positive impact,鈥� said first author , a research associate at Harvard who previously was a postdoctoral researcher at the UW.

The study involved two groups of Seattle-area children ages 7 to 10 and teens ages 13 to 15, who were already participating in research on youth mental health and behavior prior to the pandemic. That ongoing research, for which UW co-author started following families when the children were 3 years old, provided the team with a baseline with which to evaluate the effects of different phases of the pandemic. About half of participants were female, and about one-third were youth of color.

For this study, both young people and their parents were surveyed through web-based questionnaires, responding to questions that researchers developed specifically for the pandemic 鈥� a unique event that carried its own stressors. For example, researchers asked about issues related to the young person鈥檚 physical environment, burdens on family health and finances, and social and academic stresses. The answers also helped researchers learn whether and how young people were internalizing stress 鈥� developing anxiety or depression 鈥� or externalizing it, which would manifest in changes in behavior.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented some unique experiences for youth and their families, said Lengua, a UW professor of psychology and director of the Center for Child and Family Well-Being.

鈥淩esearch from past disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and also from studying stressful things that happen for families, such as divorce, have highlighted the factors that contribute to youth mental health in these contexts,鈥� she said. 听For example, unstable housing and economic situations, stressful life events, increases in family conflict or in parental mental health problems, contribute to children鈥檚 responses to major stress. Those were also true during the pandemic.

鈥淏ut the pandemic included unique experiences, as well,鈥� said Lengua. 鈥淪tay-home orders resulted in families having a lot of time at home without opportunities for youth to connect with peers and other adults for social support. While families reported appreciating the additional time together, for youth, this also meant feeling isolated and lonely. Having healthy daily routines and adequate sleep were particularly important in this context.鈥�

Among the findings:

• The pandemic aggravated feelings of anxiety and depression in young people who had already experienced either or both
• Young people who had elevated stress levels during stay-at-home orders were also more likely to continue to experience stress six months later
• Teens were more likely to internalize their stresses than younger children
• 鈥淧assive鈥� screen time, which researchers defined as scrolling or watching videos or shows, compared with the potentially more interactive screen use during remote instruction or chatting with friends, was associated with higher stress

Researchers also surveyed participants about inexpensive and easy methods of alleviating anxiety. Not all of the potential stress buffers, such as physical activity and volunteering in the community, showed demonstrable effects, but others, such as sleep, structured routines and time in nature, were related to better mental health.

Exposure to news of the pandemic affected young people differently. Researchers noted, however, the importance of having honest, age-appropriate conversations with children and teens about crisis events such as the pandemic, answering their questions, and limiting exposure to sensationalized coverage.

鈥淭here was striking individual variation in how children and teens responded to the pandemic. We wanted to get under the hood of this variation to try to understand the vulnerabilities and resilience of different children. We also wanted to provide helpful tips to parents and teens,鈥� said co-author , a professor of psychology and co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the UW.

鈥淭here may be other pandemics in the future, and we think that some of the discoveries we made this time around can help parents and teens,鈥� Meltzoff said. 鈥淭here is no book about 鈥榟ow to cope with a worldwide pandemic,鈥� but science can provide helpful information that people can use now, even while we continue to gather more data.鈥�

The study was funded by the Bezos Family Foundation, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Senior author on the study was Katie McLaughlin of Harvard and formerly of the UW. Additional co-authors were Makeda Mayes of I-LABS and Alexandra Rodman, Steven Kasparek and Malila Freeman of Harvard.

For more information, contact Lengua at liliana@uw.edu or Meltzoff at meltzoff@uw.edu.

This post contains material from Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite at Harvard University.

As experts nationwide point to a mental health crisis among teens and young adults, a pilot program teaching mindfulness and coping techniques to students at the 天美影视传媒 has helped lower stress and improve emotional well-being.

New studies by the psychology researchers who created the program find that the strategies, offered first in residence halls and later through classes and other organized campus groups, have provided participants with successful methods for coping with stress, managing their emotions and learning self-compassion.

Researchers say the results show the potential for preventive mental health services offered in an accessible, peer-group environment.

鈥淭his program is not a substitute for campus mental health services for students. But with a preventive program, our goal is to reduce general distress in college students and hopefully prevent need for increased or more intensive services,鈥� said , psychology professor and director of the at the UW.

Recent studies of the program鈥檚 rollout point to its success. Results from the program鈥檚 first year, when it was offered in 2017-2018 in residence halls on the UW鈥檚 Seattle campus, were published March 10 in . Results of its second year, provided during the 2019-2020 academic year by trained university staff in campus settings such as classes and student organizations, were published Feb. 12 in . Student participants reported significant improvements in their psychological well-being that lasted three months after the sessions ended.

During the pandemic 鈥� with millions of young people studying remotely 鈥� the importance of teen and college student mental health has grown. According to the CDC, between the ages of 18 and 24 has considered suicide in the past year, while separate studies of college students in recent months have found report serious distress.

But even before the pandemic, campuses nationwide were reporting , with college mental health directors noting need for services that . Academic demands, financial pressures, social tumult and, especially among first-year students, the transition to campus life all affect student mental health.

Against this backdrop, the authors decided to come up with a short intervention at the UW that would provide real-world coping strategies in an environment that students could access easily 鈥� without an appointment or any fee, in the casual atmosphere of a group, and where they already live, study or socialize. The program, called , or Resilient Attitudes and Living, combined traditional cognitive behavioral coping strategies 鈥� such as planning, positive reframing and acceptance 鈥� with mindfulness practices focused on regulating breathing, meditation and accessing feelings of compassion, tolerance and gratitude toward oneself and others. By having staff who are already working with student in various settings offer the program, it can potentially reach more students.

鈥淭he idea behind Be REAL was to have a new model to promote student well-being and mental health. Traditional counseling systems are unlikely to keep pace with demand, so we wanted to think of a program that could be delivered more broadly by nonclinical staff members,鈥� said , director of community programs and training for the Center for Child and Family Well-Being.

The first year, 208 students signed up for the program across three academic quarters. Facilitators trained in mindfulness techniques led six evening sessions at four residence halls. Among the more than 80% of students who attended the majority of the sessions, results from pre- and post-surveys showed significant improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion, greater resilience and lower stress. These findings held steady in a three-month follow-up survey of participants.

Those results led to the expansion of the program to other campus settings, with associated university staff 鈥� from the recreation department, for example, as well as those connected to student organizations 鈥� voluntarily trained in the Be REAL program. This approach aimed to reach additional students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, in spaces they already frequent. Of the 271 students who enrolled in Be REAL programming, 116 agreed to participate in the study; more than half were students of color.

Researchers found results that were similar to the residence hall study, especially regarding stress and emotional regulation. In their comments on post-study surveys, students reported using meditation and breathing techniques to help focus or calm down, and developing habits to handle stress.

The results raised other issues that researchers are exploring further, such as whether providing the lessons in a class that students take for credit creates more of a perceived burden 鈥� and thus, leaves less of an impact 鈥� than sessions in which students simply choose to participate.

A new, ongoing study is examining how about 100 university staff from all three UW campuses, trained in offering the program remotely, along with still more students, respond to the techniques for improving mental health. Those results may suggest opportunities for students and staff alike to benefit from the strategies in a range of environments, on any college campus, and to possibly change a campus culture around supporting student well-being. The Center for Child and Family Well-Being is collaborating with the UW Resilience Lab to expand the program and facilitator training to staff.

鈥淓xpanding Be REAL to promote staff well-being and training is important because their work, especially with the pandemic, can be stressful,鈥� Long said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e even shared how the practices are shifting their interactions with children and loved ones at home. Our expansion of the program goes beyond individual well-being 鈥� it鈥檚 also about strengthening our community on campus.鈥�

Both published studies were funded by the Maritz Family Foundation. Max Halvorson, a doctoral student in the UW Department of Psychology, was a co-author of the study published in Anxiety, Stress & Coping. Co-authors of the study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry were , research coordinator for the Center for Child & Family Well-Being, and , director of the UW Resilience Lab.

For more information, contact Lengua at liliana@uw.edu or Long at rblong2@uw.edu.

Mother鈥檚 Day is often associated with iconic (if idealistic) images: fancy restaurant buffets, breakfast in bed, hand-drawn cards and colorful bouquets.

Not on this list, of course, is the social isolation of a pandemic, which can make Sunday鈥檚 annual celebration of Mom 鈥� in person, on the phone or over video chat 鈥� feel a little less鈥elebratory.

Schools are closed across the country. Millions of people live under stay-at-home orders. Moms everywhere are playing the role of teacher, manager, entertainer and loving parent, on top of any other job they may be doing from home or outside of it.

So what does it feel like to be a mother on this Mother鈥檚 Day? And how can we make the day seem special when life feels so uncertain and stressful?

天美影视传媒 psychology professor offers some perspective.

鈥淓veryone, parents and children, is experiencing sadness and grief over lost experiences, lifestyles, activities and social interactions,鈥� said Lengua, who specializes in mindful parenting education as director of the UW . 鈥淢others (and parents) can be kind to themselves, give themselves a pat听on the back for all that they are doing and use Mother’s Day to celebrate that we’ve made it this far. Sincerely, be proud of everything you’ve accomplished,听even the little things, because these are challenging times.鈥�

How is parenting/mothering during COVID-19 different?

We are around our family members all the time with stay-home and social-distancing orders,听and sometimes in small spaces. It means we are around our children a lot more. Sometimes this feels great 鈥� we get to spend time together and hang out more than usual,听maybe slipping in some fun time here and there.

And sometimes it听is hard because we don’t get our usual down-time from parenting, either when our children are at school, when we are at work or when they play with friends. Just like when we do anything nonstop, it can get tiring 鈥� for our children and for us. Younger children may wonder why their parents are home and not paying attention to them or playing with them; and older children might find it convenient to ask parents questions as they arise instead of trying to figure things out on their own.

What are some ways to structure the day?

Children will need help finding constructive ways to burn off energy. It helps to build a schedule around the times of the day that need to be quiet (work/school time), and times of the day that can be energetic.

Parents can set up a clear schedule of when they are working and should not be interrupted, and a time when they are available to answer questions and help with schoolwork. Parents should remember to build in some intentional fun, quality time with children and some quality time for themselves every day.

It also helps to build in a set time each day when everyone helps with chores. (There seem to be more dishes and more mess and more laundry all the time!) Instead of pointing out the things that aren’t done all through the day, give everyone a window of time that the chores get done.

Finally, be consistent about enforcing the family rules or expectations that matter most 鈥� your family’s core values 鈥� focusing on safety and respect, and let the other things slide a little.

And鈥ou鈥檙e a teacher! Any suggestions for how to handle this new job?

听This is a time-management challenge, especially for many parents who are simultaneously supposed to be “at work.” It can create tension between parents and children, as parents are trying to get their kids to stay on top of their assignments and teaching material their children aren’t understanding, while receiving the brunt of their children’s frustrations. Parents can remind themselves that they can only do so much, that whatever they can do is enough, and enough is good enough.

How can mothers find joy?

The greatest gift moms can give themselves for Mother’s Day is some self-compassion. Their best is more than good enough.

Mothers should make sure to make time for themselves to do the things that help them manage their stress and emotions but also doing things that they find enjoyable and refreshing. There might not be a lot of time in the day, but even just 15 or 20 minutes a day of a favorite hobby or fun activity can make a difference. As my daughter put it, balancing your “mom duties” with your mental health is important, because if mom’s not in a great spot, it affects the whole family.

Now that we鈥檙e home with our families all the time, we might feel like we are spending plenty of time together. But parents can make sure to build in 15 or 20 minutes of playful, fun time as a family each day. We have all heard that quality time is more important than the quantity of time we spend with our children, and that is truer than ever. When we create pockets of enjoyable time together, we build stronger bonds and joyful memories that听nurture us.

This Mother鈥檚 Day, there are so many limitations on what we can do, whom we can gather with and where we can go. How can families mark this day?

Children can write notes or poems, make signs, art, simple and creative meals. Have a picnic in the yard or in the family room. Mothers can let their families know what they would like to do or if they would like some time to themselves. And families can think of simple ways to communicate what they are grateful for and what they appreciate in their mothers.听For example, have a bowl with compliments and favorite memories written on small strips of paper 鈥� have 20 compliments for Mother’s Day 2020. And remember to FaceTime with grandmas and other mother figures who might not have family around to celebrate with.

Maybe it gives us a chance to appreciate a simple, low-key Mother’s Day.

For more information, contact Lengua at liliana@uw.edu.

Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, also can lead to changes in a child鈥檚 brain chemistry, muting the effects of stress hormones. These hormones rise to help us face challenges, stress or to simply 鈥済et up and go.鈥�

Together, these impacts to executive function and stress hormones create a snowball effect, adding to social and emotional challenges that can continue through childhood. A new 天美影视传媒 study examines how adversity can change the ways children develop.

鈥淭his study shows how adversity is affecting multiple systems inside a child,鈥� said the study鈥檚 lead author, , a UW professor of psychology and director of the . 鈥淭he disruption of multiple systems of self-control, both intentional planning efforts and automatic stress-hormone responses, sets off a cascade of neurobiological effects that starts early and continues through childhood.鈥�

The , published May 10 in Development and Psychopathology, evaluated 306 children at intervals over more than two years, starting when participants were around 3 years old, up to age 5 陆. Children were from a range of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, with 57% considered lower income or near poverty.

Income was a key marker for adversity. In addition, the children鈥檚 mothers were surveyed about other risk factors that have been linked to poor health and behavior outcomes in children, including family transitions, residential instability, and negative life events such as abuse or the incarceration of a parent.

Against these data, Lengua鈥檚 team tested children鈥檚 executive function skills with a series of activities, and, through saliva samples, a stress-response hormone called diurnal cortisol.

The hormone that 鈥渉elps us rise to a challenge,鈥� Lengua said, cortisol tends to follow a daily, or diurnal, pattern: It increases early in the morning, helping us to wake up. It is highest in the morning 鈥� think of it as the energy to face the day 鈥� and then starts to fall throughout the day. But the pattern is different among children and adults who face constant stress, Lengua said.

鈥淲hat we see in individuals experiencing chronic adversity is that their morning levels are quite low and flat through the day, every day. When someone is faced with high levels of stress all the time, the cortisol response becomes immune, and the system stops responding. That means they鈥檙e not having the cortisol levels they need to be alert and awake and emotionally ready to meet the challenges of the day,鈥� she said.

To assess executive function, researchers chose preschool-friendly activities that measured each child鈥檚 ability to follow directions, pay attention and take actions contrary to impulse. For instance, in a game called 鈥淗ead-Toes-Knees-Shoulders,鈥� children are told to do the opposite of what a researcher tells them to do 鈥� if the researcher says, 鈥渢ouch your head,鈥� the child is supposed to touch their toes. In another activity, children interact with two puppets 鈥� a monkey and a dragon 鈥� but are supposed to follow only the instructions given by the monkey.

When children are better at following instructions in these and similar activities, they tend to have better social skills and manage their emotions when stressed. Children who did well on these tasks also tended to have more typical patterns of diurnal cortisol.

But children who were in families that had lower income and higher adversity tended to have both lower executive function and an atypical diurnal cortisol pattern. Each of those contributed to more behavior problems and lower social-emotional competence in children when they were about to start kindergarten.

The study shows that not only do low income and adversity affect children鈥檚 adjustment, but they also impact these self-regulation systems that then add to children鈥檚 adjustment problems. 鈥淭aken all together, it鈥檚 like a snowball effect, with adverse effects adding together,鈥� Lengua said.

While past research has pointed to the effects of adversity on executive function, and to the specific relationship between cortisol and executive function, this new study shows the additive effects over time, Lengua said.

鈥淓xecutive function is an indicator that shows the functioning of cognitive regulation. Cortisol is the neuroendocrine response, an automatic response, and the two consistently emerge as being related to each other and impacting behavior in children,鈥� she said.

The research could be used to inform parenting programs, early childhood and school-based interventions, Lengua said. Safe, stable environments and communities, and positive, nurturing parenting practices support child development, while a focus on relationships and healthy behaviors in preschool settings can support children of all backgrounds 鈥� those with high as well as low adversity.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Co-authors were , and Melanie Klein of the UW Department of Psychology; Lyndsey Moran of the Boston Child Study Center; Maureen Zalewski of the University of Oregon; and Cara Kiff of UCLA.

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For more information, contact Lengua at Liliana@uw.edu.

Parents, picture the situation: Your child is misbehaving. You鈥檝e had a hard day, and one more outburst sends you over the edge.

You threaten. You yell. Maybe you announce a punishment so over the top you know you won鈥檛, and shouldn鈥檛, follow through.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 reacting based on emotions,鈥� explains 天美影视传媒 psychology professor . 鈥淣ot in the way you know you鈥檒l be effective.鈥�

What is effective, Lengua and her team report in , is practicing mindfulness: staying calm, seeing a situation from other perspectives and responding in an intentional way. Through a parenting program that UW researchers created and offered at two early childhood centers, participants learned strategies and techniques that helped them manage their own emotions and behaviors while supporting their child鈥檚 development.

鈥淥ur goal was to support parents engaging in practices that we know build up their children鈥檚 social and emotional well-being, and in a pretty brief program, parents showed improvement in their own feelings of emotional control, and demonstrated more of those parenting behaviors that support children,鈥� said Lengua, who directs the at the UW. 鈥淥ur data show that when parents improve, kids improve.鈥�

For this study, published in the journal Mindfulness, 50 parents of preschoolers participated in programs at two sites 鈥� one a kindergarten socialization class at a suburban elementary school with a high population of children receiving free or reduced-price lunch, the other a Head Start program at a community college. Over six weeks, researchers guided parents through a series of lessons on mindfulness and parenting strategies:

• Being present: noticing, listening and engaging with what鈥檚 happening right now
• Being warm: paying attention to the child鈥檚 emotions and giving the child opportunities to initiate interactions
• Being consistent: setting limits and developmentally appropriate expectations, praising the good things they do
• Guiding without directing (otherwise known as 鈥渟caffolding鈥�): offering help when needed but encouraging independence and commenting on child鈥檚 accomplishments

In addition to lessons geared toward parents as a group, researchers observed parents interacting with their children and surveyed the parents 鈥� before the program started, at its end, and three months afterward 鈥� about both their own behavior and their child鈥檚. One of the biggest improvements, Lengua said, was in the parents鈥� ability to manage their emotions, which helped them apply consistency, guide and encourage more often and reduce negativity.

Children, meanwhile, showed improvements in their social skills, and also displayed fewer negative behaviors when they were observed interacting with each other.

While the study was relatively small, Lengua said, the results are promising, not only because of the reported and demonstrated behavior changes among adults and children, but also due to 听the ability to provide such lessons in existing early learning settings. In other words, there is potential to reach people of a variety of backgrounds 鈥� not just those participants who might be familiar with mindfulness concepts 鈥� and arm them with positive parenting tools.

鈥淢indful parenting鈥� has become something of a buzzword, Lengua added.

鈥淧eople talk about 鈥榤indful parenting鈥� as a thing. It鈥檚 really just recognizing your child, in that moment, as having their own experience, and being attentive and intentional in that moment,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e view these strategies as skills that we can teach discreetly, and they provide regulation practices that we can use for any purpose.鈥�

Researchers now are implementing the program at additional sites, largely via community organizations that serve a diverse range of families, to see if the results will be replicated, Lengua said.

The published study was funded by the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child and the UW Center for Child and Family Well-Being. Additional authors were and Melanie Klein, graduate students in the UW Department of Psychology; Brinn Jones, an undergraduate student who helped conduct the research; and Corina McEntire, with Educational Service District No. 112 in Vancouver, Wash.

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For more information, contact Lengua at liliana@uw.edu or 206-543-5655.