Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2022.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Science Update: Sexual minority females less likely to obtain a driver’s license than heterosexual peers, NICHD study suggests
NICHD researchers find that sexual minority men are more likely to have lived in three or more different places in the past year.
Research Round-up: Youth Violence Prevention
Violence is a leading cause of death for people 10 to 24 years old in the United States. In addition, nearly a million young people are treated for injuries each year as a result of physical violence, sexual assault, bullying, or self-harm. Youth violence also can cause long-term emotional and psychological harm.
NICHD Adapts New Resource for Bullying
School is a place for learning and socializing with peers. But for the 28% of students who report being bullied, school can be a scary place.
Exploring Factors That Influence Child Development
Countless factors, from family and environment to genes and biology, influence a child’s growth and development. Scientists in the NICHD’s Section on Child and Family Research study how these factors affect the physical, mental, and social development of growing children, along with their health and well-being.
Bullying Decreases among Middle School and High School Students
A new study found that bullying among students in grades six through ten declined significantly between 1998 and 2010. Fighting among students also declined, although less dramatically.
NICHD Podcast Round-up
NICHD podcasts provide a window into research that goes beyond descriptions in news releases. Learn about NICHD research and what the findings might mean for you, your family, and your community. Here's a round-up of some recent podcasts.
Breaking the Cycle: Research Aims to Prevent Child Abuse
Child abuse and neglect are serious problems in the United States, with an estimated 679,000 victims in 2012, according to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The NICHD is working to understand and prevent child abuse and neglect through federal partnerships and research support.
Valerie Maholmes named Chief of NICHD Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch
Dr. Valerie Maholmes, Ph.D., has been appointed Chief of the new Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch, as announced in an email from Dr. Catherine Spong, M.D., Director of the Division of Extramural Research.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Child abuse and neglect affect about 6 million children in the United States each year, according to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In more than 80% of cases, the abuse is from a parent.
NICHD Director’s podcast features research on adolescent health behavior
The January 2013 NICHD Research Perspectives features adolescent health research undertaken by scientists in the institute’s Prevention Research Branch.
Focus on Children's Mental Health Research at the NICHD
Children's health and human development includes more than just physical and physiological changes. Mental and emotional health and well-being are as important to a child's development. Such factors as exposure to violence, parental occupation and stress, special health care needs, injuries, and exposure to illicit and prescription drugs can have long-lasting effects on children. Addressing the needs of children with or at-risk for mental or emotional health issues can help improve their quality of life through adolescence and adulthood.
NICHD Research and National Child Abuse Prevention Month
For its part in this special month, the NICHD supports research to inform outreach and training programs for parents and people who care for abused and neglected children
According to data collected through the DHHS National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System and reported in Child Maltreatment 2009, an estimated 763,000 children were exposed to incidents of child abuse and neglect in 2009. These data translat
Taking a Stand Against Bullying
The NICHD joins other agencies and organizations in examining existing research, supporting new research, and helping put an end to bullying.
Depression High Among Youth Victims of School Cyber Bullying, NIH Researchers Report
Unlike traditional forms of bullying, youth who are the targets of cyber bullying at school are at greater risk for depression than are the youth who bully them, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Taking a Stand Against Bullying
As agencies, schools, organizations, and communities work together to take a stand against bullying, they are finding that this seemingly simple problem is actually very complex. For example, new research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that those bullied electronically—sometimes called cyber bullying, such as by computer or cell phone—are at high risk for depression .
Strengthening Families & Communities: National Child Abuse Prevention Month
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)1, more than 1.25 million children in the United States experiences maltreatment between 2005 and 2006—a figure which corresponds to one child in every 58. A large percentage were abused, while the majority were neglected.
Early Child Care Linked to Increases in Vocabulary, Some Problem Behaviors in Fifth & Sixth Grades
The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.
U.S. Youth No More Likely to Engage in Violence Than Youth in Four Other Countries
The results of an international survey show that young adolescents in the United States are no more likely to engage in violent behavior than are youth in 4 other countries.
Child Care Linked to Assertive, Noncompliant, & Aggressive Behaviors Vast Majority of Children Within Normal Range
The more time children spent in child care from birth to age four-and-a-half, the more adults tended to rate them, both at age four-and-a-half and at kindergarten, as less likely to get along with others, as more assertive, as disobedient, and as aggressive, according to a study appearing in the July/August issue of Child Development.