On its website, CBS News (3/27, Jaslow) reports, “Too much television may turn a five-year-old into a real problem child by the time they turn seven, according to a new study” published online March 25 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. “British researchers looked at a representative sample of over 11,000 kids born between 2000 and 2002, and found those who watched television longer than three hours per day were more likely to develop antisocial behaviors such as fighting, stealing or bullying.”

HealthDay (3/27, Preidt) reports, “For the study, the investigators analyzed data gathered from about 11,000 children in the United Kingdom who were born between 2000 and 2002. When the children were ages five and seven, their mothers filled out a questionnaire designed to assess how well-adjusted the children were, and also provided information about the amount of time their children spent at age seven watching TV and playing computer or electronic games.” Then, “after taking into account other factors, such as parenting and family dynamics, the researchers concluded that there was a significant association between watching TV for three or more hours a day at age five and a ‘very small’ increased risk of antisocial behavior by age seven.”

MedPage Today (3/27, Struck) reports that the researchers found no “link between behavior problems and time spent playing video games,” however. “Further, ‘we did not find strong evidence for effects of TV or electronic games use on attentional problems,’ they wrote.”

Related Links:

— “Over 3 hours of television a day may make kids more antisocial, “Ryan Jaslow, CBS News, March 26, 2013.

USA Today (3/27, Ritger) reports that, according to “the 2012 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors (NSCCD)…approximately 2.2 million students across the country sought professional counseling assistance” in 2012. “The annual survey included 293 counseling centers, which represent 2.7 million students who are eligible for counseling services at their institutions.” In addition, the survey “found that the number of students seeking help has increased in recent years and 88% of directors said accommodations for more students with serious psychological problems has posed staffing problems.” The article points out that a number of counseling centers have no psychiatrists permanently on staff.

Related Links:

— “University mental-health resources strained under increased need, “Clara Ritger, USA Today, March 26, 2013.

The Los Angeles Times (3/26, Mohan, Times) reports, “People who are socially isolated are more likely to die prematurely, regardless of their underlying health issues, according to a study of the elderly British population.” The study’s “findings, published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that when mental and physical health conditions were factored out, the lack of social contact continued to lead to early death among 6,500 men and women tracked over a seven-year period.”

Related Links:

— “Social isolation increases risk of early death, study finds, “Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2013.

HealthDay (3/26, Preidt) reports, “Having regular family suppers is good for teens’ mental health,” according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Researchers arrived at that conclusion after having “examined data from about 26,000 adolescents, aged 11 to 15, who took part in a 2010 study on health behaviors in school-aged children in Canada.” Notably, “the positive effects of family mealtime were the same regardless of gender, age or family income,” the study found.

Related Links:

— “Family Meals Nourish Teens’ Mental Health: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 25, 2013.

HealthDay (3/23, Preidt) reported, “Seniors who are hospitalized for pneumonia are at high risk for long-term physical and mental problems that can impair their ability to care for themselves,” according to a study published online March 15 in the American Journal of Medicine. “The study looked at data on about 1,400 adults older than 50 who survived more than 1,700 hospitalizations for pneumonia, heart attack or stroke.” Notably, “the effects of pneumonia were comparable to those seen in people who survive a heart attack or stroke, the researchers said.”

Related Links:

— “Pneumonia May Lead to Serious Aftereffects for Seniors, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 22, 2013.