The Washington Post (10/23, Rowan) reports that “fathers’ attitudes toward teen sex and the emotional closeness of their relationship with their teens have a sizable influence on their teens’ sexual behavior, separate from the influence of moms, a new review of studies suggests.” According to the article, “the review showed that dads’ attitudes toward teen sexual behavior were linked to the age at which teens first had sex.” Citing the studies in the review, the Post points out that “teens whose dads approved of adolescent sexual activity tended to start having sex earlier than teens whose dads did not approve.” The findings were published last week in the journal Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Fathers play key role in teens’ sexual behavior, says study, “Karen Rowan, The Washington Post, October 22, 2012.

. HealthDay (10/23, Preidt) reports, “Children with mental health disorders are more likely than other kids to be bullies,” according to a study presented yesterday at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting. “Researchers analyzed data from children ages 6 to 17 included in the 2007 US National Survey of Children’s Health and found that more than 15 percent were identified as bullies by a parent or guardian, and that children with mental health disorders were three times more likely than their peers to bully other children.”

Related Links:

— “Bullying May Be Linked to Mental Disorders, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 22, 2012.

The Los Angeles Times (10/23, Healy) “Booster Shots” blog reports that according to a study published online Oct. 22 in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, “a youth aged 10 to 17 who reports that he or she has been victimized by peers in the past year is nearly 2 1/2 times likelier to have suicidal thoughts than an adolescent who reports no recent victimization.”

HealthDay (10/23, Mann) reports, “Youth who were sexually assaulted had 3.4 times the risk of thinking about suicide and those who were maltreated had 4.4 times the risk of suicidal ideation during the past year,” the study of “study of nearly 1,200 children and adolescents (aged 10 to 17)” revealed.

MedPage Today (10/23, Petrochko) reports, “Teens who had been polyvictimized — those exposed to seven or more types of harassment — in the past year were nearly six times as likely to think about suicide (OR 5.81, 95% CI 3.09 to 10.15),” the study found. Notably, “youth suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents in the US, behind auto accidents and homicide, the authors wrote.”

Related Links:

— “Bullying spurs suicidal thoughts – still more if home support lacks, “Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, October 22, 2012.

HealthDay (10/21, Preidt) reported, “Cyberbullying is rarely the only factor behind teen suicides, according to a small study” presented Oct. 20 at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ national conference. “For the study, the investigators analyzed 41 suicide cases in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.”

MedPage Today (10/21, Neale) reported, “Of 41 cyberbullying-related suicides covered in the news since 2003, the victims were subjected to both online and in-person abuse in 78%,” the study found. “Another 17% involved cyberbullying only and 5% involved traditional in-person bullying only,” researchers reported.

Medscape (10/21, Helwick) reported, “Cyberbullying is defined as bullying using electronic means — primarily the Web and text messaging. It is an extension of traditional bullying, but with the additional element of electronic media, which creates some distance between the bully and his or her target,” the study’s lead author explained. “A marked increase was noted in cyberbullying-related suicides in recent years. Only two or fewer cases occurred per year between 2003 and 2007; this jumped to six in 2008, peaked at 13 in 2011, and was reported at five for the first three months of 2012,” according to the study’s lead author.

Related Links:

— “Cyberbullying Rarely Single Factor in Teen Suicides: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 22, 2012.

The Hill (10/19, Cox) “Floor Action” blog reported that Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, chairwoman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, wants Defense Secretary Panetta “to move to the next step on a timeline for a military-wide review of PTSD and behavioral health diagnoses made since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.” Panetta “promised to follow up” after some service members were told they didn’t have PTSD by a doctor “trying to keep expenses down” at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, but Murray “said…that the investigation seems to have stalled since being announced on June 13.”

Related Links:

— “Murray seeks answers from Defense on review of PTSD diagnoses, “Ramsey Cox, The Hill, October 19, 2012.