A new study has identified social/psychological factors in early childhood that can contribute to symptoms of anxiety and depression later in life. According to the doctorate study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), small children who grow up in a family where the mother has psychological distress, the family is exposed to stress or is lacking social support, are at higher risk of developing anxious and depressive symptoms in early adolescence. Girls are more vulnerable than boys, and very timid or short-tempered children are more vulnerable than others to develop emotional problems.

Photo credit The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is reporting research published in the journal Social cognitive and Affective Neuroscience that shows that different parts of the brain are activated in males and females when confronted with a stressful situation. The researchers examined the activity of participant's brains using fMRI and measured levels of cortisol while they attempted difficult arithmetic problems (high stress) or counted backwards (low stress).