Parental depression linked to lack of social support

October 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt continued their global vacation with a visit to an Iraqi refugee camp in Syria. Jolie visited Syria in her role as the goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN's refugee agency, reports People magazine.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Singer Billy Joel is all set to disclose the good, bad and ugly of his life as he plans to pen his autobiography. The 60-year-old hitmaker has made a 2.25-million-dollar deal with HarperCollins publishers for the memoir.

September 30th, 2009 LONDON - Brit filmmaker Terry Gilliam has put down speculations that late Aussie actor Heath Ledger had become depressed after his role as The Joker - insisting the tragic star enjoyed the part. Ledger died from a prescription drug overdose in January 2008 and received a posthumous Oscar for his performance in last year's (08) Batman movie 'The Dark Knight'.

September 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A University of Michigan study has shown that U.S. life expectancy increased by 6.2 years during the Great Depression.

September 23rd, 2009 MELBOURNE - People with a psychopathic "dark side" could create toxic workplaces "and could seriously traumatise workers to the point of suicide", warns a new study. Around one in ten New Zealand workplaces "harbour a psychopathically-oriented worker" capable of functioning within normal society but who victimises workmates with their "dark side," according to Dr Giles Burch, a psychologist and senior lecturer in management from the University of Auckland Business School.

September 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Keisha Buchanan has confirmed that she is no longer a part of the Sugababes. "I'm sad to say that I am no longer a part of the Sugababes," the Sun quoted her as saying.

September 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Rich people may not require friends because money can reduce their feelings of pain, and negate their needs for social popularity, according to a report. Published by f1000 Medicine in the journal Psychological Science, the paper sheds light on six studies that tested relationships between reminders of money, social exclusion and physical pain.

August 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has identified how schools and communities can work with parents to make children successful in life. Scientists at North Carolina State University say that the formation of "child and family teams" (CFTs) may be extremely useful in helping young people who are having difficulty with grades or behaviour become more engaged and do well in school and life.

August 19th, 2009 MySpace acquires social music application iLikeLOS ANGELES — MySpace says it will acquire iLike, the largest music application for social networks, confirming rumors that have been circulating this week. Terms were not immediately disclosed.

August 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Katie Price believes that her estranged husband Peter Andre is responsible for her unhappiness and depression. The hottie allegedly claims to have suffered from post-natal depression following the birth of her now two-year-old daughter Princess Tiaamii, for which she blames her singer husband.

August 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An American researcher has found that children these days enjoy more freedom at home, but they are more restricted outside the home. Dr. Markella Rutherford, from Wellesley College, says that the growth in personal autonomy at home over the last few decades could be the result of shrinking opportunities to participate in activities outside the home, without Mom and Dad looking over their shoulder.

July 15th, 2009 LONDON - Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe has rubbished claims that she has struck a 2.5million pounds deal with her former mother-in-law to give up her parental rights. Rowe's legal team has dismissed the report on the alleged deal, published in the New York Post, insisting that it is "completely false".

July 14th, 2009 NEW YORK - Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe is reportedly ready to give up her parental rights for a payout of four million dollars from her former mother-in-law. "It's one final payday," the New York Post quoted a disgusted Jackson confidant as saying.

July 1st, 2009 LONDON - Debunking what is called the "empty nest syndrome", scientists have found that parents, whose children stay at home are more likely to suffer depression than those whose offspring move out. Instead of feeling abandoned and lonely, adults with their children living far away seemed happier and more content than those with sons and daughters still living at home or in the local community.

June 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Family obligation-such as caring for siblings or helping elders-has been found to play a positive role in lowering teenage depression symptoms among Chinese-American adolescents in a new study. A research article on the study, published in the Journal of Family Psychology, reveals that 14-year-olds with a greater sense of family obligation were found to report fewer depressive symptoms by the time they reached 16.