June 6, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Dental Research looked at dental health and mental health in a nationally representative cohort. “The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between oral health and mental health both cross-sectionally and longitudinally,” study author A. Kalaigian told us. “In addition, we sought to evaluate the impact of mental problems (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and substance abuse) on adverse oral health conditions (i.e., bleeding gums, loose teeth, self-rated oral health, tooth extraction, gum disease, and bone loss around teeth) when controlling for potential confounders. Through this work, we hoped to inform dental practitioners in treating patients experiencing mental illness."
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May 31, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
For hundreds of years, some have suggested a full moon may cause people to act differently.
Now, psychiatrists at the Indiana University School of Medicine have found that death by suicide increases during the full moon.
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May 30, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study looked at peer health navigation experiences before and after prison release amount people with opioid use disorder. “Our study looked at the experiences of participants in a specific peer navigation program that paired people with opioid use disorder exiting incarceration with peer navigators and other supports,” study author Michael Enich told us. “We were hoping to capture, in their own words, program participants’ feelings working with peers who have also experienced incarceration and/or substance use or mental health challenges. We also wanted to see what aspects of the program these participants found to be most helpful—or aspects of the program they would change if they could.”
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May 30, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
The decision making capability of college students has likely been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers from Ohio State University found that students had less consistent decision making in the fall semester of 2020 compared with students who had previously participated in the study in previous years.
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May 23, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in PLOS ONE looked at the effectiveness of a brief online resilience intervention during the COVID-19 lockdown. “Our study aimed to test a new positive psychological intervention, SPARK Resilience® @Work,” study author Evgeny Osin told us. “It is a programme that aims to help employees understand, activate, and develop the psychological resources and strategies that are important to deal efficiently with stressful situations and to maintain high well-being and high performance at work.”
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May 22, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
People who frequently watch YouTube have elevated levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness.
Researchers from the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention found that the most widely used streaming platform had both positive and negative impacts on the mental health of users.
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May 16, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology looked at how the mindset of birth predicts birth outcomes. “Broadly speaking, the study is about the role of psychology in childbirth,” study author Lisa Hoffman told us. “We were interested whether psychological factors may have an effect on birth outcomes and whether, in turn, psychological factors (e.g., postpartum well-being, postpartum depression) may be predicted by birth.”
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May 9, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders looked at the social and cognitive vulnerability to COVID-19-related stress in pregnancy. “We were interested to find out whether being pregnant during the pandemic was associated with postpartum mental wellbeing of the mothers and their babies,” study author Susanne Schweizer told us. “In particular, we were interested whether the experiencing stress related to the pandemic (including, stressors such as economic and health-related worries) would be associated with more postpartum depression and anxiety in the mothers and poorer affect in the children.”
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May 2, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders looked at the effect of exercise on suicidal ideation and behaviors. “Our study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise on suicidal behaviors (suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide deaths) in those with mental or physical illness,” study author Dr. Nicholas Fabiano told us. “Our secondary objective was to determine if those with mental or physical illness were able to adhere to exercise regimes as people with comorbidities are often perceived not to be adherent to exercise regimes due to the nature of their illness.”
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April 30, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
Teenage girls are experiencing record high levels of persistent sadness.
A report from the CDC found that 57% of teenage girls in the US felt hopeless or persistently sad in 2021, that’s a 60% increase over the past ten years.
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