Does Bullying Cause Headaches In Teens? A new study published in the Journal of Neurology looked at the association between peer victimization, gender diversity, mental health, and recurrent headaches in adolescents. “In this study, we wanted to try and understand if bullying and being gender diverse are associated with frequent headaches in teens,” study author Serena L. Orr told us. “Although some past studies have looked at the relationship between bullying and headaches, they have not adequately controlled for other risk factors associated with both of these, including mental health, age, and sex." [More]
Can Depression Treatment Reduce Cardiovascular Risks? A new study published in the Journal of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity looked at the effect of modernized collaborative care for depression on depressive symptoms and cardiovascular disease risk biomarkers. “We set out to determine whether treating depression, a psychological risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), could reduce the risk of developing CVD in the future, like treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” study author Jesse C. Stewart told us. “Our study, the eIMPACT trial, was based on more than three decades of research showing that people with depression are at elevated risk of developing CVD, similar to people with traditional CVD risk factors.” [More]
Do Certain American Neighborhoods Cause Black Teens More Stress? A new study published in the Journal of Youth and Society looked at the influence of the neighborhood environment on stress among Black American adolescents. “My study uses this scoping review method to explore what is known about various aspects of the neighborhood environment and how these aspects contribute to stress among Black children and youth aged 10-18 years old. We were hoping to identify specific characteristics of the neighborhood environment and home in on how these characteristics have contributed to stressors among Black children and youth – with the goal of brainstorming some strategies for resolving this relationship," study author Dr. Melissa L. Villodas told us. [More]
New Study Looks At The Stereotypes of Adolescents A new study published in the Journal of Child Development Perspectives looked at the stereotypes of adolescents including the cultural differences, consequences, and intervention. “My study focuses on synthesizing recent research concerning stereotypes of adolescence,” study author Yang Qu told us. “I employ an interdisciplinary approach, combining developmental psychology, cultural psychology, and neuroscience to explore this topic comprehensively.” [More]
Pandemic Firearm Buyers Have Higher Rates Of Mental Health Problems People who bought firearms at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have higher rates of mental health problems and political extremism. Research published in PLOS One found those who bought firearms during the pandemic had higher rates of self harm, suicidal thoughts and intimate partner violence when compared with those who don’t own firearms or other firearms owners who bought firearms outside the height of the pandemic. [More]
New Study Looks At Under-Diagnosis Of Autism A new study published in the Lancet looked at autism in England with regard to assessing under-diagnosis in a population-based cohort study of prospectively collected primary care data. “People often think of autism as a childhood condition, and historically, autism has mostly been diagnosed in children,” study author Elizabeth O’Nions told us. “Many autistic adults were not diagnosed when they were children, either because autism didn’t exist as a diagnosis when they were young, or the criteria were narrower, meaning that only a very small number of people were considered to be autistic at the time.” [More]
Children Who Have Close Bond With Parents In Early Life Are More Prosocial In Later Years Children who are close to their parents early in life are more likely to be kind, helpful and prosocial when they grow up. Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that children who had a strong bond with their parents early in their life were more likely to treat others kindly and act with empathy. [More]
New Studies Look At The Spirituality Of Science A series of new studies, published in Sage Journal looked at the spirituality of science and the implications for meaning, well-being, and learning. “These studies are investigating how science can serve as a source of spirituality for some people,” study author Jesse L. Preston told us. “Spirituality is most commonly associated with religion, however it is not the same thing as religious belief. Spirituality is characterized through a sense of connection to things greater than oneself, a sense of wonder, and a sense of understanding or meaning in life, and we suggest that these same aspects can also be found through experiences with science and scientific theories.” [More]
New Study Looks At Covid-19 Worries And Dreaming A new study published in the Journal of Emotion looked at whether daily worries about the coronavirus are linked to negative effects experienced during mind-wandering and dreaming. "We investigated whether and how worry about COVID-19 is associated with the emotional quality of daydreaming and nighttime dreaming,” study author Pilleriin Sikka told us. “Many studies have reported increased negativity of dreams and increased number of nightmares during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most of these studies have used questionnaires and asked about whether people think that their dreams are different during the pandemic as compared to the pre-or post-pandemic periods.” [More]
New Study Delves Into Brain Synapses And Childhood Mental Health A new study published in the Journal of Immunity looked whether there was a potential link between early life stress and the onset of mental disorders. “Individuals who suffer childhood abuse/neglect are much more likely to develop mental diseases, including depression and schizophrenia,” study author Wok-Suk Chung told us. “Additionally, stress has been shown to elicit a decrease in the number of excitatory synaptic connections in the brain and impair their functions. However, the underlying mechanism by which early life stress induces synaptic and behavioral symptoms later in life have been unclear.” [More]