Task Force Recommends Anxiety Screening For Adults Under 65 The US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended adults under the age of 65 be screened for anxiety disorders. This is the first time anxiety screening for this group has been recommended. [More]
Working With AI Linked With Loneliness Employees who have frequent interaction with artificial intelligence systems are more likely to be lonely. Research published by the American Psychological Association found that the loneliness experienced by the employees could lead to insomnia as well as after work drinking. [More]
Did COVID-19 Affect The Mental Health Of College Student-Athletes? A new study published in the Journal of Athletic Training looked at self-reported mental health measures among incoming collegiate student-athletes who had COVID-19. “We were interested in seeing if a young, highly active group experienced a lasting emotional upheaval following recovery from COVID-19,” study author Melissa Anderson told us. “Based on reports that up to a third of people who had a COVID-19 diagnosis experience persistent psychological symptoms, we expected to see similar results in our study." [More]
Can Attending Live Sporting Events Reduce Loneliness? A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health looked at how attending live sporting events can predict subjective wellbeing and reduces loneliness. “The data was collected as part of a large government survey looking at all sorts of things measuring people’s health and wellbeing, as well as some other information about them, such as their age, income level, and some information about what activities they take part in,” study author Dr. Helen Keyes told us. “Our study honed in on the questions that participants were asked about their wellbeing (life satisfaction, sense that life is worthwhile, loneliness, happiness and anxiety) and whether attendance at a live sporting event over the past 12 months had any impact on these measures.” [More]
New Study Looks At Work Breaks And Why Some Employees Don't Take Them A new study published in the Journal of the American Planning Association looked at breaks in the workplace and why some employees take their breaks and others don’t. “Our research is about breaks in the workplace,” study author Vincent Phan told us. “We were hoping to get a better sense of employees’ reasons for taking breaks at work, as well as their reasons for not taking breaks despite wanting or needing a break.” Past theory and research within the occupational health psychology literature would suggest that employees may want a break when they feel tired or upset, or when they feel their performance on the job isn’t as good as they would like. However, employees do not always take breaks when they want to do so. [More]
What Is The Association Between Dental Health And Mental Health? 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." [More]
Deaths By Suicide Increase Significantly During Full Moon 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. [More]
New Study Looks At Peer Support For Incarcerated Individuals 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.” [More]
College Students' Decision Making Ability Impacted By COVID-19 Pandemic 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. [More]
New Study Looks At Effectiveness Of Resiliency Intervention During The Pandemic Lockdown 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.” [More]