January 23, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Behavior and Information Technology looked at whether less social media use can contribute to more satisfaction, work-engagement and mentally healthy employees. “The study focused on the question how to reduce potential negative effects of social media use on work- and mental health related variables,” study author Dr. Julia Brailovskaia told us. “Based on our previous findings, we hypothesized that the reduction of social media use time will have those positive effects.”
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January 16, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
autistic children in the aftermath of events on October 7th, 2023 in Israel. “Following the unprecedented attacks by Hamas on October 7th, we sought to understand the psychological experience of autistic and non autistic children and their parents,” Dr. Judah Koller of the School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem told us.
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January 9, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Translational Psychiatry looked at the spatiotemporal expression patterns of anxiety disorder-associated genes. “There are a substantial number of neuroimaging and microstimulation studies that identify neural circuits linked to anxiety as a trait or specific anxious behaviors such as pessimistic decision-making,” study author Kalyani B. Karunakaran told us.
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January 2, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new survey was recently released by the American Heart Association regarding health habits during the holidays. The survey found that nearly 80 per cent of people overlook their health needs during the holidays. “The survey is about the general trends and attitudes U.S. adults have about stress during the holiday season,” Dr. Glenn Levine told us. Dr. Levine is a volunteer medical expert from the American Heart Association.
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December 26, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in iScience looked at whether pet and owner personality and mental wellbeing associate with attachment to cats and dogs. “We delved into the personality and mental wellbeing profiles of both owners and their pets (cats and dogs) concerning owners’ attachment insecurity, explicitly focusing on avoidant and anxious attachment styles,” study author Aada Ståhl told us.
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December 21, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
Adults across the country are feeling festive but overwhelmed this holiday season.
A new poll by the American Psychological Association found 89% of respondents are stressed about not having enough money for the holidays, missing loved ones and family conflict.
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December 19, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in PubMed looked at the case for screening and evidence-based intervention in pregnant Black people to detect depression, anxiety, and stress. “As part of a larger randomized clinical trial to determine whether a newly created cognitive-behavioral skills building intervention is effective in improving the mental health of pregnant people of color, we screened Black pregnant women for anxiety, depression, and stress,” study author Susan Gennaro RN, PhD, FAAN told us.
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December 12, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A recently published study looked at benzodiazepine prescriptions for homeless veterans affairs service users with mental illness. “People experiencing homelessness are at high risk for substance use disorders, overdose, and death,” study author Dr. Katherine A. Koh told us. “Benzodiazepines are medications that are known to increase risk of overdose particularly when combined with other sedating medications.
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December 5, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A recent review in the Journal of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences was written by four scientists from different universities -- Dr. Bernhard Luscher from Penn State University, Dr. Jamie Maguire from Tufts University, Dr. Uwe Rudolph from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Dr. Etienne Sibille from the University of Toronto -- who have a longstanding interest in the role that GABAA receptors play in the brain, specifically for the development and therapy of depression.
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November 14, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
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.
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