August 2, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in Current Psychiatry Reports looked at substance use among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The study investigates the question of whether or not substance use has increased or decreased in the youth population during the pandemic,” study author Hannah M. Layman told us. “There are many reasons why both are possible (for example: increasing due to coping strategies or decreasing due to increased time with family). Our study aimed to analyze existing literature to best answer this question. I personally was unsure of what we might find.”
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July 29, 2022
by Elizabeth Pratt
If you’re at your happiest when gardening, you’re not alone.
Researchers from the University of Florida have found that working with plants could have a mental health benefit, even among those who have never tried gardening before.
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July 26, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in PLOS ONE looked at whether dogs can reduce stress levels in school children. “Our research is the first to demonstrate the mediating effects of dog-assisted interventions on stress levels in school children over the school term and in both, children with and without special educational needs,” study author Kerstin Meints told us.
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July 19, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Human Development looked at the evidence for protective effects of peer play during the early years. “We were hoping to find out whether early play experiences with other children are important for later mental health and wellbeing,” study author Jenny Louise Gibson told us. “We think that play with others protects against future mental health challenges because it is a natural way for children to develop the cognitive and emotional maturity they need to build up a strong social network.”
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July 12, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in JAMA looked at the association between repeated exposure to hurricanes and mental health in Florida residents. “Our study sought to examine the relationship between exposure to catastrophic hurricanes on the Gulf Coast and both mental health and functional impairment (e.g., work and social functioning),” study author Dana Rose Garfin told us.
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June 28, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in Scientific Reports looked at the epidemiology of accelerometer-based sleep parameters in US school-aged children and adults. “The study is about the age, gender and racial distribution of objectively measured sleep parameters in the US population,” study author William V. McCall told us.
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June 21, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in Frontiers of Psychiatry looked at whether conspiratorial beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic post a mental health risk and the relationship between conspiracy thinking and symptoms of anxiety and depression among Polish adults. “My research looks at the relationship between the severity of belief in false information about COVID-19 and the severity of symptoms of anxiety and depression,” study author Pawel Debski told us.
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June 14, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new two-year longitudinal study published in the BMJ looked at lifestyle risk behaviors among adolescents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our study focused on the ‘Big 6’ health behaviors among adolescents, being physical activity, diet, sleep, recreational screen time, alcohol use and smoking, given these are key predictors of both short- and long-term health and wellbeing,” lead author Dr. Lauren Gardner from the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre told us.
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June 7, 2022
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study out of Oregon State University looked at the risk of psychiatric diagnoses in the months after a COVID-19 infection. “Previous work during earlier parts of the pandemic reported a high risk of new mental health conditions occurring following COVID infection,” study author Lauren Chan told us. “This study was intended to determine if that risk still exists for patients in the US including patient data until Fall of 2021.”
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May 31, 2022
by Elizabeth Pratt
Cumulative exposure to trauma in childhood is a key indicator of suicide ideation in university students.
Researchers from Trinity College in Dublin found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were a common cause of poor mental health in college students.
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