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A new study published in the National Library of Medicine looked at gender and sex differences in urban greenness’ mental health benefits. “Our study examines articles that investigate the relationship between mental health outcomes and urban greenness with a deeper look into gender and sex differences associated with them as well as how gender and sex are used in environmental health literature,” study author Marta-Beatriz Fernandez Nunez told us. [More]

Children who participate in extra-curricular activities are happier than their peers who spend their time playing video games or on social media. Whether it be music lessons, clubs, catch ups with friends or sports practice, children who did out of school activities had greater wellbeing. [More]

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. [More]

Children who play well with peers when they are pre-school age have better mental health later in life. Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that the capacity to play well with other children, known as “peer play ability” has a protective effect on the mental health of a child. [More]

A new study published in Cell Reports looked at early stress-induced impaired brain functioning. “We were trying to figure out how the long-lasting, life-long adverse effects of transient early-life stress on behavioral and endocrine responses to adult stresses come about,” study author Tallie Z. Baram told us. “This is important, because these changes are tied to mental illnesses.” [More]

Air pollution is associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents. Researchers at the University of Denver found that even in neighbourhoods that met air quality standards, exposure to ozone gas lead to symptoms like sadness, difficulties concentrating and thoughts of suicide in adolescents over time. [More]

Being a confident cook isn’t just beneficial for the taste buds but also for mental health. Researchers from Edith Cowan University in Australia found that those who engaged in a 7-week healthy cooking class had improved confidence in the kitchen as well as better general and mental health. [More]

A significant number of people who die by suicide may have undiagnosed autism. Researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre and the University of Nottingham found in a study that a notable number of people who die by suicide have evidence of autistic traits at elevated levels. [More]

Up to one billion people worldwide suffer from neurological disorders. In the United States, more than one million adults are diagnosed annually with a chronic brain disease or disorder. Studying the brain is difficult but new tools are emerging. A recent study published in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry looked at how genetically encoded sensors enable micro and nano-scopic decoding of transmission in healthy and diseased brains. [More]

Despite global upheaval during the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide rates in the United States fell during 2020. The downward trend in suicide rates mirrors what occurred in the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918-1920. But researchers are warning that challenges still remain in addressing the impacts of COVID-19 among disadvantaged communities. [More]