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A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry looked at wellbeing decline during adolescence and school transition as a predominant driver beyond age progression. “Our study looked at how students’ wellbeing changes when they move from primary school to secondary school,” study author Mi Zhou told us. “We were particularly interested in whether the decline in wellbeing often seen in early adolescence is simply part of growing up, or whether the school transition itself plays an important role. We were also interested in how long those changes lasted and whether some groups of students were more affected than others.” [More]

A new study published in The Lancet looked at updated trends in the global prevalence and burden of mental disorders. “The global burden of disease (GBD) study 2023 assessed the health loss associated with over 350 diseases and injuries,” study author Alize Ferrari told us. “In our study, we focused on assessing GBD results for 12 mental disorders to asses trends in their global distribution and health loss they produce when compared to other diseases and injuries." [More]

A new study published in the Lancet Public Health evaluated a parenting programme called Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC), developed by the Race Equality Foundation and mainly commissioned through local authorities and delivered by them or local community organizations. It’s a group-based programme where parents come together over 13 weekly sessions to reflect, learn, and support each other. “What makes it distinctive is its strong focus on culture, identity, and community,” study author Dr. Anita Mehay told us. [More]

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of internalizing problems like anxiety and depression. Adolescents with ADHD symptoms are more likely to experience these problems than their neurotypical peers. A new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders looked at identifying candidate mediators linking ADHD symptoms and internalizing problems in adolescence. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Science looked at how chronic pain can gradually lead to depression through changes in the brain. “Although clinical observations have long shown that people with persistent pain are more likely to develop mood disorders, the biological mechanisms behind this link have not been fully understood,” study author Xiao Xiao told us. "We focused on the hippocampus, particularly the dentate gyrus, because it plays a key role in both cognition and emotional regulation.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence looked at leveraging a digital health intervention to improve recovery outcomes among people with substance misuse experiencing housing insecurity. “In this study, we wanted to examine the changes in substance use and recovery-related outcomes among participants who had engaged in a digital health intervention for one month,” study author Hannah S. Szlyk told us. “The study sample included adults who were at elevated risk of overdose due to their use of certain substances (opioids, stimulants, and/or alcohol) and who were experiencing housing insecurity.” [More]

A new study published in PLOS One looked at benchmarking the issue importance of mental health for American voters. “It's about how important mental health policy is to American voters,” study author Jake Haselswerdt told us. "Politicians don't talk about this issue much, so I was interested to find out how it stacks up against issues like border security or abortion that get a lot more attention.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews looked at the neuroscience of nature exposure. “We looked across 108 peer-reviewed neuroimaging studies to understand what happens in the brain when people are exposed to natural environments, whether that is in real outdoor settings, in the lab, or through virtual reality,” study author Mar Estarellas told us. “We wanted to move beyond the general idea that nature is good for us, and ask a more precise question: What are the neural mechanisms that might help explain those benefits?” [More]

A new study published in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry looked at the long-term mental health impact of disasters. “The US, like other countries, is constantly confronted with a variety of natural and human-induced disasters, sometimes accompanied by severe human losses and significant social and economic impacts,” lead author Michel L.A. Dückers told us. “The impact of disasters on mental health, and the factors that influence it, have received substantial attention from scholars in recent decades." [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine examined how paid sick leave access influences perceived risk, job stress, and job satisfaction among home service workers. “This study looked at home service workers in South Korea during the early COVID-19 pandemic to see how access to paid sick leave (PSL) affected their well-being,” study author Dr. Suyoung Kwon told us. “Workers with PSL reported feeling less at risk of infection, experiencing less job stress, and being more satisfied with their jobs than those with unpaid sick leave, no sick leave, or uncertain access.” [More]