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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]

A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour looked at wellbeing-focused interventions. “This study looks at a wide range of interventions designed to improve wellbeing,” study author Dr. Lowri Sian Wilkie told us. “Instead of focusing only on psychological approaches, we took a broader, interdisciplinary view that also includes physical activity, mind body practices, and nature based interventions.” [More]

A new study published in the American Journal of Pathology looked at how inflammation in the brain plays a role in alcohol use disorder. “We were hoping to find out if microglia, immune cells in the brain, contribute to negative feelings found in people with an alcohol use disorder,” study author Leon G. Coleman told us. “We had a theory that microglia would contribute to anxiety and fear memories after heavy alcohol use.” [More]

A new study recently published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development looked at risk factors for bullying in adolescents in the United States. “The goal of our study was to examine which factors were most influential in increasing risk of being exposed to or involved in bullying among adolescents aged 12-17 years old,” study author Lea Sacca told us. "Specifically, we wanted to see whether social determinants including housing instability, food insecurity, access to healthcare services and whether parental determinants, most importantly caregiver mental health, increased the risk of having an adolescent child being bullied or bullying others.” [More]

A new study published in Nature Mental Health looked at the association between mental health conditions and an increased risk of self-harm, assault and unintentional injuries. “Our study focuses on the link between mental heath conditions and physical injuries,” study author Leah S. Richmond-Rakerd told us. "We aimed to determine if individuals with mental-health conditions experience increased risk for a broad range of injuries, including unintentional injuries as well as injuries from self-harm and victimization.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Health Economic looked at the minimum legal drinking age and educational outcomes. “Our study examines whether raising the minimum legal drinking age from 16 to 18 affects teenagers' drinking behaviour, academic performance, and mental health,” study author Carmen Villa told us. “We are the first to explore a link between alcohol and educational performance in a European context where nearly all countries have increased the minimum legal drinking age in the last two to three decades." [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine looked at how a single session of online training can reduce intolerance of uncertainty and improve mental health in emerging adults. “The study investigated whether we can train older adolescents and emerging adults to have the ability to cope with uncertainty,” study author Susanne Schweizer told us. “To make them more tolerant of uncertainty.” [More]

A recently published study looked at a biosensor able to non-invasively detect the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in human saliva. “The ultralow levels of BDNF in saliva is directly associated with major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as depression,” study author Paulo A. Raymundo-Pereira told us. “I didn't expect to discover anything. I simply used my expertise in chemistry and biotechnology and we worked hard to optimize the disposable device to selectively detect ultra-low concentrations of BDNF in saliva without interference.” [More]

People with anxiety disorders have lower levels of choline in their brains. Researchers from the UC Davis School of Medicine found that people with anxiety had 8% lower levels of the essential nutrient in their brains compared with those who do not have anxiety. [More]