October 3, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine looked at adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and aging-associated functional impairment in a national sample of older community-dwelling adults. “In recent years, there has been growing interest and research in how stress and traumatic events that happen in childhood can impact people’s health in their early adult years, from increasing people’s risk of depression all the way to other diseases like diabetes,” study author Victoria M. Lee told us.
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September 26, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Emotion looked at the influence of sleep on subjective well-being through an experience sampling study. “In the study we wanted to find out, how various indicators of sleep influence well-being on the next day. We were hoping to find multiple associations between sleep and well-being,” study author Dr. Anita Lenneis, from the University of Warwick’s Department of Psychology, told us. “We pre-registered our ideas of how the results would look like in advance.”
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August 4, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
Children who read for pleasure experience better mental health during adolescence as well as superior performance in cognitive tests.
Research published in Psychological Medicine found that roughly 12 hours of reading per week was the perfect amount associated with an improvement in brain structure.
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August 1, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A recent study looked at paternal and maternal psychiatric history and risk of preterm and early term birth. It was a nation-wide study using Swedish registers. “It has been known for some time that women who are clinically anxious or depressed are more likely to deliver a child prematurely,” study author Michael E. Silverman told us. “Indeed, considerable evidence now exists showing a relationship between various psychiatric illnesses and the likelihood of delivering a premature infant.”
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July 30, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
Cutting back on social media use can improve psychological wellbeing.
Researchers at Iowa State University found that students who limited social media use to just 30 minutes a day has lower scores for depression, anxiety, loneliness and the fear of missing out.
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July 25, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A recent article published in the Journal of Professional Psychology, Research and Practice looked at emotional support animal assessments and the importance of creating a standard and comprehensive model for mental health professionals. “This is the third in a series of articles that address emotional support animals and the appropriate role of professionals certifying these pets for their patients,” researcher, Leisl Bryant told us.
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July 18, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Family and Community Health looked at parental sexuality disclosure, discrimination, and depression among Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women. “There were two main goals of our study,” study author, Rodman E. Turpin told us. “First, we wanted to identify the relationship between discrimination and depression among Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women. Discrimination experienced by these populations can include social and structural racism, homophobia, transphobia, and more, so we used a comprehensive measure of discrimination for our study.”
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July 11, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Rural Sociology looked at the built environmental and social and emotional support among rural older adults and whether there is a case for social infrastructure and attention to ethnoracial differences. “In this study, we were interested in determining if and how older adult social and emotional health is associated with social infrastructure availability in rural contexts,” study author Danielle Rhubart told us.
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June 30, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
The US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended adults under the age of 65 be screened for anxiety disorders.
This is the first time anxiety screening for this group has been recommended.
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June 27, 2023
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Athletic Training looked at self-reported mental health measures among incoming collegiate student-athletes who had COVID-19. “We were interested in seeing if a young, highly active group experienced a lasting emotional upheaval following recovery from COVID-19,” study author Melissa Anderson told us. “Based on reports that up to a third of people who had a COVID-19 diagnosis experience persistent psychological symptoms, we expected to see similar results in our study."
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