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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.” [More]

A new study published in Science Direct looked at bereavement and mental health and the generational consequences of a grandparent's death. “We were interested in examining whether adolescents who experience the death of a grandparent between the ages of nine and 15 showed evidence of lasting mental health challenges that might predict subsequent difficulties in schooling,” study author Dr. Ashton M Verdery told us. [More]

Fewer high school students attempt suicide in states that have enacted hate crime laws that protect LGBT+ people. Researchers from the University of Indianapolis and The Ohio State University found that the reduction in suicide rates didn’t only occur among sexual and gender minority students, but also among heterosexual students. [More]

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. [More]

Carter Weinstein is a freshman at Georgetown University and the author of Conquering Fear: One Teen's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety. Weinstein believes so many teens have anxiety currently because of increasing stress due to the pandemic. “Teens today have an unprecedented amount of stress due to an immense amount of schoolwork, social pressure, and academic competition and college preparation,” Weinstein told us. "Teens are prone to have anxiety already, thus the pandemic (restricting them from seeing their friends, secluding them behind a screen, etc.) has only made matters worse.” [More]

A new, first-of-its-kind survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2SLGBTQ+ youth and young adults at risk of, and experiencing, homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding areas. “I approached this study with the understanding that, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness have been found to experience higher rates of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality, often resulting from identity-based discrimination, violence, and a lack of support,” study author Dr. Alex Abramovich told us. “I wanted to address these gaps and identify appropriate measures to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness and promote mental health during future waves of COVID-19 or future pandemics." [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology looked at whether emotional diversity is associated with better student engagement and achievement. “Our study explored whether students who have varied emotional experiences would also be more engaged and achieve better in school,” study author Cherry Frondozo told us. “We adapted a measure of diversity from ecology to examine the link between the diversity of emotional experiences and achievement.” [More]

Evaluating the food choices made by their peers may improve the eating habits of young adolescents. A study in the United Arab Emirates found that asking adolescents to consciously evaluate the food choices made by their peers caused them to choose healthier foods. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Child Development looked at how non-immigrant children respond when immigrant children are bullied. "This study examined how adolescents react to bias-based bullying of immigrant and non-immigrant peers," study author, Secil Gonultas told us. "We were interested in learning more about when and why adolescents are willing to intervene when they see others being bullied. [More]

Researchers examined 190 young adults and followed them for ten years. They were directly tested on their response to alcohol vs. placebo beverage in initial testing sessions and then they returned five and ten years later to a laboratory in Chicago to undergo identical re-examination testing. “We flew people in from all over the country (and the world!) to come back for their returning sessions,” study author Andrea King told us. “We also conducted regular follow-up interviews semi-annually in that period. I am grateful the participants were so connected to the study, as 99% of those still living continued to participate over the decade.” [More]