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March is traumatic brain injury (TBI) awareness month. Armenian-American triathlete Kristin Abello, was struck by a car in 2002, while on a training run in Houston in preparation for a marathon. As a result, she sustained a TBI and other physical traumas. The initial consensus was that she wasn’t going to survive, but she did and the road to recovery was extremely difficult, including her choice to carry a high risk pregnancy. She’s now giving back, as an advocate, philanthropist and author on a mission to help others with TBI. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry looked at how the experience of corporal punishment might shape how the adolescent brain responds to mistakes and receiving rewards. “One of the co-authors, Alexandria Meyer, has repeatedly shown that harsh parenting is associated with increased neural responses to making mistakes,” study author Kreshnik Burani told us. [More]

Enjoying time in nature close to home is associated with a greater sense of wellbeing compared with longer and more intense nature excursions. Research published in People and Nature found that nearby nature engagement had greater positive outcomes overall compared to experiencing nature second hand through media or through more strenuous excursions in nature. [More]

A new study published in the European Journal of Cancer looked at the effect of behavioral graded activity on physical activity level, health-related quality of life, and symptom management in cancer patients and survivors. “In this paper, we screened the literature for studies which had the goal of increasing daily activity levels in cancer patients and survivors,” study author Astrid Larousse told us. “Unfortunately, most individuals face barriers to become a more physically active person.” [More]

Receiving support from others could help ease the impact from genetic risk for depression. Researchers from the University of Michigan found that individuals with a high genetic risk for developing depression most benefit from a nurturing social environment. [More]

Feeling low? Performing a good deed for others may help. Research published in The Journal of Positive Psychology found that people experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety saw improvements in their symptoms when they performed acts of kindness. [More]

Daily engagement in political news can have a negative impact on mental health, but disengaging can also have consequences. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that strategies to manage the negative emotions that come from daily engagement may also reduce an individual’s motivation to act on what they care about politically. [More]

35% of children injured with a firearm receive a new mental health diagnosis in the year following their injury. Data published recently in the Anals of Surgery found that child survivors of firearm injury have high rates of new mental health diagnoses, even when compared with children who have injuries in motor vehicle accidents. [More]

Everyone needs some time alone. But for those who seek time alone out of fear of social interactions, spending more time alone than usual can actually cause greater anxiety when socializing. [More]

Psychologists are struggling to meet demand amid a rising mental health crisis. Results from the American Psychological Association’s 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey show that most practitioners have no openings for new patients and have waitlists that are longer than before the pandemic began. [More]