Psychology News and Research Briefs Category Archive:
Stress & Coping
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Lower Class Experiences Compassion More Easily Individuals from a lower class background recognize suffering and experience compassion more quickly than their upper class counterparts. Continue reading Lower Class Experiences Compassion More Easily
Gay Marriage Has Medical, Mental Repercussions Columbia researchers examine one clinic before and after passage of Massachussetts' gay marriage law. Continue reading Gay Marriage Has Medical, Mental Repercussions
More Than 1 in 10 Americans on Antidepressants The October 2011 National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief reveals that 11 percent of Americans over age 12 take antidepressant medications. Continue reading More Than 1 in 10 Americans on Antidepressants
Low Salaries, Long Hours Stress US Workers Survey shows low salary and few opportunities for growth among worker worries. Continue reading Low Salaries, Long Hours Stress US Workers
No Relationship Between Abortion and Mental Health Risks A new study from Denmark has found that women who terminate a pregnancy face no increased mental health risk, although women who give birth do. Continue reading No Relationship Between Abortion and Mental Health Risks
Will the New DSM Label Grief as Depression? Individuals suffering from major depression often experience a loss of appetite, irregular sleep, fatigue and a loss of interest in activities. So do people who have recently experienced the death of a loved one. So where do mental health professionals distinguish between the normal effects of grief and grief that has triggered severe depression? NPR's Alix Spiegal reports this week that a small change in the forthcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) will have a significant impact on where this line is drawn and how these symptoms are treated. Continue reading Will the New DSM Label Grief as Depression?
Anxiety Puts Young Men At Risk For Heart Attack A new Swedish study shows that men diagnosed with anxiety in their teens or twenties are more then twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart disease or have a heart attack later in life. Continue reading Anxiety Puts Young Men At Risk For Heart Attack
The Psychological Impact Of Gulf Coast Oil Spill If you're worried about the BP oil spill, you're not alone. But for individuals living in the effected areas the outlook is even bleaker as fears extend from environmental damage to the destruction of home and livelihood. Continue reading The Psychological Impact Of Gulf Coast Oil Spill
Following Injury, Anxiety Puts Children At Risk A new study shows that one in five families who experience a serious childhood injury will return to the ER within three months. Find out why--and what you can do to prevent this from happening to your family. Continue reading Following Injury, Anxiety Puts Children At Risk
Gay Population More Likely to Experience Violence, PTSD Gay and lesbian adults face a greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of increased exposure to violence in early life. Continue reading Gay Population More Likely to Experience Violence, PTSD
Smile -- You'll Live Longer Smiling can elevate your mood, make you more attractive to others and even boost your immune system. But can it also make you live longer? Continue reading Smile -- You'll Live Longer
Alcohol Abuse & Depression Greater Threat To Troops Than PTSD Deployed UK and US troops experience anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse at far greater rates than PTSD. Continue reading Alcohol Abuse & Depression Greater Threat To Troops Than PTSD
Are Antidepressants Targeting the Wrong Problem? Researcher challenges two widely held beliefs about depression: That it is triggered by stress and that it arises from imbalances in neurotransmitters. Continue reading Are Antidepressants Targeting the Wrong Problem?
Renters Just As Happy As Homeowners Research from the height of the housing boom shows that homeowners are neither happier nor more involved in their communities compared to renters. Continue reading Renters Just As Happy As Homeowners
Stress, Social Activity Affect Demential Risk New research released by the American Academy of Neurologists shows that people who are not easily distressed, sociable and active face a notably lowered risk of dementia. Continue reading Stress, Social Activity Affect Demential Risk
Study Shows Troops Turn to Alcohol After Returning from Combat A new investigation on alcohol misuse by military personnel before and after deployment shows young soldiers and reservists are particularly vulnerable to developing problems with alcohol after returning home from combat. Continue reading Study Shows Troops Turn to Alcohol After Returning from Combat
Meditation Slows HIV Meditation is used to improve a number of health problems including anxiety, depression and pain. Now, new research shows it may even aid in the battle against the progression of HIV. Continue reading Meditation Slows HIV
Debt Stress Increases Physical Health Problems It's no secret that bills can stress us out. But being in debt can also lead to a substantially increased risk of digestive tract issues, depression, migraines and even heart attack, shows a new poll of more than 1000 Americans. Continue reading Debt Stress Increases Physical Health Problems
Bottling Up Feelings May Help with Trauma A new study on 3000 people affected by the events of 9/11 by University of Buffalo researchers shows that people who were not initially communicative about their feelings were coping better two years later than those who were ready to express themselves earlier. Continue reading Bottling Up Feelings May Help with Trauma
Genetic Variation Makes Some More Susceptible to PTSD Not everyone who experiences trauma develops post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to new research, this may be due to genetic differences which make some people more likely to develop the disorder. Continue reading Genetic Variation Makes Some More Susceptible to PTSD
PsychBriefs: February 10-16, 2008 Our weekly wrap-up of news, interesting research, and noteworthy happenings in the worlds of psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Continue reading PsychBriefs: February 10-16, 2008
PTSD Means Long-Term Risk For Physical Disease Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked to a wide range of health problems including diabetes, fibromyalgia and heart disease. Continue reading PTSD Means Long-Term Risk For Physical Disease
9/11 Continues to Impact America's Mental Health Fear of terrorism following the September 11th attacks continues to impact the mental health of American citizens on a micro-level, shows a new study focusing not on New Yorkers, but rather, Midwesterners. Continue reading 9/11 Continues to Impact America's Mental Health
Low-Quality Day Care Means High Stress Levels For Children Leaving home for daycare is often an upsetting experience for young children. However, the quality of child care can make a huge difference as to whether children stay upset or gain new social and linguistic skills while away from home. Continue reading Low-Quality Day Care Means High Stress Levels For Children
PsychBriefs: January 27-February 2, 2008 Our weekly wrap-up of news, interesting research, and noteworthy happenings in the worlds of psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Continue reading PsychBriefs: January 27-February 2, 2008
Brain Damage Study Supports Role of Amygdala in PTSD A psychiatric study of Vietnam veterans shows neurological evidence for the theory that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is related to an increase in activity in the amygdala caused by decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Continue reading Brain Damage Study Supports Role of Amygdala in PTSD
PsychBriefs: December 30, 2007-January 5, 2008 Our weekly wrap-up of news, interesting research, and noteworthy happenings in the worlds of psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Continue reading PsychBriefs: December 30, 2007-January 5, 2008
Exercise Lowers Anxiety and Stress in Menopausal Women Women entering and progressing through menopause have one more piece of information to add to their arsenal. Continue reading Exercise Lowers Anxiety and Stress in Menopausal Women
Weight Control Determined by Emotional Drivers In the October 2007 issue of Obesity, a study by researchers at The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center found that when dieting, emotional eaters lost less weight and regained more than those eating in response to external factors. Continue reading Weight Control Determined by Emotional Drivers
Review of PTSD Therapies Finds Current Research Inadequate The Institute of Medicine has urged Congress to provide funding for adequate, unbiased research on post-traumatic stress disorder after finding inadequate evidence to confirm the effectiveness of most treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Continue reading Review of PTSD Therapies Finds Current Research Inadequate
New Meditation Technique Provides Quick Results Years of meditation training may not be the only road to a Zen state, shows new research on integrative body-mind training (IBMT), a form of meditation developed in the 1990s which aims at producing the effects of traditional Chinese meditation in a relatively short time. Continue reading New Meditation Technique Provides Quick Results
PsychBriefs: October 6-12, 2007 Medication May Treat Alcoholism Topiramate, an anticonvulsant used to control seizures, has been shown to perform better than a placebo in treating alcoholism. Researchers tested 371 alcohol-dependent men and women in a randomized 14-week trial and found th... Continue reading PsychBriefs: October 6-12, 2007
When Giving Up is Good for You We admire those who never give up and teach our children to "try, try again." And with good reason: Reaching one's goals is a key to mental health. However, when it comes to physical health, new biological evidence suggests that giving up may sometimes be ... Continue reading When Giving Up is Good for You
PsychBriefs: September 16-22, 2007 Stressed Women More Likely to Birth Girls A study of 6000 infants and mothers shows that pregnant women with high stress levels are five percent more likely to have girls than relaxed mothers. Researchers suggest that high levels of stress hormones may make... Continue reading PsychBriefs: September 16-22, 2007
PsychBriefs: September 9-15, 2007 Preschoolers Who Sleep Less Suffer Learning Problems Preschoolers who sleep less than ten hours per night are at risk for learning problems when they enter school, shows a six-year study of 1500 Canadian children. Children who regularly underslept before ... Continue reading PsychBriefs: September 9-15, 2007
Work-Family Conflict May Trigger PTSD in Female Soldiers While combat exposure is a recognized trigger for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), new research shows work-family conflicts are also a significant predictor of PTSD in female military personnel. Researchers at the University of Michigan Institute for... Continue reading Work-Family Conflict May Trigger PTSD in Female Soldiers
Child Maltreatment Rates Soar During Military Deployment War deployments place stress on both soldier parents and civilian spouses left behind. However, it is the children who may suffer the most as they both miss and worry about the deployed parent and are affected by the additional stress put on the family, oft... Continue reading Child Maltreatment Rates Soar During Military Deployment
More Teens Engaging in Self-Injury Research published in the August 2007 issue of Psychological Medicine indicates that Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI), the deliberate, direct destruction of body tissue without conscious suicidal intent, has increased among high school students. Led by rese... Continue reading More Teens Engaging in Self-Injury
War Study Sheds Light On Stress and Gender A study on citizens who lived through the Croation war may shed light on differences on how men and women respond to stress and uncertainty. University of Michigan researchers analyzed data on Croatian male and female civilians collected between 1998 and 2... Continue reading War Study Sheds Light On Stress and Gender
Study Focuses On Our Lack Of Focus Does your mind trail from its focus often? Perhaps five, ten percent of the time? More? If you're anything like the students at the University of North Carolina, that number is probably around 30 percent, shows a new study to be published in July's Psycholo... Continue reading Study Focuses On Our Lack Of Focus
Do Angry Women Have Genetics to Blame? Why are some women angrier than others? It may all be in the genes, says a new study by University of Pittsburgh researchers. Prior studies have shown increased serotonin production to be associated with aggression and anger in humans and animals. In this ... Continue reading Do Angry Women Have Genetics to Blame?
For Many, Grieving Process Defies Traditional Model It's taught in medical schools and psychology classrooms around the world: the stage theory of grief which says the grieving process follows five clear stages, beginning with a sense of disbelief or numbness and moving on through anger, bargaining and depre... Continue reading For Many, Grieving Process Defies Traditional Model
Article: Parents' Jobs Stress Children Too The average American work week has increased ten hours in the last 30 years and with this jump has come more stress at home--for parent and child alike, scientists reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association. A study... Continue reading Article: Parents' Jobs Stress Children Too
Article: Why We Stress-Eat Hunger should be the last thing on our minds as we struggle to meet a deadline or argue with loved ones. Mentally taxing situations don't use enough energy to require eating more either. So why then do many of us--particularly those already concerned with w... Continue reading Article: Why We Stress-Eat
Half of Social Workers Experience Secondary PTSD Social workers experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at twice the rate of the general population, shows a new study by University of Georgia assistant professor Brian Bride. Like family members of war veterans and Holocaust survivors, they may ex... Continue reading Half of Social Workers Experience Secondary PTSD
Holding Hands Eases Stress A University of Virginia study of 16 married women who scored high on a marriage-satisfaction inventory showed that simply holding their husband's hand eased both physical sign of stress and their brains' responses to pain. Researchers took magnetic resona... Continue reading Holding Hands Eases Stress
Video Game Fun Rooted in Basic Psychological Needs New video games and cutting-edge consoles freshly unwrapped, millions of gamers are now sitting down with for what most perceive as a bit of post-holiday fun. However, researchers at the University of Rochester in New York report that the motivation to play... Continue reading Video Game Fun Rooted in Basic Psychological Needs
Bonuses--Not Raises--Boost Employee Performance Bosses hoping to motivate employees to work harder may want to trade merit-based raises for performance-based bonuses, suggests a Cornell University study. The four-year study which tracked more than 700 workers found that a 1 percent increase in pay gener... Continue reading Bonuses--Not Raises--Boost Employee Performance
Chronic Stress Alters Neuron Growth New research shows that long-term daily stress actually changes the shape of neurons in the brain, helping to explain the association of prolonged stress with mental illness. Using rats exposed to stressful conditions, scientists found that stressed rats p... Continue reading Chronic Stress Alters Neuron Growth
Yoga for Juvenile Inmates? The young inmates at Alameda County, California's Juvenile Justice Center have been receiving age-old lessons in self-control and relaxation thanks to a novel program that brings yoga to them five times per week for a year. Within just three months, partici... Continue reading Yoga for Juvenile Inmates?
Well-Being Therapy Eases Distress in Schools A study by Italian researchers shows that Well-Being Therapy (WBT), an approach focusing on helping patients' sense of well-being by increasing awareness of positive moments and changing thoughts that disrupt well-being, may have success in schools. One hu... Continue reading Well-Being Therapy Eases Distress in Schools
Article: Dealing with 'Desk-Rage' "Desk-rage," or outbursts of anger at work, are on the rise. In a 2001 survey of workers, 42 percent reported yelling or verbal abuse in their office while 10 percent reported physical violence. Corporate consultants report a growing acceptance of such beh... Continue reading Article: Dealing with 'Desk-Rage'
PTSD Rates Higher in Women An review of 290 studies on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) published in the American Psychological Associations Psychological Bulletin shows that women are about twice as likely than men to meet diagnostic criteria for the disorder. Women were not f... Continue reading PTSD Rates Higher in Women
'Biomarkers' in Blood May Help Army Screen Stressed Recruits With attrition rates of new recruits at 15 percent and the need for soldiers ever-growing, scientists are looking toward stress research to screen U.S. Army recruits for potential problems before they occur. One technique that shows promise is testing for ... Continue reading 'Biomarkers' in Blood May Help Army Screen Stressed Recruits
Survey: Caregiving Takes Toll on Middle-Aged Women An independent poll has found that women age 35 to 54 are less happy than the rest of the population. Only 20 percent described themselves as "very happy" in contrast to 34 percent of other people surveyed. Many of these women cited multiple caregiving rol... Continue reading Survey: Caregiving Takes Toll on Middle-Aged Women
Why Dog Owners Are Happier A British study has found that dogs may keep people happier simply by obliging their owners to get outside and walk them even during bad weather and moods. This act further brings owners into contact with other dog walkers, giving social lives a boost, and... Continue reading Why Dog Owners Are Happier
Happy People Get Sick Less Often Carnegie Mellon psychologist Sheldon Cohen has shown that people who report an abundance of positive emotions in their lives are less likely to develop a cold when exposed to the virus--and report fewer symptoms if they do. Cohen had published a similar pa... Continue reading Happy People Get Sick Less Often
Report: Strains on Mental Health May Undermine Knowledge Economies A report by researcher Rifka Weehuizen of the United Nations University - MERIT suggests that knowledge-based economies may be damaging the so-called mental capital that supports them by placing high demands on workers' abilities to be highly adaptable, sel... Continue reading Report: Strains on Mental Health May Undermine Knowledge Economies
Group Therapy Alleviates Cancer Stress A trial reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows that group therapy including cognitive restructuring, relaxation training and coping skills can help reduce overall stress and cancer-related anxiety in women undergoing treatment for breast cance... Continue reading Group Therapy Alleviates Cancer Stress
Effects of Tsunami Trauma on Adults and Children Researchers studying the mental health of Thai people affected by the 2004 tsunami have found interesting differences between the mental health of children and adults affected by the tragedy. Children were found to be at a key risk for Post-Traumatic Stres... Continue reading Effects of Tsunami Trauma on Adults and Children
Money Can In Fact Buy Happiness, Love A study of jackpot lottery winners by researchers at Britain's University of Nottingham shows that contrary to the old adage, money can in fact buy you happiness. Ninety-seven percent of the winners surveyed reported feeling as happy or happier than they h... Continue reading Money Can In Fact Buy Happiness, Love
What's Everyone So Stressed Out About? Financial Concerns, Obligations Top the List Results of a survey of more than 2700 adults show that 74 percent of people experience stress related to rising prices, 53 percent over not having money for emergencies and 36 percent over paying for basic necessities. Outside of the financial sphere, more... Continue reading What's Everyone So Stressed Out About? Financial Concerns, Obligations Top the List
Study: Mixed Emotions Mean More Creative Workers A study by University of Washington psychologists shows that people who experience emotional ambivalence, the ability to feel both positive and negative emotions at the same time, are more creative workers than those who only feel sad, happy or neutral.That... Continue reading Study: Mixed Emotions Mean More Creative Workers
National Survey: Hispanics Manage Stress Best A national survey released today shows that Hispanic-Americans are most likely to spend time with friends and family or to exercise to relieve stress while engaging in fewer unhealthy coping behaviors such as smoking. The study also found that Hispanic men ... Continue reading National Survey: Hispanics Manage Stress Best
Study: Black Tea Eases Stress A study by University College London researchers published in Psychopharmacology shows that tea-drinkers are able to de-stress more quickly than people drinking a tea substitute and carry less of the stress hormone cortisol in their bloodstreams. Seventy-f... Continue reading Study: Black Tea Eases Stress
Racing Thoughts Lead to Brighter, More Energetic Moods Think fast! ...and you just might end up feeling happier, more energetic and more powerful, according to a study published in the September 2006 issue of Psychological Science. In an experiment by researchers at Princeton University, half of the participa... Continue reading Racing Thoughts Lead to Brighter, More Energetic Moods |
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