Having symptoms of serious depression increases older adults' risk for stroke and heart disease, finds a study out of Paris Descartes University. The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 7,000 older adults, none of whom had a history of heart disease, stroke or dementia. The interviews were conducted at the study's launch and again two years, four years and seven years later. The researchers also tested participants' mental health status, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and asked questions about their medical history and medications. Adults 65 years and older who had high levels of depressive symptoms on one occasion during the study had a 15 percent greater risk for experiencing heart disease or stroke over the 10 years of the study. When depression symptoms were observed on two occasions, it increased to a 32 percent greater risk; three occasions had a 52 percent greater risk; and four occasions had a 75 percent greater risk (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, online Jan. 19opens in new window).
People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, according to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Montpellier in France. The researchers looked at data gathered from more than 10,000 Americans ages 24 to 102. Findings showed that those who reported feeling older than their actual age had a 10 percent to 25 percent increased likelihood of being hospitalized over the next two to 10 years when controlling for age, gender, race and education. Further analysis showed that depression and poorer health might explain the association (Health Psychology, online Feb. 11opens in new window).
The risk of developing dementia appears to be decreasing among people with at least a high school education, finds research by Boston University School of Medicine neurologists. They evaluated the cognitive status of 5,025 people age 60 and older in four time periods beginning in 1977 and found a decline in new dementia cases each decade. The researchers also found that overall, people diagnosed now with the disorder are older than the group diagnosed in the 1970s: 85 years old now versus 80 years old 40 years ago. The decline in new dementia cases occurred only among people who had at least a high school diploma (New England Journal of Medicine, Feb. 11opens in new window).
Affectionate mothering appears to compensate for the effects of maternal depression on infants, finds research led by University of Utah psychologists. The researchers observed 128 mothers who had self-reported symptoms of depression as they engaged in three two-minute face-to-face play episodes with their infants. The researchers collected cortisol samples from the infants before the study began and after each play session. The first play episode required normal play between mother and infant, the second required the mothers to be unresponsive to their infants and in the third episode, mothers were allowed to interact again. Results showed that greater levels of maternal sensitivity, including acceptance, responsiveness and gentle touch, were related to lower levels of cortisol in the infants, compared with situations in which mothers showed less sensitivity (Child Development, January/Februaryopens in new window).
Gradual weight loss from midlife to late life is associated with a greater risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to research conducted at the Mayo Clinic. Investigators studied the medical records of nearly 1,900 men and women age 70 or older and followed them for an average of 4.4 years. They found that participants who developed MCI had a greater average weight loss per decade from midlife than those who remained cognitively normal (–4.4 lbs. vs. –2.6 lbs.). The authors emphasize that it is unclear whether the weight loss was intentional or not (JAMA Neurology, online Feb. 1).
Maternal defense mechanisms influence infant development, according to a study by Wayne State University psychologists. They recruited 84 pregnant women, collecting interview data during the third trimester of pregnancy, at three months postpartum and when children were 1 and 2 years old. Mothers who used mature, healthy and adaptive defenses while pregnant — such as using humor when talking about their pregnancy and positively anticipating the baby's arrival — were more likely to have toddlers with greater attachment security, better social-emotional competence and fewer behavior problems. Moms who used immature defense mechanisms while pregnant — such as projection, devaluation and denial — more often had toddlers who showed signs of attachment insecurity, low levels of social-emotional competence and a greater number of behavior problems (American Journal of Psychiatry, Februaryopens in new window).
Teens are more caring when they feel supported by their social circles, according to research by University of Rochester psychologists. More than 3,500 adolescents rated whether several values, such as "helping those who are less fortunate," "serving my country" and "helping my society" were very important to them, using a five-point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The participants also reported on their relationships with parents, school, peers and the larger community. Results indicated that students who felt they had support from their parents, friends and school had stronger prosocial values (Developmental Psychology, Januaryopens in new window).
Teens take fewer risks around slightly older adults, finds research by Temple University psychologists. The study participants, all 18- to 20-year-old men, were randomly assigned to engage in a computer-based driving game alone, in a group of three same-age peers or in a group of two same-age peers and one slightly older male. The researchers found that drivers who were observed by same-age peers took significantly more risks and showed a stronger preference for immediate rewards than those who completed the task by themselves or in a group that included a slightly older male (Psychological Science, online Jan. 20opens in new window).
Marijuana use before age 16 may adversely alter brain structures that underlie higher-order thinking, according to research conducted at the University of Texas at Dallas. According to self-reports, all 42 participants, ages 21 to 50, began using marijuana during adolescence and continued throughout adulthood, using cannabis at least once a week. Results showed that those who began using the drug at age 16 or younger demonstrated brain variations indicating arrested brain development in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for judgment, reasoning and complex thinking. Those who began using marijuana after age 16 showed brain changes that would normally manifest later in life — thinner cortical thickness and stronger gray and white matter contrast (Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Decemberopens in new window).
An anti-bullying program focused on bystanders helps improve student mental health among those who have been bullied, finds research led by University of California, Los Angeles, psychologists. In the study, 39 elementary schools in Finland implemented the anti-bullying program KiVa, which includes role-playing exercises to increase the empathy of bystanders and computer simulations that encourage students to think about how they would intervene to reduce bullying. In another 38 schools, students only received information about combating bullying. In the schools in which KiVa was implemented, depression was reduced among the 4 percent of sixth-graders who were bullied most frequently (on at least a weekly basis). In those schools, the researchers also found improved self-esteem among the approximately 15 percent of sixth-graders who had been bullied at least a few times per month (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, online Jan. 21opens in new window).
Some lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens experience ongoing discrimination, harassment and assault that can lead to lasting mental health problems, finds research by Northwestern University scientists. In the study of nearly 250 LGBT youth in the Chicago area, 85 percent reported decreasing levels of victimization over four years. However, 10 percent reported significant increases in bullying, and 5 percent reported high levels of victimization during this same period. These youth were also the most likely to report such mental health problems as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (American Journal of Public Health, online Jan. 21opens in new window).
Compulsive Internet use is linked to poorer mental health, according to research conducted at Australian Catholic University. Scientists followed more than 2,000 students from eighth to 11th grade, who completed questionnaires about their mental health, family background and Internet use. Compulsive Internet users — those who reported that they found it difficult to stop using the Internet — were more likely than those who did not report compulsive use to experience mental health issues, such as depression or social anxiety (Developmental Psychology, Februaryopens in new window).
Too much texting at night appears to negatively affect teens' sleep and academic performance, according to a study led by Rutgers University scientists. Researchers distributed surveys about texting habits to three New Jersey high schools and received 1,537 responses. Students who turned off their devices before bed or who messaged for fewer than 30 minutes after lights out performed significantly better in school than those who messaged for more than 30 minutes after lights out. In addition, students who texted longer in the dark also slept fewer hours and were sleepier during the day than those who stopped messaging when they went to bed. Texting before lights out did not affect academic performance, the study found (Journal of Child Neurology, online Jan. 13opens in new window).
Seeing exemplary work by peers can undermine student performance, according to a study by researchers at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. They examined data from a massive open online course with 5,740 participants that included a peer assessment element. Course participants were asked to write an essay and then grade a random sample of their peers' essays. Findings showed that students who were assigned to evaluate exemplary peer essays were much more likely to quit the course than those assigned to read more typical essays (Psychological Science, online Jan. 29opens in new window).
Learning about the struggles of famous scientists may help students succeed in science, finds research conducted at Columbia University's Teachers College. Investigators divided 402 ninth- and 10th-grade students from low-income areas into three groups. The control group read an 800-word typical science textbook description about the great accomplishments of such famous scientists as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. Another group read about those scientists' personal struggles, including Einstein's flight from Nazi Germany to avoid persecution as a Jew. The third group read about the scientists' intellectual struggles, such as Curie's persistence despite failed experiments. At the end of a six-week grading period, students who learned about the scientists' struggles, of either type, had significantly improved their science grades, with low-achievers benefiting the most (Journal of Educational Psychology, online Feb. 11).
Using body mass index (BMI) to gauge a person's health labels more than 54 million heavy Americans as unhealthy when they are not, according to a study led by University of California, Los Angeles, psychologists. The scientists analyzed the link between BMI and several health markers, including blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They found that close to half of the Americans who are categorized as overweight due to their BMIs are healthy by all other health markers, as are 16 percent of Americans who are considered as obese. In addition, more than 30 percent of those with BMIs in the normal range — about 20.7 million people — are unhealthy based on other health data, including blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels (International Journal of Obesity, online Feb. 4opens in new window).
Cluttered kitchens may trigger more snacking, according to research by Cornell University scientists. The authors asked 50 female participants to wait in a cluttered kitchen with scattered piles of papers and dirty dishes, while another 50 waited in an organized, clean kitchen. Participants were also asked to write about a time when they felt particularly in control or particularly out of control. Both kitchens had bowls of cookies, crackers and carrots. Researchers found that the women in the chaotic kitchens who wrote about a time when they experienced an out-of-control mindset ate twice as many cookies as those who waited in the organized kitchen with an in-control mindset (Environment and Behavior, online Feb. 2opens in new window).
Imagining positive outcomes may bring pleasure now but pain later, according to research led by a New York University psychologist. In one experiment, the researchers asked 88 undergraduate students to imagine themselves in 12 different open-ended scenarios and to write down how the scenarios would play out, rating how positive and negative these fantasies were. Students who came up with more positive fantasies had lower scores on a scale measuring depressive symptoms — that is, at that moment, they seemed to be less depressed than their peers. However, when the students completed the scale again one month later, they showed more depressive symptoms compared with students who had imagined negative scenarios (Psychological Science, online Jan. 29opens in new window).
A simple parent feedback video program can improve school readiness among children in poverty, finds a study by researchers at New York University School of Medicine. Investigators randomly assigned 675 parents and their newborns to one of three groups: a group in which parents were videotaped reading aloud and playing with their children during routine checkups and received feedback on the interactions; a group in which parents received monthly newsletters on parenting, along with books and toys for the children; or a control group that received standard pediatric care. The babies in the video group went on to have better attention and play skills as toddlers and reduced hyperactivity and aggression at 3 years old. Furthermore, hyperactivity was reduced by more than half for the highest risk families in that group — those who had experienced violence, homelessness, significant financial hardship or mental illness (Pediatrics, Februaryopens in new window).
Helmet-wearing increases risk-taking, finds a study by University of Bath psychologists. The researchers split 80 participants into two groups: Half wore a bicycle helmet and half wore a baseball cap. The helmet or cap served as the mount for an eye-tracking device. Participants were then asked to inflate an on-screen animated balloon. Each inflation earned participants points, and they were told at any stage they could "bank" their earnings. If a balloon burst, all earnings would be lost. Over 30 trials, the researchers tested each individual's propensity to keep inflating, using this to measure the likelihood of them taking more risks. Compared with those wearing a cap, researchers found that those wearing the helmet took more risks, likely because people feel safer when wearing a helmet (Psychological Science, Februaryopens in new window).
Victimized adolescents are more at risk of thinking about or attempting suicide at age 15 than those who were never victimized, finds a study led by researchers at Douglas Mental Health University Institute. They examined data from a sample of nearly 1,200 children born from 1997 to 1998 who were followed until age 15. Overall, 20 percent of the participants reported being exposed to some sort of victimization by their peers, including being called names, victims of rumors, excluded on purpose, physically attacked or cyberbullied. Adolescents who were chronically victimized during at least two school years were about five times more at risk of thinking about suicide and six times more at risk of attempting suicide at age 15 compared with those who were never victimized (Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatryopens in new window, February).
— Amy Novotney
Generational differences help explain the military's high suicide rate
While suicide rates among soldiers have increased at least 50 percent — from 10.3 per 100,000 service members in 2001 to 32 in 100,000 for those on active duty in 2015 — that may reflect the social pressures on the latest generation of recruits more than the stresses of deployment and combat, a new theory suggests.
An article in Armed Forces and Societyopens in new window proposes that increased suicide in the military has more to do with broad social and demographic trends than with individual factors. In the past few generations, suicide rates have increased among 14- to 24-year-olds. Research suggests higher rates relate to more people born at the same time — which strains families and communities — and a larger percentage of children born to untraditional families, which can make it harder to socially integrate and learn normal behaviors. Values have shifted away from social good and toward material gain, while rates of depression have risen.
These risks are magnified in the military, the authors say. About 85 percent of soldiers are male, and 40 percent are 18 to 24 years old. There are fewer volunteers and of these, more are accepted into the service. They have proportionally more medical waivers and are more likely to have had adverse childhood experiences, which are also associated with a greater risk of suicide.
"In all previous wars, the suicide rate decreased. Today's recruits are likely more vulnerable," says retired Army Col. James Griffith, PhD, of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, who co-authored the article with colleague Craig Bryan, PsyD. The authors recommend that the military take a closer look at sociodemographic trends that may impact behavioral health, and at developing corresponding screening tools. Social cohesion and group identity are protective factors, Griffith says, and emphasizing teamwork may be more effective than focusing on individual resilience for mental health. This could include activities that help establish a group identity, such as learning and repeating pledges that emphasize shared values, and participating in rituals and ceremonies.
— Stacy Lu
