Mistreated children struggle with emotions
According to a meta-analysis study in Psychological Bulletin, adult alexithymia—difficulty identifying and describing one’s emotions—may be linked to childhood maltreatment. Researchers analyzed 78 published studies involving 36,141 participants that reported details of potential child maltreatment and levels of alexithymia in adulthood. Three types of childhood maltreatment—emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and physical neglect—were powerful predictors of alexithymia, high levels of which are associated with psychological disorders, including autism, depression, and schizophrenia. Two other types—sexual and physical abuse—were less strongly related to alexithymia. DOI: 10.1037/bul0000391opens in new window
AI coworkers mean more drinking
According to research in the Journal of Applied Psychology, people working with artificial intelligence (AI) systems can suffer from loneliness and insomnia and drink more heavily after work. In the first of four studies, researchers surveyed 166 engineers at a Taiwanese biomedical company who worked with AI systems about their loneliness, attachment anxiety, and sense of belonging. The engineers’ coworkers rated individual participants on their helpful behaviors, and family members reported on participants’ insomnia and after-work alcohol consumption. Employees with more frequent AI systems interactions were more likely to experience loneliness, insomnia, and increased alcohol consumption after work but also showed some helping behaviors toward fellow employees. The researchers replicated these results in an online study with 214 full-time working adults in the United States and another study with 294 employees at a Malaysian tech company. The fourth study with 126 real estate consultants in an Indonesian property management company resulted in similar findings except for the connection between AI interactions and alcohol consumption. DOI: 10.1037/apl0001103opens in new window
Suicidality in LGBTQ+ youth
When LGBTQ+ youth experience minority-related stressors, their suicidality intensifies that same day, suggests research in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. Researchers asked LGBTQ+ youth ages 12 to 19 in the United States to fill out daily diaries. Of 92 participants, 91% identified as a sexual minority and 33% as a gender minority. All participants reported experiencing at least two stressors related to their minority status in the past 28 days. Internal and external stressors related to minority status were tied to same-day increases in the intensity of suicidal thoughts and self-harm ideation. These stressors were also associated with same-day negative affect and difficulties regulating emotions. Plurisexual individuals—those attracted to multiple genders—and those questioning their sexual orientation reported higher levels of nonsuicidal self-injury ideation. Older participants were more likely to experience suicidality and ideation. DOI: 10.1037/abn0000813opens in new window
Reproductive disorders and mental health
Women with reproductive disorders are 2 to 3 times more likely to have one or more psychiatric disorders, according to a meta-analysis study in JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzed 81 studies involving women ages 13 to 55, published between 1980 and 2019. These studies evaluated the prevalence of mental health disorders among females with genital tract dysfunction, and reproductive disorders among women with mental dysfunction. The diagnosis of reproductive disorders was related to a 2- to 3-fold increase in the probability of having one or more psychiatric disorders compared with controls. Polycystic ovary syndrome was related to a 1.7- to 2.6-fold increase in the likelihood of depression. Similar results were observed for anxiety. In addition, chronic-type pelvic pain was related to a 2.3-fold increased risk of anxiety and a 3.9-fold increased risk of depression. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.8685opens in new window
Fried food fries mental health
Research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that frequent consumption of fried foods is strongly associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depression, likely because of the lipid metabolism disturbance and neuroinflammation brought on by contaminants including acrylamide. Researchers surveyed 140,728 participants in China about their mental health and their eating habits. They found that frequent fried food consumption, especially french fry consumption, is strongly associated with a 12% and 7% higher risk of anxiety and depression, respectively. The associations were more pronounced among male and younger consumers. The researchers then demonstrated in zebrafish studies that long-term exposure to acrylamide, a common contaminant found in fried food, induces anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors via oxidative stress-mediated neuroinflammation and disordered lipid metabolism in the animals’ brains. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221097120opens in new window
Unintended fentanyl use
A study in the International Journal of Drug Policy indicates that more than 4 in 5 people who inject drugs test positive for fentanyl, though only 1 in 5 intend to take it. Researchers surveyed 313 people who injected drugs in the United States between 2021 and 2022 about their drug use, including whether they had used fentanyl intentionally in the previous month, and their experience with overdoses. All survey participants underwent drug testing for fentanyl, heroin, other opioids, and stimulants. Toxicology results revealed widespread use of fentanyl, with 83% of participants testing positive for it. However, only 18% reported recently using fentanyl intentionally; most reported using heroin instead. Nearly one quarter of participants had overdosed at least once in the previous 6 months, with 36% of those who intentionally used fentanyl experiencing a recent overdose, compared with 21% of those who reported not using fentanyl but still tested positive for it. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104063opens in new window
Psychiatric disorders tied to teen cannabis use
According to a study in JAMA Network Open, teens who use cannabis recreationally are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders, such as depression and suicidality, than teens who don’t use cannabis at all. Researchers analyzed responses about mental health and cannabis use from a representative sample of 68,263 adolescents in the United States between the ages of 12 to 17. They found that about 1 in 10 participants were casual cannabis users, and roughly 1 in 40 met the criteria for cannabis addiction. Casual cannabis users were 2 to 2.5 times more likely to have adverse mental health outcomes and behavioral problems, including major depression, suicidal ideation, low grade point average, difficulty concentrating, fighting, aggression, and arrest, compared with teens who didn’t use any cannabis. Teens addicted to cannabis were 3.5 to 4.5 times more likely to have these issues. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11294opens in new window
Deep sleep may protect against Alzheimer's
A study in BMC Medicine suggests that deep sleep might protect against memory loss in older adults facing a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers in the United States recruited 62 healthy adults with an average age of 75 who were not diagnosed with dementia to sleep in a lab while their brain waves were measured with electroencephalography. The researchers also used positron emission tomography scans to measure deposits in the participants’ brains of the protein beta-amyloid, high levels of which are associated with Alzheimer’s. Half of the participants had high amounts of amyloid deposits; the other half did not. After they slept, the participants completed a memory task involving matching names to faces. Those with high amounts of beta-amyloid deposits in their brain who also experienced deeper sleep performed better on the memory test than those with the same amount of deposits but whose sleep was worse. In the group without beta-amyloid deposits, deep sleep had no additional supportive effect on memory. DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-02811-zopens in new window
Biomarker for suicide risk in PTSD
A study in the Journal of Affective Disorders indicates that a biomarker in the brain could help identify people at higher risk of suicide. Researchers performed resting fMRI scans of the brains of 73 post-9/11 veterans exposed to trauma. They then zeroed in on participants who reported a suicide attempt at a 1- to 2-year follow-up assessment but had not reported any prior attempts. They examined brain connectivity before and after the suicide attempt and compared it with a matched control group of veterans with equivalent symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but no reported suicide attempts. The comparison revealed that brain connectivity between cognitive control (adjusting behavior to achieve a specific goal) and self-referential processing (reflecting on previous or future activities) networks was dysregulated in veterans in the suicide attempt group. Critically, this dysfunctional connection between the two brain networks was present both before and after the attempt, suggesting that the connectivity marker could indicate which individuals are at risk of attempting suicide. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.061opens in new window
Brain stimulation boosts memory
A study in Nature Neuroscience indicates that synchronizing the firing of neurons in the medial temporal lobe and neocortex through electrical stimulation improves memory consolidation. Researchers recruited 18 U.S. epilepsy patients for a 2-night study. These participants were already participating in a 10-day-long seizure monitoring session, for which researchers had implanted electrodes in their brains. Before bedtime on the first night, the patients were shown photo pairings of animals and celebrities and then tested on their recall. The same test was conducted following a night of undisturbed sleep. The participants were shown a new set of animal and celebrity pairings on the second night. This time, as they entered the deep sleep phase associated with memory consolidation, they received electrical stimulation meant to synchronize hippocampal and neocortical neuron firing. The result was increased recall the next morning compared with the morning after no night-time stimulation. However, participants who received stimulation in other neocortical regions or stimulation that wasn’t synchronized showed mixed results or even worse performance. DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01324-5opens in new window
Share, but don't steal, the spotlight
Relating to someone else’s story with a similar one is often appreciated, provided your news is about comparable accomplishments, similar downfalls, or worse tragedies, suggests research in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Across four studies, researchers examined more than 2,600 conversations on Reddit, Facebook, text messages, and other settings to learn how people use and perceive reciprocal self-disclosure across various contexts, focusing primarily on positive-versus-negative and similar-versus-more-extreme stories. They found that people were reluctant to reciprocally self-disclose because they didn’t want to steal another person’s spotlight. However, people felt validated, listened to, and appreciated when respondents reciprocally shared similar experiences. People hated hearing reciprocal self-disclosures that revealed more impressive accomplishments. They did, though, appreciate disclosures about equal or more extreme negative experiences. Additionally, the researchers found that the need for privacy, the gender of the respondent, and closeness predicted whether respondents used reciprocal self-disclosure but not whether recipients appreciated reciprocal self-disclosure. DOI: 10.1177/02654075231174530opens in new window
The illusion of moral decay
Around the world, people believe that society is less moral now than it used to be, according to a study in Nature. Researchers examined 12,492,983 surveys administered to people in 60 countries between 1949 and 2021. Their findings indicate that people have perceived a decay in society’s morals for at least 70 years. In general, respondents estimated that moral decline began around the time they were born, regardless of when that was. However, when asked to cite specific examples that illustrate moral lapses, few respondents could point to any. The researchers suggest this perception of moral decay may arise from the consumption of negative news and the scientifically documented phenomenon of negative memories fading faster than positive ones, which can lead people to believe that past morality was higher than in the present. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06137-xopens in new window
More youth anxiety, less therapy
According to a study in Pediatrics, young people are increasingly diagnosed with anxiety, for which they are prescribed medication but not talk therapy. Researchers analyzed data from 46.4 million pediatric office visits for patients in the United States over three periods (2006–09, 2010–13, and 2014–18). The proportion of adolescent (ages 12 to 17) office visits resulting in the diagnosis of anxiety increased from 1.4% in 2006–09 to 4.2% in 2014–18. Similar rates of increase were seen in children (ages 4 to 11) and young adults (ages 18 to 24). Of the individuals diagnosed with anxiety, those receiving any form of counseling therapy as recommended by their primary care pediatrician decreased from 48.8% to 32.6% between the first and third periods. However, the proportion of anxiety medications prescribed during these visits for those diagnosed with anxiety remained steady over time at about 60%. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-059416opens in new window
Characterizing phishing scam victims
Young, impulsive, extroverted, and agreeable people are more susceptible to phishing scams than others, suggests research in Applied Cognitive Psychology. Researchers used an online survey of 1,000 participants to investigate how factors such as users’ experience with phishing, age, deficient self-regulation, and personality impacted their ability to differentiate between legitimate emails and those containing phishing scams. Overall, participants correctly classified 72% of the emails. As expected, participants who scored higher on measures of phishing awareness were better at distinguishing between phishing and legitimate emails. Participants with poor self-control and impulsive tendencies were more likely to misclassify phishing emails as legitimate, as were younger participants—ages 18 to 29—and those who scored higher on scales of extroversion and agreeableness. DOI: 10.1002/acp.4075opens in new window
Insignificance fuels obsession
When people feel a loss of significance, they become more obsessed with their romantic partners, and this obsessiveness is associated with a greater willingness to engage in extreme behaviors, suggests research in Personal Relationships. Across three studies, researchers surveyed 732 Italian adults currently in relationships about their feelings of insignificance, obsessive and harmonious feelings toward their partner, willingness to make sacrifices to maintain the relationship, and obsessive intrusive behaviors like invading their partner’s privacy. They found that participants who felt insignificant were more likely to harbor an obsessive fixation on their partner but less likely to harbor harmonious feelings. Furthermore, only obsessiveness was associated with a greater readiness to self-sacrifice for the relationship. DOI: 10.1111/pere.12506opens in new window
Not so ‘smart’?
Cognitive enhancers, often called “smart” drugs, might actually impair accuracy and efficiency in neurotypical individuals, indicates research in Science Advances. In four double-blinded, randomized trials, researchers gave 40 neurotypical participants in Australia a popular smart drug, such as methylphenidate, modafinil, or dextroamphetamine, or a placebo. The participants then engaged in the complex task of efficiently packing a knapsack. Overall, participants taking the drugs had higher motivation but somewhat lower accuracy and efficiency relative to their results when not taking the drugs. Participants who performed at a higher level in the placebo condition compared with the rest of the group showed a bigger dip in performance and productivity after receiving a drug. By contrast, participants who had a lower performance in a placebo condition only very occasionally exhibited a slight improvement after taking a drug. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add4165opens in new window
Lying flat
According to a study in BMC Psychology, young people who choose to live a minimalist lifestyle and reject the pressures of society—a philosophy called “lying flat”—tend to believe they can be happy without being involved in romantic relationships. Researchers surveying 232 Malaysian adults between 18 and 24 found that those with positive feelings toward lying flatism were also more likely to agree with statements like “I believe that I can have a full and happy life without a romantic relationship.” Those who endorsed this belief, in turn, were more likely to agree with statements such as “I feel happy when I am single.” In addition, the researchers found that compared with their male counterparts, young women had fewer biases against single people, had less fear of being single, held stronger beliefs that happiness could exist without romantic relationships, and displayed more positive attitudes toward singlehood. DOI: 10.1186/s40359-023-01187-2opens in new window
Animal-assisted therapy helps BPD patients
Patients with borderline personality disorder can benefit from animal-assisted psychotherapy, suggests research in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Researchers divided 40 patients from an inpatient hospital in Germany into two groups: a group that received therapy sessions led by human therapists but involved interactions with animals and a group engaged in therapy sessions led by human therapists. Sessions were conducted over 6 weeks. The researchers found that both therapeutic interventions significantly reduced cortisol levels over baseline levels as measured by saliva tests throughout the study. In addition, self-reported symptom severity, impulsivity, fear of compassion, and alexithymia decreased compared with baseline for patients in both groups. Oxytocin levels increased for both groups but not significantly. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.05.004opens in new window
