Feature Channels: Behavioral Science

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28-Aug-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Prior Mental Health Diagnosis Not Often a Factor for Soldiers Who Attempt Suicide
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Regardless of whether or not they have had a prior mental health diagnosis, risk factors were still similar among soldiers who attempted suicide, according to a new JAMA Psychiatry study published Aug. 29.

Released: 29-Aug-2018 10:05 AM EDT
Celebrity Culture Likely Contributed to Destigmatizing Out-of-Wedlock Childbirth
University at Buffalo

In 1992, former Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the sitcom character Murphy Brown's decision to have a child out of wedlock. That ignited discussions that continue today about whether celebrities might be contributing to the demise of the nuclear family, yet 40 years of data from one reputable celebrity news source suggests that celebrities in fact have fewer out-of-wedlock childbirths compared to the rest of the U.S. population.

Released: 29-Aug-2018 7:00 AM EDT
Gum Disease Treatment May Improve Symptoms in Cirrhosis Patients
American Physiological Society (APS)

Routine oral care to treat gum disease (periodontitis) may play a role in reducing inflammation and toxins in the blood (endotoxemia) and improving cognitive function in people with liver cirrhosis. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.

Released: 28-Aug-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Tree swallow study: Stressful events have long-term health impacts
Cornell University

Little is known about how brief yet acute stressors – such as war, natural disasters and terror attacks – affect those exposed to them, though human experience suggests they have long-term impacts. Two recent studies of tree swallows uncover long-term consequences of such passing but major stressful events. Both studies provide information on how major stressful events have lasting effects and why some individuals are more susceptible to those impacts than others.

   
Released: 28-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Close Ties with Fathers Help Daughters Overcome Loneliness
Ohio State University

Fathers play a key role in helping their young daughters overcome loneliness, a new study has found.

Released: 28-Aug-2018 10:05 AM EDT
S&T Develops the First Line of Defense Against Acts of Targeted Violence
Homeland Security's Science And Technology Directorate

Since 2010, the U.S. government has invested more than $20 million into understanding all forms of radicalization to violence, as well as effective prevention and intervention measures. Federal agencies such as the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) are at the forefront of this work.

Released: 28-Aug-2018 10:00 AM EDT
UNH Researchers Find Chaos at Home Can Adversely Affect Adolescents
University of New Hampshire

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that youth living in chaotic households, characterized by confusion, disorganization and lack of routines, were more likely to be depressed, have poorer physical health and engage in problematic substance use.

   
Released: 28-Aug-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Boys Town National Research Hospital Helps Target Behavioral Interventions for Aggressive Youth
Boys Town National Research Hospital

Across the county, many adolescents struggle with disruptive behavior ranging from aggression or rage toward others to outbursts in the classroom. These behaviors appear similar, but a recent brain-imaging study at Boys Town National Research Hospital suggests a youth's prior exposure to abuse or neglect may impact the way that youth emotionally responds to the pain of others.

23-Aug-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Researchers Reveal How Gene Variant Is Linked to Chronic Pain After Traumatic Injury
University of North Carolina School of Medicine

In 2013, UNC School of Medicine researchers were first to show an association between variants in gene FKBP5 and posttraumatic chronic pain. Now a new study by the same research group has confirmed this association in a cohort of more than 1,500 people of both European American and African American descent who experienced motor vehicle collision trauma.

Released: 27-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Study Finds 1 in 12 Children Taking Multiple Medications at Risk
University of Illinois Chicago

About one in five children regularly use prescription medications, and nearly one in 12 of those children are at risk for experiencing a harmful drug-drug interaction. Adolescent girls are at highest risk.

Released: 27-Aug-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Diet Has Bigger Impact on Emotional Well-Being in Women Than in Men
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Women may need a more nutrient-rich diet to support a positive emotional well-being, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University at New York.

   
22-Aug-2018 12:30 PM EDT
Even Toddlers Care What Others Think
American Psychological Association (APA)

By the time toddlers are forming two-word sentences, they are already aware that they may be judged by others, behavior that previously wasn’t believed to emerge until years later, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Released: 27-Aug-2018 8:00 AM EDT
How We Judge Personality from Faces Depends on Our Pre-Existing Beliefs About How Personality Works
New York University

We make snap judgments of others based not only on their facial appearance, but also on our pre-existing beliefs about how others’ personalities work.

   
Released: 23-Aug-2018 4:05 PM EDT
Terry Bradshaw Encourages Patients to “Take the Pledge to Live Well” in New PSA about Rheumatic Disease
American College of Rheumatology (ACR)

This September, Sports Broadcaster Terry Bradshaw is teaming up once again with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) to share important information about rheumatic diseases in a new public service announcement (PSA) airing nationwide this fall.

   
20-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Embargoed AJPH research: Long gun age restrictions, social media bots and anti-vaccine conversations, smoke-free colleges, opioid policies, drinking water
American Public Health Association (APHA)

In this issue, find research on school shootings and long gun age restrictions, Russian anti-vaccine trolls, smoke-free colleges and more.

   
Released: 23-Aug-2018 9:00 AM EDT
Children Take Longer to Learn Two Languages At Once Compared to Just One – Don’t Fret
Florida Atlantic University

Bilingual children from immigrant families are not two monolinguals in one. They develop each language at a slower pace because their learning is spread across two languages. A researcher shows strong evidence that the rate of language growth is influenced by the quantity of language input. She challenges the belief, held in and out of scientific circles that children are linguistic sponges who quickly absorb the language or languages they hear and become proficient speakers of both languages.

Released: 22-Aug-2018 5:05 PM EDT
Latinos Need a Disaggregated Approach to Health Care
Washington University in St. Louis

Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States, representing 16.3 percent of the population and growing — coming from more than 25 countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.Each Latino group has a unique sociopolitical history and different demographic, socioeconomic, acculturation and settlement patterns that contribute to within-group variations in their health outcomes.

   
Released: 22-Aug-2018 1:05 PM EDT
New Book: Entertainment Media Shape Our Politics More Than We Know
University of Vermont

A new book argues that entertainment media like Game of Thrones shape our beliefs, in way we aren't aware of, about social justice, crime and terrorism, tolerance and diversity, the benefits or dangers of technology, and the characteristics of leadership. The author, a political science professor at the University of Vermont, based his conclusions on 13 separate studies and experiments.

Released: 22-Aug-2018 12:45 PM EDT
APA Launches Video on Race-Related Stress
American Psychological Association (APA)

The American Psychological Association has produced a video entitled “Racism in America” aimed at promoting dialogue on the complex issues associated with race-related stress.

Released: 22-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Resource Scarcity Increases Support for Death Penalty
Arizona State University (ASU)

ASU psychologists and legal scholars have identified a novel influence for death penalty beliefs: the availability of resources in the environment. Most research on death penalty attitudes focuses on cultural, political or religious influences. A series of four experiments using archival and experimental methods consistently found actual and perceived resource availability in the environment predicted the endorsement of the death penalty.

Released: 21-Aug-2018 5:05 PM EDT
Standard Hypothyroidism Treatment Falling Short
RUSH

A research team headed by Elizabeth McAninch, MD, a assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, found higher cholesterol levels in the blood of hypothyroid patients treated with appropriate doses of levothyroxine (LT4)—a synthetic version of the human thyroid hormone that is the standard treatment for hypothyroidism—than in healthy control subjects.

Released: 21-Aug-2018 9:55 AM EDT
NYU Researchers Awarded $6.3 Million NIH Grant to Create Video Data Library of Infants and Mothers at Play
New York University

The National Institutes of Health announced a $6,341,419 grant to support the Play and Learning Across a Year (PLAY) project— a large-scale, sharable, searchable, fully transcribed, annotated, and curated corpus of video data of human behavior.

Released: 21-Aug-2018 9:00 AM EDT
CEOs paid less than peers more likely to engage in layoffs, research finds
Binghamton University, State University of New York

CEOs who are paid less than their peers are four times more likely to engage in layoffs, according to research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

   
Released: 20-Aug-2018 10:05 AM EDT
National Grief Study Launched to Help Military Families Manage Loss of a Loved One
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Participants are now being sought for a new study, Stepping Forward in Grief, which was motivated by key findings from USU’s National Military Family Bereavement Study (NMFBS), the first large scientific study on the impact of U.S. service member death on surviving family members. NMFBS findings suggest that surviving family members who have experienced the loss of a service member may benefit from help managing their loss and grief with programs that recognize their unique experience as military family members.

Released: 20-Aug-2018 9:00 AM EDT
In Teen Friendships, Misery Does Love Company
Florida Atlantic University

A study examined anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and submissiveness to predict the end of teen friendships. Do friendships end because of one child’s mental health problems or do they end because of differences between friends on the degree to which each friend suffers from these problems? A key finding shows that children’s personal struggles need not adversely impact their social relationships, and mental health issues do not necessarily ruin their chances of making and maintaining worthwhile friendships.

   
15-Aug-2018 1:30 PM EDT
Teens Today Spend More Time on Digital Media, Less Time Reading
American Psychological Association (APA)

If you can’t remember the last time you saw a teenager reading a book, newspaper or magazine, you’re not alone. In recent years, less than 20 percent of U.S. teens report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure, while more than 80 percent say they use social media every day, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Released: 20-Aug-2018 8:05 AM EDT
WVU warns parents about dissident fraternities
West Virginia University

Concerned about an unfolding effort on the part of several fraternities to withdraw from West Virginia University governance, President Gordon Gee sent a letter Sunday to all students’ parents decrying the actions and warning that joining these organizations should not be an option for their students.

Released: 20-Aug-2018 8:00 AM EDT
More Women Running for Political Office May Hurt Chances for Down-Ballot Candidates
Iowa State University

Gender stereotypes and biases still influence voters, especially in elections with more than one woman on the ballot, according to new research from Iowa State University. Researchers found gender had the greatest effect on down-ballot races.

14-Aug-2018 4:05 PM EDT
Alcohol Use Disorders Have Long-Term Effects on Brain Structure and Cognitive Function
Research Society on Alcoholism

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are known to adversely impact brain structure and function. Although recovery of brain morphology and function has been reported following abstinence from long-term alcohol use, some structural (e.g., brain area volumes and connections) and functional (e.g., cognitive) abnormalities due to long-term effects of AUDs may persist even after abstinence from alcohol. To further our understanding, scientists assessed the consequences of long-term alcohol use on brain circuitry, structural impairment patterns, and the impact of these impairments on cognitive function among individuals with AUDs who were abstinent.

     
14-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Language Acquisition in Toddlers Improved by Predictable Situations
Arizona State University (ASU)

Two year-old children were taught novel words in predictable and unpredictable situations. Children learned words significantly better in predictable situations.

16-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
YouTube is Source of Misinformation on Plastic Surgery, Rutgers Study Finds
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

The first study to evaluate videos on facial plastic surgery procedures finds most are misleading

Released: 15-Aug-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Prenatal Exposure to Violence Leads to Increased Toddler Aggression Toward Mothers, Study Finds
University of Notre Dame

Babies whose mothers experience interpersonal violence during pregnancy are more likely to exhibit aggression and defiance toward their mothers in toddlerhood, according to new research by Laura Miller-Graff and Jennifer Burke Lefever.

   
Released: 15-Aug-2018 12:05 PM EDT
When Lying Helps, and When It Hurts
University of Chicago Booth School of Business

If you think you’re helping someone by lying, you may want to think again. Telling a lie in order to help or protect someone—a practice known as prosocial lying—backfires if the person being lied to perceives the lie as paternalistic, according to new research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Released: 15-Aug-2018 8:05 AM EDT
How Ugly Marital Spats Might Open the Door to Disease
Ohio State University

Married people who fight nastily are more likely to suffer from leaky guts – a problem that unleashes bacteria into the blood and can drive up disease-causing inflammation, new research suggests.

Released: 15-Aug-2018 8:00 AM EDT
Research Shows More Seniors Are Happy Despite Cognitive Decline
University of Kentucky

A new study, authored by Anthony Bardo and Scott Lynch, examines "cognitive life expectancy." What exactly does that term mean? Bardo, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky, describes "cognitive life expectancy" as how long older adults live with good versus declining brain health.

   
Released: 14-Aug-2018 2:05 PM EDT
A Re-Evaluation of Resilience in Adults
Arizona State University (ASU)

Research on how adults deal with adversity has been dominated by studies claiming the most common response is uninterrupted and stable psychological functioning. In other words, this research suggests that most adults are essentially unfazed by major life events such as spousal loss or divorce. These provocative findings have also received widespread attention in the popular press and media.

Released: 14-Aug-2018 2:05 PM EDT
Tabak receives $3.3 million NIH grant to study obesity in young mothers
Washington University in St. Louis

Young mothers are facing obesity and chronic disease at epidemic proportions, and Washington University in St. Louis researchers will use a new grant to test alternatives for prevention and intervention.Rachel Tabak, research associate professor at the Brown School, has received a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study ways to prevent weight gain and chronic disease among mothers age 18-35.

   
Released: 14-Aug-2018 1:05 PM EDT
Experts Recommend Talking with Youth about Suicide
Nationwide Children's Hospital

According to suicide prevention experts, asking a child directly about suicidal thoughts is usually the best thing a parent can do to help their child open up about their emotions. Even if their child is not struggling with suicide or depression, parents can model for their child that it is good to talk about serious emotional concerns with trusted adults and important to reach out to friends to have these conversations, too.

Released: 14-Aug-2018 6:05 AM EDT
Mixing Energy Drinks with Alcohol Could Enhance the Negative Effects of Binge Drinking
University of Portsmouth

A key ingredient of energy drinks could be exacerbating some of the negative effects of binge drinking according to a new study.

   
Released: 13-Aug-2018 12:00 PM EDT
Are U.S. Cities Getting More or Less Violent? New Database Offers Mixed, But Optimistic, Picture
New York University

Violence has fallen in nearly all major U.S. cities since 1991. However, recent fluctuations in violence in selected cities point to temporary disruptions in this 17-year decline.

Released: 13-Aug-2018 10:35 AM EDT
Positive coping strategy in Islam linked with less depression, anxiety from spiritual struggles
Case Western Reserve University

Adopting an Islamic concept of coping with spiritual struggles, known as “spiritual jihad,” is associated with post-traumatic growth and virtuous behaviors—and related to reductions in anxiety and depression, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study published in the journal Religions.

9-Aug-2018 6:05 AM EDT
Liquor Stores are Linked to a Higher Number of Neighborhood Pedestrian Injuries
Research Society on Alcoholism

Pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the U.S. have steadily increased during recent years. In 2015, 5,376 pedestrians were killed and 70,000 injured. Prior research showed an association between the number of neighborhood alcohol stores and risk of pedestrian injury. However, it is unclear whether this was because alcohol stores were located in dense retail areas with already-heavy pedestrian traffic, or whether alcohol stores pose a unique neighborhood risk. This study compared the number of pedestrian injuries that occur near alcohol stores to those that occur near similar retail stores that do not sell alcohol.

     
10-Aug-2018 11:05 AM EDT
Black Male Youth More Fearful When Visiting Whiter Neighborhoods
Ohio State University

Young black males feel less safe when they go to neighborhoods with a larger white population than occurs in areas they normally visit, a new study suggests.

1-Aug-2018 3:05 PM EDT
Rude to Your Coworker? Think of the Children
American Psychological Association (APA)

Incivility in the workplace associated with more negative parenting behaviors at home, study says

   
1-Aug-2018 3:35 PM EDT
Depressed Teens, Depressed Parents
American Psychological Association (APA)

The bond between parent and child extends far beyond sharing similar looks or behaviors, as symptoms of depression in teens and parents appear to be linked, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

   
1-Aug-2018 3:05 PM EDT
Dealing with Digital Distraction
American Psychological Association (APA)

Being ever-connected comes at a cost, studies find

   


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