Life News (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

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University of Notre Dame assistant professor of sociology Steven Alvarado used 35 years of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth from 1979 to 2014 to study what happened when multiple generations of Black, white and Latino families lived on one side of the tracks versus the other. He and his co-author found that Black families — regardless of where they lived — still ended up in similar economic circumstances as they moved into adulthood and entered the workforce. 

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New research from the Georgia Institute of Technology used data from the employee review website Glassdoor to determine what made remote work successful. Companies that catered to employees’ interests, gave employees independence, fostered collaboration, and had flexible policies were most likely to have strong remote workplaces.

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The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) launched its “Clean First Steps: A Guide for New Parents” toolkit, providing easy-to-understand tips and guidance on adjusting moms’ and dads’ cleaning routines to welcome a new addition to the family.

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A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals that household and community poverty may influence brain health in children. Childhood obesity and lower cognitive function may explain, at least partially, poverty’s influence on the brain.

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Parental supply of alcohol is a relatively common practice in Australia, believed by some parents to be an effective means of teaching their children to drink responsibly. New research shows that family and peer factors each play a role in the development of excessive and risky drinking in early adulthood and associated harms. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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One in four Americans live with a disability, which is associated with stigma and disparities in health care. New research examined differences in alcohol use by disability status and types of disability, and found a need for a range of accommodations in alcohol treatment and recovery services – including technology-based options. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states expanded online alcohol sales and alcohol home delivery laws. One of the first U.S. studies of the impact on adults of home delivery of alcohol during the early months of the pandemic found significantly more alcohol consumption and binge drinking among those who obtained their alcohol through home delivery than those who did not. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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Laughter and humour are potent tools that can significantly impact our wellbeing, according to research conducted by the University of Warwick.

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A sense of purpose in life — whether it’s a high-minded quest to make a difference or a simple hobby with personal meaning — can offer potent protection against loneliness, according to a new study co-authored by Patrick Hill, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Evidence suggests maternal incarceration is a risk factor for adolescents’ depression and withdrawal, as well as substance abuse and delinquency. However, little work has been done to understand how it affects sleep patterns, dietary behaviors and physical activity.

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Do you know someone who knows someone? We have all played this game, often to be amazed that despite the extreme scale of human society, random people can be linked through very small chains of acquaintances -- typically, around six. Recently, a group of researchers from across the globe discovered that this magic of six degrees can be explained mathematically. The intriguing phenomenon, they show, is linked to another social experience we all know too well -- the struggle of cost vs. benefit in establishing new social ties.

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People can be prone to believe in conspiracy theories due to a combination of personality traits and motivations, including relying strongly on their intuition, feeling a sense of antagonism and superiority toward others, and perceiving threats in their environment, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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Experiencing and sharing emotions is a fundamental human experience. Empathy is the ability to understand another’s perspective and share their emotions. Recent research has found that empathy can help adolescents reduce their substance use. These results will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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Emerging adults – those aged 18 to 24 years –who experience pain are more likely to engage in high-risk patterns of alcohol use such as binge drinking. Anxiety caused by pain may be what motivates unhealthy coping strategies such as excessive drinking as a form of escape/avoidance. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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Hangovers are common among people who drink alcohol. Previous research showing that a hangover’s combination of both mental and physical misery can occur after a single episode of alcohol consumption also revealed that a rapid breakdown of alcohol into acetaldehyde is associated with less severe hangovers. Findings from an investigation of the metabolic influence of oral microbiota on hangover severity will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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Alcohol craving is associated with relapse following alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. A new study is the first to examine how distinct experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination contribute to elevated alcohol craving. Findings will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder marked by neuropsychological deficits and neurocircuitry brain damage that can lead to serious negative consequences for family, work, and personal well-being. Researchers will share their published findings on the adverse effects of AUD on the brain and its interaction with aging and postural instability at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

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New research reveals when the candidate field is crowded, voters are more likely to sit out than turnout.

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The College of Social Work (CoSW) at the University of Kentucky will be the new home for the Child Well-Being Research Institute, which houses the Child Well-Being Research Network (CWRN). The national network was previously housed by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where it was launched in 2010.

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Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to socialize and have a stronger sense of community, report researchers at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.

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New research by an international team of researchers sheds light on the challenges and opportunities facing the African continent in securing sufficient food supplies with a particular focus on rice.

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At a time when LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly the subject of public discussion, it is important to consider the effect on those who share an affinity with that community. Rensselaer researchers Billur Aksoy and Ian Chadd have conducted an experiment to determine whether individuals strategically mask signals about their affinity with the LGBTQ+ community in response to anticipated discrimination.

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Adolescent rats exposed to alcohol vapor experience persistent sleep disruption after withdrawal, as measured by Fitbit-like tracking devices, a new study has shown. The findings, published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, provide insight into the relationship between sleep disturbance and heavy drinking in humans. Although adolescents and young adults may be particularly affected by sleep disturbances associated with drinking, little is known about that connection or its mechanisms. Plausibly, the link between disrupted circadian rhythm and substance use may operate in both directions; for example, irregular sleep cycles, including daytime sleepiness, have been implicated in teen substance use. Daytime sleepiness and disrupted activity in humans can be measured using wearable tracking devices, complementing EEG metrics taken at night.

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New research shows that drinkers with alcohol use disorder display the same level of fine motor and cognitive impairment as light drinkers when consuming their usual excessive amount.

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People who have a pattern of heavy drinking showed less impairment than light drinkers after drinking similar amounts of alcohol — yet this difference depends largely on how much time has elapsed after drinking and may only be evident at moderate intoxication. A study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that people who exceed drinking an amount of alcohol that is typical for them showed substantial impairment. And, when heavy drinkers and lighter drinkers were similarly impaired, the heavy drinkers perceived themselves to be less impaired, which may lead to risky decisions.

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Philadelphia work commuters and vacationers heading to the City of Brotherly Love or the Jersey shore are nearly a week into grappling with and sitting in stand-still traffic after a tanker truck fire collapsed part of a I-95 bridge in the northern part of the city. The fire also heavily damaged the southbound lane of I-95. How all this stress and time-waste affects commuters and their workday performance and/or their behavior at home after the commute is part of larger phenomenon that psychologists call “commuting spillover.

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Changes in alcohol consumption tend to accompany changes in symptoms of depression, according to a study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

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Having a sleep disorder is linked to an increased risk of suicidal ideation in kids, teens and young adults, University of Oregon research finds.

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On June 22 at 12:00 p.m. EDT, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions will host a webinar with lead researcher and Center co-director Cassandra Crifasi, PhD, MPH, to discuss new findings from the Johns Hopkins National Survey of Gun Policy, a public opinion survey that has tracked Americans’ support of gun policies every two years since 2013.

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Children who receive high-quality child care as babies, toddlers and preschoolers do better in science, technology, engineering and math through high school, and that link is stronger among children from low-income backgrounds, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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As Chula Zero Waste targets behavioral change, the program works to encourage all to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic daily to reduce waste that pollutes the environment.

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Nicole M. Mitchell, Cedars-Sinai’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, is available for interviews to discuss the significance and growth of Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day.

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Conflict is unavoidable in all marriages. When it erupts in families with children, stressed or angry parents may take their pain out on the kids, projecting their anger or withdrawing emotionally or physically. In the worst cases, children’s socioemotional development can suffer. But the way parents, especially fathers, deal with marital conflict can make a difference to kids, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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Rich individuals living in communities with greater levels of economic inequality tend to be more generous with charitable giving and prosocial behaviors, according to a study published June 14, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Joel H. Suss from the London School of Economics & Political Science and Bank of England, UK.

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Iowa State University researchers found college students who tried to cut their social media use to 30 minutes per day scored significantly lower for anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear of missing out at the end of the two-week experiment and when compared to the control group.

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When three prime-time TV medical dramas — “Grey’s Anatomy,” “New Amsterdam” and “Chicago Med” — coincidentally featured storylines about the dangers of youth vaping within a few weeks of each other, University of Pittsburgh social scientist Beth Hoffman, Ph.D., saw an opportunity to engage real-life adolescents in a discussion about electronic cigarettes.

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Whether it’s a lack of appropriate services, time or simply a ‘she’ll be right’ approach, farmers often face many barriers when it comes to seeking health care, say researchers at the University of South Australia.

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New research from Bruce Avolio, professor of management in the University of Washington Foster School of Business, finds that employee approval greatly influences whether a board of directors will retain or dismiss a chief executive officer.

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The city’s recreation centers offer opportunities from cooking classes to robotics workshops. But Case Western Reserve University researchers found—through partnership and exhaustive examination—these community hubs serve another critical function: as safe spaces where children often vulnerable to trauma can heal.

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Counselors need to learn a form of interaction called cultural empathy, which involves honoring racial and cultural differences to better grasp a client’s experiences, according to a new journal article in Counseling Education and Supervision, a journal of the American Counseling Association.

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The persistent gender gap in voting for Democrats versus Republicans is, in part, because a higher proportion of women than men voters are Black and because Black voters have historically voted overwhelmingly Democratic, according to a new study by a team of sociologists.

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Many people of color live in areas devoid of mental health services or may receive treatments that fit poorly with their cultural values or complicate their racial trauma. A critical response to this inequity is better anti-racism education for counselors in training, educators say. More in the June special issue of Counselor Education and Supervision.