Life News (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

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Released: 13-Jul-2023 12:15 AM EDT
APA poll reveals toxic workplaces, other significant workplace mental health challenges
American Psychological Association (APA)

A new survey from the American Psychological Association revealed that 19% of workers say their workplace is very or somewhat toxic, and those who reported a toxic workplace were more than three times as likely to have said they have experienced harm to their mental health at work than those who report a healthy workplace (52% vs. 15%).

Newswise: Daughters breastfed longer, and women accumulated greater wealth in ancient California matriarchal society
Released: 12-Jul-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Daughters breastfed longer, and women accumulated greater wealth in ancient California matriarchal society
University of Utah

Women buried at the ancestral Ohlone site of Kalawwasa Rummeytak in the San Francisco Bay Area in California were breastfed longer and accumulated greater wealth than the men. Isotopic analysis indicates that after marriage, men lived with their wives’ families and women tended to remain in their birth community. This study is the first of its kind to uncover wealth-driven patterns in maternal investment among ancient populations.

Newswise: Musical rhythms shown to improve language processing in children with Developmental Language Disorder
Released: 12-Jul-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Musical rhythms shown to improve language processing in children with Developmental Language Disorder
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Musical rhythms can help children with speech and language processing difficulties in finding their voice by improving their capacity to repeat sentences they just heard, according to a study led by a Western Sydney University researcher and co-authored by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

   
Newswise: People Generalize Expectations of Pain to Conceptually Related Tasks 
Released: 11-Jul-2023 2:00 PM EDT
People Generalize Expectations of Pain to Conceptually Related Tasks 
Association for Psychological Science

Avoiding experiences associated with pain can be an adaptive behavior. But when avoidance generalizes to safe movements and activities, it can come at the cost of other valued activities or even culminate in disability due to reduced activity levels.

10-Jul-2023 8:10 AM EDT
Many Hazardous Drinkers Reduce Their Alcohol Use Before Entering Treatment, Predicting Positive Outcomes and Suggesting Alcohol Treatment Should Be Reconceptualized
Research Society on Alcoholism

People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) commonly cut back on drinking in the weeks before entering treatment, a new study has affirmed. Further, this self-driven “pretreatment change” is linked to better outcomes up to one year following treatment.

   
Released: 11-Jul-2023 9:05 AM EDT
You’re not getting sleepy: 6 myths and misconceptions about hypnosis from an expert
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Steven Jay Lynn, a professor of psychology at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and colleagues address a number of errors and misconceptions regarding the characteristics and practice of hypnosis.

   
Released: 10-Jul-2023 1:50 PM EDT
Tracking down social determinants of health in electronic health records
Regenstrief Institute

Researchers recently published one of the first studies in which natural language processing was applied to social determinants of health. The researchers developed three new natural language processing algorithms to successfully extract information from text data related to housing challenges, financial stability and employment status from electronic health records.

   
Released: 10-Jul-2023 11:00 AM EDT
American University Anthropologist and Global Health Expert Available to Comment on Immigration, Immigrant Health
American University

As the summer migrant labor season is in full swing in the U.S., health inequities and other social disparities that affect these communities become more visible. Over 3 million people in the U.S. work temporarily or seasonally in farm fields, orchards, canneries, plant nurseries, fish/seafood/meat packing plants, and more.

   
7-Jul-2023 8:20 AM EDT
Web and Smartphone Apps Providing Personalized Feedback Can Help Hazardous Drinkers Substantially Reduce Their Alcohol Consumption Over Eight Weeks
Research Society on Alcoholism

Brief electronic intervention providing personalized feedback can help hazardous drinkers substantially reduce their drinking, according to a new study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research.

     
5-Jul-2023 5:45 AM EDT
Medicaid Expansion Associated with Increased, But Not High Quality, Screening for Alcohol Use
Research Society on Alcoholism

People living in states with expanded Medicaid access were more likely to be screened by their doctor for alcohol use compared to people who lived in states that did not expand Medicaid access, but they did not necessarily receive effective interventions. A study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that living in a state with expanded Medicaid access was associated with a higher prevalence of lower-income adults’ receiving some alcohol screening at a recent checkup but not receiving higher quality screening or brief counseling. The authors suggest that expanded Medicaid access may increase screening via increased access to primary care but that policies that target healthcare provider constraints are also needed to increase high-quality, evidence-based screening and counseling around alcohol use.

   
Newswise: 3 myths about immigration in America
Released: 7-Jul-2023 12:40 PM EDT
3 myths about immigration in America
Adler University

The US is home to more international migrants than any other country. But even though immigration is an actively debated topic, immigrants are poorly understood.

Released: 6-Jul-2023 6:10 PM EDT
Study examines centuries of identity lost because of slavery
University of Southern California (USC)

Many Americans can trace some lines of their family tree back to the 1600s. However, African Americans descended from enslaved Africans, who began arriving in North America in 1619, lack ancestral information spanning several centuries.

Newswise: Testing Yields New Evidence of Human Occupation 18,000 years ago in Oregon
Released: 6-Jul-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Testing Yields New Evidence of Human Occupation 18,000 years ago in Oregon
University of Oregon

University of Oregon archaeologists have found evidence suggesting humans occupied the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter outside of Riley, Oregon more than 18,000 years ago.

   
Released: 6-Jul-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Dashcam images offer insight on NYPD officer deployment
Cornell University

Using a deep learning computer model and a dataset containing millions of dashboard camera images from New York City rideshare drivers, Cornell Tech researchers were able to see which neighborhoods had the highest numbers of New York Police Department marked vehicles, a possible indication of deployment patterns.

Released: 6-Jul-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Financial transparency index helps track the flow of “dark money” in politics
University of Oregon

Not all nonprofits are created equal — and some exist mainly to capitalize on a tax law loophole that allows them to anonymously funnel donations to political causes. New University of Oregon research proposes an index that rates the financial transparency of social advocacy nonprofits to give people more awareness of organizations that are funneling anonymous donations, or “dark money,” into politics.

   
Released: 6-Jul-2023 10:30 AM EDT
Interpersonal and Structural Stigma Toward Sexual Minority Youth Create Mental Health Challenges, Increased Suicide Risk
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Researchers found that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth experienced more interpersonal discrimination based on others perceiving them as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and were four times more likely to attempt suicide. Additionally, LGB youth living in areas of the country with more structural stigma experienced a larger mental health burden than their peers. These findings stress the urgency for addressing interpersonal discrimination and structural stigma toward LGB youth.

   
Newswise: Binghamton University’s Kaschak Institute to host conference on gender equality and climate change
Released: 6-Jul-2023 9:55 AM EDT
Binghamton University’s Kaschak Institute to host conference on gender equality and climate change
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Binghamton University’s Ellyn Uram Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls, in alliance with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), will host a three-day conference July 10-12.

   
Newswise: Do Paper Calendars Help Us Plan Better Than Digital Calendars?
Released: 6-Jul-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Do Paper Calendars Help Us Plan Better Than Digital Calendars?
California State University, Fullerton

The popularity of digital calendars over paper calendars has grown significantly due to instant access to appointments, meetings and dates. But which type of calendar leads to higher efficiency?

   
Newswise: Study Explores Incarceration, Employment and Re-offense During COVID-19 Pandemic
Released: 6-Jul-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Study Explores Incarceration, Employment and Re-offense During COVID-19 Pandemic
Florida Atlantic University

The study not only examined the effects of the transitional employment program participation on employment and recidivism, but also looked at the program’s mechanisms such as hours worked and hours spent in cognitive behavioral interventions and three employment sectors – construction, kitchen and warehouse/retail – on future system involvement.

Released: 6-Jul-2023 8:25 AM EDT
New IIASA online tool to visualize global migration patterns
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

IIASA researchers have developed a new tool – the Global Migration Data Explorer – to help address the lack of data on global migration flows and provide a visual method for exploring migration patterns worldwide.

Released: 5-Jul-2023 7:05 PM EDT
Factors associated with learning disabilities and autism led to requests for euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Netherlands, study finds
Kingston University

A Kingston University, London study found several people with learning disabilities and autism in the Netherlands chose to die legally through euthanasia and assisted suicide due to feeling unable to cope with the world, changes around them or because they struggled to form friendships.

   
Newswise: Bar-Ilan University study reveals disparity in quality of life among COVID-19 survivors from different ethnic groups
Released: 5-Jul-2023 6:50 PM EDT
Bar-Ilan University study reveals disparity in quality of life among COVID-19 survivors from different ethnic groups
Bar-Ilan University

A new study conducted by researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel has shed light on the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life among different ethnic groups in the country. The study, part of a larger cohort project, highlights a significant discrepancy between Arabs and Druze, and Jews, with the two former groups experiencing a more pronounced decline in quality of life one year after infection.

   
Released: 5-Jul-2023 2:40 PM EDT
Journal highlights contributions of Black psychologists
American Psychological Association (APA)

Despite historical strides and the important perspectives Black psychological researchers offer to their field, the contributions of Black psychologists have been left out of many foundational teachings in psychology, according to the journal American Psychologist.

Newswise: Stressed for a Bit? Then Don’t Click It, Cybersecurity Experts Advise
Released: 5-Jul-2023 1:00 PM EDT
Stressed for a Bit? Then Don’t Click It, Cybersecurity Experts Advise
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Workers feeling a specific form of stress are more likely than others to become the victims of a phishing attack, according to a new study.

   
Released: 5-Jul-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Screen time not harmful for academic skills of preschoolers
Ohio State University

Despite the fears of parents, screen time doesn’t appear to have overwhelmingly negative impacts on preschoolers’ development, new research suggests. The study of kids from low-income and minority homes found that the quantity of time in front of the TV, smartphones and tablets was not related to children’s gains in language, literacy and math skills.

Released: 3-Jul-2023 4:40 PM EDT
Study shows greater emotional exhaustion among maths teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic
University of Freiburg

In a longitudinal study, researchers were able to examine the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional well-being of maths teachers: On a scale of 1 to 4, the mean emotional exhaustion of teachers increased from 1.89 in 2019 to 2.41 in 2021.

Released: 3-Jul-2023 12:25 PM EDT
Why do we articulate more when speaking to babies and puppies?
CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique / National Center of Scientific Research)

Babies and puppies have at least two things in common: aside from being newborns, they promote a positive emotional state in human mothers, leading them to articulate better when they speak.

Released: 3-Jul-2023 8:50 AM EDT
Cognitive flexibility moderates teacher stress
Bar-Ilan University

A recently-published study led by Prof. Einat Levy-Gigi, from Bar-Ilan University, examined for the first time the interactive effect of exposure to stress in the school setting and cognitive flexibility on the tendency to develop post-traumatic symptoms among education and teaching staff. One hundred fifty education and teaching personnel (85% women and 15% men with an average age of 43 and average teaching experience of 13 years) volunteered to participate in the study and underwent an assessment of their exposure to stress, their cognitive flexibility, their ability to cope and their level of post-traumatic symptoms.

   
Released: 3-Jul-2023 8:50 AM EDT
Can Dungeons and Dragons help players build social skills?
University of South Australia

Researchers at the University of South Australia are examining the possibility of using tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) such as Dungeons and Dragons to promote social growth in people who are neurodivergent or live with disability.

   
Newswise: Getting adults on board with messy nature play
Released: 29-Jun-2023 9:40 PM EDT
Getting adults on board with messy nature play
University of South Australia

Climbing trees, making mud pies, or simply playing outside, parents and educators know that being in nature is an important part of every childhood. But when it comes to messy or risky play, it’s a whole different story according to new research from the University of South Australia.

Released: 29-Jun-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Is a foreign-sounding name a disadvantage?
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Sports are a way in for people who want to build contacts with other people. Sports give you an opportunity to integrate and interact with people on an equal footing. For immigrants, sports can be the key that allows them to fit into a society.

Newswise: Native Americans’ Awareness of Omission and Discrimination Fuels Civic Engagement
Released: 29-Jun-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Native Americans’ Awareness of Omission and Discrimination Fuels Civic Engagement
Association for Psychological Science

Derogatory stereotypes constitute a clear form of discrimination, but an absence of information about a group in mainstream society can also communicate a lack of respect. That is the case for Native Americans, who are often underrepresented in media and policy discussions. In a recent Psychological Science study, researchers found that Native American adults who identified more strongly as Native were more likely to notice group omission and discrimination, prompting increased civic engagement.

Released: 29-Jun-2023 8:10 AM EDT
Babies talk more around man-made objects than natural ones
University of Portsmouth

A new study, led by the University of Portsmouth, suggests young children are more vocal when interacting with toys and household items, highlighting their importance for developing language skills.

Released: 28-Jun-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Mothers express their ideals in the fashion photos of their children in social media
Jyvaskylan Yliopisto (University of Jyvaeskylae)

Mothers often share fashion photos of their children on social media, a practice which combine the traditions of family photos and the commercial symbolism of fashion images.

Released: 28-Jun-2023 4:05 PM EDT
A sudden liberating thought pops into your mind – but is it really yours?
University of Oslo

Do you deserve praise and recognition for good ideas that seemingly just pop into your mind? Yes, says philosopher Francesca Secco, who wants to provide nuance to what can be considered an action.

Released: 28-Jun-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Reading for pleasure early in childhood linked to better cognitive performance and mental wellbeing in adolescence
University of Cambridge

Children who begin reading for pleasure early in life tend to perform better at cognitive tests and have better mental health when they enter adolescence, a study of more than 10,000 young adolescents in the US has found.

   
Newswise: ChatGPT Tricks Teachers
Released: 28-Jun-2023 2:05 PM EDT
ChatGPT Tricks Teachers
University of California San Diego

Can you tell if what you’re reading right now was written by a human or generated by artificial intelligence? Do you care? Those are essentially the questions that University of California San Diego researchers asked in an experiment with ChatGPT at a regional high school.

2-Jun-2023 7:40 PM EDT
Concurrent use of alcohol and cannabis leads to higher levels of drinking in the longer term
Research Society on Alcoholism

Co-existing use of alcohol and cannabis can lead to negative outcomes such as the development of a substance-use disorder, poor academic and occupational performance, and psychiatric disorders when compared to use of either drug alone. New research that examines simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use has found higher levels of drinking after 18 months. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

   
2-Jun-2023 7:30 PM EDT
Emailed boosters after online interventions can help college and university students cut back on excessive drinking
Research Society on Alcoholism

Alcohol consumption is known to be pervasive and problematic among college and university student populations. New research has found that while online interventions alone can effectively help a typical student cut back on excessive drinking, emailed boosters after online interventions may be needed for heavier drinking students. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

   
Released: 27-Jun-2023 8:10 PM EDT
Children the 'hidden victims' of modern slavery
University of South Australia

Dependant children of people impacted by human trafficking and modern slavery are being left unsupported and their needs overlooked, putting families at risk of intergenerational trauma.

Released: 27-Jun-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Our mind in the pandemic’s grip: How has COVID-19 shaped our daydreams and nighttime dreams?
University of Turku (Turun yliopisto)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental well-being of individuals worldwide.

Newswise: “The Tribe Has Spoken”: Race and Gender Bias Influence Voting Outcomes in Reality TV Show 
Released: 27-Jun-2023 3:05 PM EDT
“The Tribe Has Spoken”: Race and Gender Bias Influence Voting Outcomes in Reality TV Show 
Association for Psychological Science

Zero-sum situations in which one person’s loss is another’s gain are known to bring out people’s worst tendencies—and the reality television show Survivor is no exception

Newswise: Black families growing up on either side of the tracks have same economic outcomes
Released: 27-Jun-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Black families growing up on either side of the tracks have same economic outcomes
University of Notre Dame

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. 

Newswise: Flexible, Supportive Company Culture Makes For Better Remote Work
Released: 27-Jun-2023 11:35 AM EDT
Flexible, Supportive Company Culture Makes For Better Remote Work
Georgia Institute of Technology

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.

Newswise: ACI Launches “Clean First Steps” Resource: Cleaning Advice and Guidance for New Parents
Released: 27-Jun-2023 11:25 AM EDT
ACI Launches “Clean First Steps” Resource: Cleaning Advice and Guidance for New Parents
American Cleaning Institute

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.

26-Jun-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Poverty negatively impacts structural wiring in children’s brains, study indicates
Washington University in St. Louis

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.

   
2-Jun-2023 6:45 PM EDT
Parental provision of alcohol to adolescent children and peer influence linked to subsequent alcohol harms
Research Society on Alcoholism

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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