News by Subject Social & Behavior

A University of Houston professor of psychology is reporting that suicide risk factors vary by ethnic group. The newly published research provides a window into new suicide risk profiles needed for a rapidly changing America.

New research shows just how important positive childhood experiences are for long-term health, especially for those who experience significant adversity as a child. Studies over the past 20 years have found a correlation between adverse childhood events (such as death or divorce) and worse health outcomes later in life. A new study discovers that positive childhood experiences, like having good neighbors, or a teacher you trust, have the potential to negate harmful health effects caused by adverse childhood experiences.

Students in Pennsylvania school districts that participated in Communities that Care (CTC) coalitions were significantly less likely to use alcohol or marijuana, or to engage in delinquent behavior than those in non-CTC districts, according to a recent study published in Prevention Science.

A study involving military veterans with PTSD and cirrhosis of the liver points to an abnormal mix of bacteria in the intestines as a possible driver of poor cognitive performance -- and as a potential target for therapy.

The total harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption is a staggering $2.05 per drink in the United States, and, of this, the government ends up paying about $0.80 per drink. However, the federal government and states only bring in about $0.21 per drink on average in alcohol taxes, according to new research. This leaves the majority of the cost of alcohol's harms borne by those who don't drink excessively or who don't drink at all.

Scientists from Scripps Research have shed light on poorly understood brain mechanisms that suppress drug and alcohol cravings, uncovering new insights that may help in the development of better addiction medicines.

Undergoing a hysterectomy, especially in conjunction with removal of the ovaries, can take a major toll on a woman's mental health. A new study, however, turns the tables on this relationship and investigates the psychiatric symptoms that may prompt a woman to undergo an oophorectomy, even after confirmation of a nonmalignant diagnosis. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Treatment practices in Canada and abroad need to change in order to help more people with alcohol use disorder, according to a CAMH-led article just published in The Lancet. More than 1 million Canadians have alcohol use disorders in any given year, but the vast majority never receives professional help. Despite interventions for alcohol use disorders being effective and -- if performed according to current guidelines -- cost-saving, they are rare in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

Research shows that risk-taking behaviors, such as binge drinking, may increase throughout adolescence. At the same time, so can prosocial behaviors (behaviors that involve doing good to benefit others). A new longitudinal study from the Netherlands sought to determine if these behaviors are related and whether certain brain regions can predict them. The study found that the two behaviors may be related and that both behaviors may be motivated by teenagers' efforts to have fun.

Heavy alcohol consumption (3 drinks or more/day for women and 4 drinks or more/day for men) is linked to alterations in immune function among people with HIV.