Surviving slavery: family ties were vital
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 12:16 ET (22-Jun-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)
Young children who grew up in slavery on Surinamese plantations were much more likely to die if they were without a mother. This is evident from a historical analysis of Surinamese slave registers by researchers at Radboud University and Wageningen University & Research. Their work was published this month in Demography. The presence of grandmothers, aunts and uncles also significantly increased children's chances of survival.
New research has found that children with caring responsibilities are 35% less likely than their peers to reach the expected standard for reading, writing and maths by the end of primary school.
New research following US adolescents ages 11–12 shows that problematic use of mobile phones, social media, and video games was associated with higher risks of mental health problems, sleep disturbance, and suicidal behaviors one year later. The study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reveals that the links between problematic screen use and mental health are stronger than those previously reported for overall screen time and highlights the risks of addictive use.
Cognitive impairment, including decreased attention and memory, remains one of the most disabling aspects of schizophrenia, affecting social life of patients. However, no effective treatment has yet been established for it. Now, researchers have investigated the effect of adding brexpiprazole on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. The findings revealed that patients with schizophrenia receiving adjunctive brexpiprazole showed a meaningful improvement in information processing speed, without worsening psychiatric symptoms.